Early Childhood Education Commons^™

A Moment Of Opportunity: Strategies For Inclusive Economic Growth, Michelle Miller-Adams, Timothy J. Bartik, Brad J. Hershbein

Upjohn Institute Technical Reports

No abstract provided.

Coaching As A Framework For Early Intervention Service Delivery, Rebecca Walzak

Dissertations, Theses, and Projects

Abstract

The Division for Early Childhood (DEC) has set forth a list of high leverage practices that have significant impact on children with special needs from birth through early childhood. One of these impactful strategies is building family capacity, which can be effectively addressed using a coaching framework for service delivery. Research in the field has not yet clearly defined coaching terms, definitions or characteristics, which impacts the fidelity of the practice and requires research and consensus moving forward. This body of work seeks to look at current research around the topic of coaching and it’s effectiveness in meeting student …

Examining The Antecedent Role Of Movement Proficiency In Child Development: Study Protocol, Catherine M. Capio, Kerry Lee, Rachel A. Jones, Rich S. W. Masters

Health Sciences Faculty Publications

Background: Decades of research, largely from associational studies, show that the relationships of movement proficiency with the cognitive and social aspects of development are particularly strong in early childhood. Children who move proficiently tend to have better cognitive skills and social behaviors. However, the mechanisms that underpin these relationships remain unclear and research that explores causation is necessary. This study will explore the antecedent role of movement proficiency in the cognitive and social domains of child development, by examining whether a targeted movement skills training program facilitates improvements in cognitive and social skills.

Methods: A group-randomized controlled trial will be …

Technology To Increase Peer Interactions In Preschool, Angela Mclean

Master's Theses & Capstone Projects

Adding technology to the preschool classroom without interfering with social interactions is a dilemma for educators. Peer interactions are an important developmental goal in preschool age students. Increased pressure to include technology in education at earlier ages is often viewed as a hindrance to social interactions in play-based curriculum, with many educators feeling unprepared in the methods to incorporate technology. The goal of this literature review is to analyze current research to discover methods that can increase social interactions among peers with the addition of technology tools in the preschool classroom. This review looked at forty-seven studies of social interactions …

Technology Use In Early Childhood, Sandra Anderson

Master's Theses & Capstone Projects

This literature review examines the influence of technology on early childhood development. It uses scholarly journals and articles to show the benefits and risks of technology use and how it can be used to compliment growth, development, and learning of young children. It also examines how technology can impact the early childhood developmental domains of: (a) social emotional, (b) cognitive, (c) physical motor, (d) language and literacy, and (e) mathematics. The influence of technology use on teaching and the family are also addressed. Furthermore, this literature review includes implications for the future, continuing research, and recommendations from the American Academy …

Behavior As A Part Of Child Development: Changing The Response To Challenging Behavior In Young Children, Kelly Femi-Grand

Master's Theses & Capstone Projects

Challenging behavior among young children has gained more and more attention as early childhood programs look to address the issue of the high incidence rate of suspensions and expulsions among the youngest learners. In an effort to decrease the number of suspensions and expulsions in early childhood settings, there has been a shift from reacting to the challenging behaviors being exhibited to teaching children social-emotional skills in order to appropriately react to new or overwhelming experiences. This literature review focuses on research that examines how to best support young children as they develop social-emotional skills and how to best support …

How Can Early Childhood Educators Promote Equitable Outcomes Through Trauma-Informed Practice?, Elizabeth Terry

Graduate Teacher Education

An abundance of research acknowledges the effects of trauma on children from an early age. Prolonged and severe trauma in early childhood can lead to adverse outcomes in important areas of development, such as one’s physical, mental, and social-emotional well-being (Morsy and Rothstein, 2019). Children present school systems and educators with the task of addressing this important, but infrequently considered issue. Trauma has lasting effects regardless of age, but the impacts of trauma during childhood are especially profound during such formative years. Children require safe spaces to learn and flourish as individuals, therefore it is important that early childhood educators …

Implementing Inclusive Education In Early Childhood Settings: The Interplay And Impact Of Exclusion, Teacher Qualities And Professional Development In Ghana, Francis R. Ackah-Jnr, Hyacinth Udah

