Early Childhood Education Commons^™

Autonomy Relation To Student's Motivation In Stem, Halle Patton

Honors Projects

The purpose of this research project is to investigate how giving students autonomy can affect the way they learn and participate in a STEM environment. Autonomy-Supportive Teaching occurs when students take ownership throughout the entire learning process, becoming more actively engaged and motivated due to the personal responsibility that they feel to learn. Our education system is primarily made up of teacher-centered environments. However, the change to student-centered learning could be revolutionary. By making educational environments geared towards student interest and choice, it could increase both motivation and internalization– two factors that make a successful student. Research was conducted in …

Curiosity, Motivation, Autonomy, And Lifelong Learning In Education And The United States Marine Corps, Cynthia Malmquist

Department of Teaching, Learning, and Teacher Education: Theses and Other Student Research

Curiosity, intrinsic motivation, and autonomy-supportive teaching all promote lifelong learning in both the classroom and Marine Corps. Humans are all born with curiosity. Children inherently practice forms of intrinsic motivation. Most would agree that they do not like being micromanaged - they enjoy a sense of freedom when completing tasks. Despite this, many students learn in a controlling environment and many Marines work under controlling leaders. Though a large amount of time is spent on learning through the first 18 years of life, lifelong learning does not come naturally and is not commonly practiced. The research and ideas discussed below …

Assessment Of Children As Having A Strong Sense Of Identity In Early Childhood Education And Care: Literature Review, Jen Jackson, Kate Noble, Danielle Anzai, Pru Mitchell, Dan Cloney

Early Childhood Education

This review focuses on the Outcome: Children have a strong sense of identity. Its purpose is to equip early childhood professionals with the knowledge to identify and assess children’s progress towards this Outcome in all early childhood settings. Central to the child’s development of a sense of identity is their personal identity. This includes awareness of self, summed up in the statement: ‘I know who I am’, and includes the constructs of self-expression and self-awareness. A strong sense of identity requires that a child also appreciates who they are, summed up in the statement: ‘I value who I am’. The …

Improving Well-Being In Preschool: The Role Of Autonomy In Transitions, Catherine Weiss

Scripps Senior Theses

ABSTRACT

The following proposed study aims to examine self-determination theory (SDT) in preschool transitions. Transitions are defined as the collective movement from one physical space to another. SDT states that autonomy is one of three basic psychological needs for well-being. The impacts of autonomy on well-being will be assessed on 170 preschool children aged 2-6 (M=4yro) randomly sampled from two schools in the LA area. Research indicates that transitions are challenging due to improper teacher preparation and the common presence of behavioral challenges in preschool children. Additionally, integrating choice into education has been shown to improve well-being and …

Steam Lessons From The Forest: Ingenuity, Instruments And Autonomy, Tracey Hunter-Doniger

The STEAM Journal

This article discusses a case study of an environmental art camp that was modeled after choice-based pedagogies. At this camp the children were able to choose their activities, and taught how to think and work like an artist/scientist using a sketch/field book as a guiding instrument for their inquiry and empowerment. What was found was that three pillars of empowerment formed a foundational structure consisting of three interrelated factors that inspired the campers: 1) ingenuity, 2) a useful instrument, and 3) autonomy. Cultivating the artist/scientist habits gave the students the ingenuity or practical knowledge and understanding of how the roles …

Kindergarten Teacher Autonomy In High And Low Socioeconomic Environments, Allison Catherine Mcdonald

MSU Graduate Theses

Kindergarten teachers are immersed in a high stakes educational environment and this environment has altered how kindergarten teachers must teach. Exploring the different distribution of autonomy in high and low-income groups contributes to the research about educational equity. This study examined the relationship between income level of teaching environment and kindergarten teachers’ levels of self-perceived autonomy. The research question that guided this study was: do kindergarten teachers in higher income schools experience greater levels of self-perceived autonomy than kindergarten teachers in low-income schools? The Teaching Autonomy Scale developed by Pearson & Hall (1993) was used to survey 91 kindergarten teacher …

Finding Meaning In The Resistance Of Preschool Children: Critical Theory Takes An Interpretive Look, Steven Schultz

Occasional Paper Series

Offers an analysis to resistant behavior of preschool children that goes beyond lack of socialization. This interpretation focuses upon the social and cultural meanings of individual and group behaviors. The article is concerned with the acts of the children that run contrary to, or simply outside of, the sanctioned school activities. This is an important vantage from which to analyze preschool resistance because some important behaviors can be identified at the point when they are first likely to occur; when young children, as members of a peer group, first meet figures of authority.