Journal of Educational Research and Practice

Inclusive education (IE) in the early years enhances young children’s learning, socialization, and development; yet, children with disability are one group that is often isolated, excluded, or marginalized in early childhood education. This paper examines jointly the perceived exclusion practices, teacher qualities, and professional development and the interplay and impact of these factors on effective inclusive early childhood education. Drawing on data collected from individual interviews with teachers and headteachers in a large early childhood and school setting in Ghana, findings of this qualitative study indicate the exclusion practices of teachers. The findings suggest that resistance to IE limits learning, …

Whose Story Is It? Thinking Through Early Childhood With Young Children’S Photographs, Tran Nguyen Templeton

Occasional Paper Series

Child-centered practices and pedagogies of listening to children are part and parcel of progressive early childhood education. As critical early childhood teachers and researchers, we demonstrate that we value the voices and narratives of children by placing them at the center of our classroom and research agendas. Simultaneously, however, young children’s social position can put them at the mercy of adults’ (teachers’ and researchers’) whims, and their stories may easily be consumed in the name of provocative classroom displays or academic articles. This work explores the potential for visual participatory research, guided by critical childhood studies, to grasp the stories …

Covid-19’S Impacts On The Labor Market In 2020, Brad J. Hershbein, Harry J. Holzer

Employment Research Newsletter

No abstract provided.

Making The Child Care Tax Credit Permanently Refundable Could Benefit Low-Income Families, Gabrielle Pepin

Employment Research Newsletter

No abstract provided.

The Value Of Play-Based Learning In Early Childhood Classrooms, Brandice Tegrootenhuis

Master's Theses & Capstone Projects

The purpose of this literature review is to demonstrate the value of play-based learning in early childhood classrooms and encourage educators and policy-makers to focus more on this developmentally appropriate practice of learning through play in early childhood classrooms. The findings of this literature review are that play is an essential component in all areas of child development. The reviewed research suggests play and academic and social development are closely linked and indicate success in the areas of 21st century skills, literacy and language, and STEM (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics) education. The conclusion of this review includes recommendations for …

Tcit’S Impact On Various Challenging Behaviors, Emily Krakau

Master's Theses & Capstone Projects

Preventing and managing challenging behaviors is a responsibility that many educators encounter and is an aspect of the teaching profession that can cause high stress. For a child who exhibits challenging behaviors, there are lasting negative effects that can occur. The purpose of this action research project is to examine the effectiveness of Teacher-Child Interaction Training (TCIT) on reducing the frequency of different types of challenging behaviors in an early childhood setting. With a sample of three preschool aged students, who were identified as having elevated levels of challenging behavior, the teacher researcher observed the frequency for delay/avoidance, aggression, disruptive …

The Importance Of Physical Activity In Early Childhood Development, Kathleen Stuart

Master's Theses & Capstone Projects

Programming in early childhood has become increasingly academic, with less consideration for whole-child development. This new emphasis has influenced not only pre-k programs, but also programs serving toddlers and infants. As a result of this focus on academic skills, children from birth to five years old are spending more time in sedentary, academically focused activities and less time in meaningful play and physical activity. Children are no longer afforded the time and opportunity to participate in the robust play activities that are one of the essential elements in whole-child development. This literature review focuses on research that advocates for physical …

Foundations For Promoting Lgbt+ Social Justice Through Early Childhood Teacher Education, Adam Kennedy

Education: School of Education Faculty Publications and Other Works

This chapter presents a framework for early childhood (EC) teacher education experiences that align with aims of LGBT+ (lesbian, gay, bi, trans, plus other identities) social justice. The chapter begins with an introduction to the populations addressed: children of LGBT-led families, trans people, children who represent gender diversity, and LGBT+ teachers. Ethical and teaching responsibilities of educators who serve children aged birth to five are shared, including the work of authors in the interrelated fields within EC education. Examples of supportive educator competencies are shared across three critical aims: including and supporting LGBT-led families, supporting children’s explorations of gender (including …

Making The Child Care Tax Credit Permanently Refundable Could Benefit Low-Income Families, Gabrielle Pepin

Upjohn Institute Policy and Research Briefs

No abstract provided.

How Would A Permanently Refundable Child And Dependent Care Credit Affect Eligibility, Benefits, And Incentives?, Gabrielle Pepin

Upjohn Institute Working Papers

The federal Child and Dependent Care Credit (CDCC) subsidizes child care costs for working families. Before 2021, the CDCC was nonrefundable, so only families with positive tax liability after other deductions benefited. I estimate how CDCC eligibility, benefits, and marginal tax rates would change if the credit were made permanently refundable, relative to 2020 CDCC parameters set to be restored in 2022. Under refundability, some 5 percent of single parents gain eligibility and receive on average over $1,000 annually. Eligibility increases are largest among Black and Hispanic households. Increases in marginal tax rates among moderate-income taxpayers are small.

Using Mindfulness Practices To Increase Self-Regulation In Pre-Kindergarten And Kindergarten-Aged Children, Ellyn E. Culotta

LSU Master's Theses

BACKGROUND: Self-regulation is identified in the literature as an early predictor of later life success and an important skill that develops over the course of a lifetime beginning in early childhood (Flook et al., 2015; Montroy et al., 2016; Murray et al., 2017). OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this research study was to assess whether direct instruction of Mindfulness Practices, such as guided meditation and yoga poses (Lee et al., 2020; Poehlmann-Tynan et al., 2016; Zelazo et al., 2012) would increase self-regulatory behaviors, such as impulse control, emotion regulation, and problem-solving in pre-kindergarten and kindergarten aged children. METHOD: Target children were …

“Doing What I Can, But I Got No Magic Wand:” A Snapshot Of Early Childhood Educator Experiences And Efforts To Ensure Quality During The Covid-19 Pandemic, April Crawford, Kelly A Vaughn, Cathy L Guttentag, Cheryl Varghese, Yoonkyung Oh, Tricia A Zucker

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

The COVID-19 pandemic impacted early childhood programs serving infants, toddlers, and preschoolers in dramatic ways. After temporarily closing, many educators quickly adapted their procedures to ensure children's safety as they reopened to provide childcare for essential workers and then the community at large. This manuscript reports on statewide efforts to continue quality improvement initiatives for early childhood programs amidst the COVID-19 pandemic. We first describe the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic for over 2000 educators-teachers, administrators, and specialists-who completed surveys in the Spring and Fall of 2020. These survey data come from a statewide system called the Texas Early Childhood …

Learning From Video: A Meta-Analysis Of The Video Deficit In Children Ages 0 To 6 Years., Gabrielle Strouse, Jennifer Samson

School of Education Faculty Publications

Young children often learn less from video than face-to-face presentations. Meta-regression models were used to examine the average size of this difference (video deficit) and investigate moderators. An average deficit of about half of a standard deviation was reported across 122 independent effect sizes from 59 reports, involving children ages 0-6 years. Moderator analyses suggested 1) the deficit decreased with age, 2) object retrieval studies showed larger deficits than other domains, and 3) there was no difference between studies using live versus prerecorded video. Results are consistent with a multiple-mechanism explanation for the deficit. However, the analyses highlighted potential quality …

Investigating Self-Efficacy: Early Childhood Teachers’ Understanding Of Self-Efficacy, Dimity Franks

Theses: Doctorates and Masters

Students are experiencing an increased pressure to perform academically at a younger age with reports of the narrowing of curriculum and student disengagement. Current research literature suggests curricula should reflect the increased pressures students are facing. A focus on the social and emotional skills to support student learning is recommended to increase student engagement and enrichment and prepare students for their future. Self-efficacy is one element of social and emotional learning that demands attention. Self-efficacy is considered important for teachers to understand as it can predict how students approach their tasks as well as influence their levels of motivation and …

Teacher Questioning Practices In Early Childhood Science Activities, Erin Hamel, Yuenjung Joo, Soo-Young Hong, Anna Burton

Department of Child, Youth, and Family Studies: Faculty Publications

This study explores teachers’ use of questioning during collaborative science exploratory activities. We classified a total of 755 questions across 14 preschool science lessons implemented by four teachers by type (open- or closed-ended) and content (science- or non-science-related) while also recording the intended recipient. Results revealed that, overall, teachers primarily asked closed-ended questions to children during preschool science activities. While closed-ended questions outnumbered open-ended, science-related questions were more likely to be open-ended questions. We noticed this trend whether the teacher directed the question to a group of children or an individual child. Gender of the child recipient was also explored …

"The Candy Problem, Solved!": White Children And White Parents Grappling With Dysconscious Whiteness, Lindsay E. Olson

Antioch University Dissertations & Theses

During an amplification of the Black Lives Matter (BLM) movement, white children and parents have faced multiple interruptions to their protective territory of dysconscious whiteness—an uncritical approach to a structural status quo that favors white lives. Through semi-structured activities and interviews with ten children ages 3 to 9 and nine of their parents who observed these activities, I discovered a parent–child subsystem of dysconscious whiteness. White children and parents revealed aspects of this subsystem by grappling with dysconscious whiteness (grappling) as they struggled to avoid implicating skin color in resource inequality. Through grounded theory analysis of the process of grappling, …

The Influence Of Proximal And Distal Familial Factors On Preschool Children's Inhibitory Control And Social Emotional Skills, Amy Encinger

College of Education and Human Sciences: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

Children in the United States experience higher rates of poverty than any other age group, including elderly adults and the poverty rate of young children (0-5 years) is considerably higher than that of older children (Proctor et al., 2016). There is an extensive body of research examining familial socioeconomic status (SES) and the influence on the skills and behaviors of young children; however, common key indicators of family SES may not fully depict the ways in which children living in poverty/low-income homes are influenced by economic disadvantage. The focus of the current study is to explore the ways in which …

Impacts Of The Covid-19 Pandemic And The Cares Act On Earnings And Inequality, Guido Matias Cortes, Eliza C. Forsythe

Employment Research Newsletter

No abstract provided.

Tax Credits For Child Care Increase Take-Up And May Help More Mothers Work, Gabrielle Pepin

Employment Research Newsletter

No abstract provided.

The Power Of Play In Early Childhood Education, Rachel Mary Nichols

Master's Theses & Capstone Projects

This literature review synthesizes research on how early childhood classrooms use play as a learning tool for students. The review of literature examines different types of play and how children develop in relation to play. Play in the classroom is often viewed as a reward for completing schoolwork, but in preschool classrooms and beyond, play offers a wide variety of learning opportunities and aids in the development of new skills. This literature review uses scholarly articles and journals to examine the different types of early childhood play in the classroom and how children develop in relation to being able to …

Tax Credits For Child Care Increase Take Up And May Help More Mothers Work, Gabrielle Pepin

Upjohn Institute Policy and Research Briefs

No abstract provided.

The Effects Of Child Care Subsidies On Paid Child Care Participation And Labor Market Outcomes: Evidence From The Child And Dependent Care Credit, Gabrielle Pepin

Upjohn Institute Working Papers

The Child and Dependent Care Credit (CDCC), a tax credit based on taxpayers’ income and child care expenses, reduces families’ child care costs. The nonrefundable federal CDCC is available to working families with children younger than 13 years old in all states, and nearly half of states supplement the federal credit with their own child care credits. The Economic Growth and Tax Relief Reconciliation Act expanded the federal CDCC in 2003, which led to differential increases in CDCC generosity across states and family sizes. I document CDCC eligibility and expenditures over time and across income and demographic groups. Using data …

An Investigation Of Early Childhood Staff And Their Transition To The New Western Australian Humanities And Social Sciences Curriculum, Jane Loxton, Christine Cunningham, Marianne J. Knaus

Australian Journal of Teacher Education

In 2017, a new Humanities and Social Sciences (HASS) curriculum was introduced into all of Western Australia’s classrooms. The aim of this study was to investigate how teachers transitioned to that new HASS curriculum. Using case study methodology, the experiences, opportunities and challenges faced by the early childhood (EC) staff in two Perth schools were investigated as they prepared for and implemented a new HASS Curriculum. The results suggested the need for strong leadership in times of change. The results also indicated that these small, independent schools needed good resources and professional development to help understand the changes. The research …