Early Childhood Education Commons^™

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DePaul Magazine

DePaul students draw on specialized skills to serve business and industrial clients.

Children And Technology: Why Technology Is Important For Our Children, Jill Mactiernan

Student Theses

Many people get scared when they hear about how much technology runs the world today. They tend to get frightened when they go to a store and have to use a selfcheckout instead of a cashier. Parents are scared of the dangers of the internet and how it will affect their children, so they tend to try to prevent/limit their children’s usage of the internet and other technologies. However, that may not always be the right move. Technology can not be avoided; it is a part of our everyday lives. With proper guidance and teachings, children can learn how to …

New York State Birth Through Five (Nysb5) Preschool Development Grant Needs Assessment Update Report (2022), Center For Human Services Research, University At Albany

Education & Early Childhood Development Reports and Research Briefs

This 2022 Needs Assessment update expressly focuses on the provision of home-based and legally exempt child care and the historic investment to stabilize and expand access to child care. In addition, this update presents findings on the access and use of the internet by parents. While not meant to be a comprehensive overview of the entire Early Childhood Care and Education system (ECCE) system, it adds context and background to what we already understand about the strengths and needs of the child care system.

Increased Child Initiated Activity In Child-Centered Learning Environments, Angela Robinson

Graduate Teacher Education

Child-initiated activity in child-centered learning environments benefits the development of the whole child. Current research lends evidence that the early relationships and experiences of a child directly impact learning success (Nitecki, 2017; Fyffe et al., 2022). The indoor and outdoor environment are positioned as places for learning providing freedom and space to support health and well-being (Maynard et al., 2013). Classrooms have largely removed free play to address academic standards and high-stakes testing (Pistrova & Slutsky, 2018). This has been demonstrated by the implementation of scripted curriculum, the removal of toys such as unit blocks that foster creativity and imagination, …

The Efficacy Of A Key Word Signing Workshop, Krista Mcmorran-Maus

Education (PhD) Dissertations

This study examined the effect of a 1-day, 6-hour key word signing (KWS) workshop on in-service special education teachers’ and speech-language pathologists’ (SLPs) (a) skill identifying American Sign Language (ASL) signs; (b) skill producing ASL signs; (c) use of KWS in the classroom or therapy room; and (d) perceived changes from taking part in a KWS workshop. Participants included five special education teachers, three SLPs, and four students with complex communication needs (aged 3 to 14 years) participated in the study. All eight adult participants participated in a pretest-posttest design with repeated posttest measures over time, survey design, and phenomenological …

Building On The Lasting Benefits Of Attending A Voluntary Prekindergarten Program, Ashley Swickle

Dissertations

The expectations of kindergarten students have drastically changed over the years. Kindergarten students who have not attended a voluntary pre-kindergarten (VPK) program may be at a disadvantage in behavior and academics. The purpose of this study is to show the benefits of a VPK program. My study includes kindergarten students at the school under study whose progress monitoring scores in the beginning of the year are compared to student’s scores who have never attended a VPK program, the amount of behavior referrals is also compared. The anticipated results are that kindergarten students who attended VPK will out-perform their peers who …

Teacher Perspectives On Formative Assessment Within A Primary Classroom, Dawn M. Macdonald

Teaching & Learning Theses & Dissertations

Research has acknowledged the importance of the beliefs of educators and how their beliefs have implications impacting their classroom practices (Clark, 1987; Doyle 1997; Zhou & Urhahne, 2018; Graham & Pajares, 1997). Teachers’ beliefs have been a significant topic for researchers due to the contribution they provide for the development of teaching and learning (Gilakjani & Sabouri, 2017). Above all, with increasing attention on teacher quality and effectiveness internationally there has been little research looking at the influences between teachers’ classroom practices and their judgments on student learning (Devine, Fahie, & McGillicudy, 2013).

Further research may benefit teachers who are …

Creating More Equitable Opportunities In Early Childhood By Highlighting Parent Voice: A Qualitative Case Study, Julie Dawn Sill

Teaching & Learning Theses & Dissertations

This qualitative, single embedded case study, framed on Bioecological Systems Theory, Adult Learning Theory, and a Family-Systems Intervention Model investigates the reasons parents and caregivers of young children enroll in and complete parent education classes during the birth to three-year period, as well as the supports that may contribute to positive early parent-child communication or the barriers that may prevent these interactions from occurring (Bronfenbrenner, 2005; Dunst & Trivette, 2009; Knowles et al., 2020). Convenience sampling was used to recruit adult participants from a community organization in the Southeastern USA whose mission was to improve the school readiness of its …

You Can Be Anything You Want: An Analysis Of Gender Stereotypes In Early Childhood Literature, Emily Renee Marshall

Honors College Theses

The theme of gender roles is present in many genres of literature. In early children’s literature, the vast majority of these stories portray the most common gender stereotypes, such as girls who wear pink and play with dolls, while boys wear blue and play with cars and trucks. The families’ roles are also seen in these books. For example, the mother figure is usually seen at home with the children, working in the kitchen or outside in the garden, while the father is often portrayed coming home from a long day of work in a suit and tie. These gender …

Exploring Stress In Adolescents Regarding The Covid-19 School Closure, Anna Beck

The Eleanor Mann School of Nursing Undergraduate Honors Theses

Background: The purpose of this literature review, is to explore the stress adolescents faced during the times of the COVID-19 pandemic. This includes the rates of stress, other psychological consequences, such as depression and anxiety, as well as factors that could have contributed to the development of stress and those that could have helped relieve feelings of distraught.

Purpose: To create a more holistic approach in nursing care, finding reasonings behind the creation of stress in the young population, as well as methods to alleviate, can help patient satisfaction and support.

Method: A literature review was conducted over 20 peer …

Universal Pre-K In Comstock Public Schools, Meadow A. Nuyen

Dissertations

In 1971, President Nixon vetoed legislation that would have created federal funding for the education of kids under age five. With the veto, President Nixon reaffirmed that, except for poor children, the education and care of the children is the responsibility of the family, not the government. Yet over 31 years later, 41 states and the District of Columbia provide state-funded preschool (Waxman, 2021). Preschool in the state of Michigan is not automatically provided as K-12 education is. This study examined the beliefs of staff in Comstock Public Schools regarding Universal Pre-K, tuition-free preschool for all 4-year-olds. Participants included district …

Improving Kindness In A Preschool Classroom, Mayari Chavez

Capstone Projects and Master's Theses

Improving Kindness within a preschool classroom.

Kindergarten Social And Emotional Learning Development, Liliana Garduno

Capstone Projects and Master's Theses

Social and Emotional Learning Skills for students who attend Community Partnership for Youth after-school program.

Analysis Of The Issue Of New Mexico Black Male Educators’ Underrepresentation In Education Within New Mexico, Robert Sims Jr.

Dissertations

Increasing the educational profession's racial, gender, and ethnic diversification ensures the intentionality and equity of having more Black male educators serve as role models in U.S. schools. There is a need to understand better the journey and experiences of Black male educators, wherefore greater grassroots recruitment and retention efforts can be implemented to support Black men and young Black males who may aspire to become educators. Research that captures the experiences of Black male youth and educators as they navigate teaching and learning in predominately White educational systems may promote lines of inquiry for further research and intentional dialogue for …

K-5 Elementary Alternative Program: A Case Study, William E. Scheuer Iv

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this case study was to examine how the K-5 elementary alternative program All Students Can Thrive (ASCT) used student-centered learning practices to influence the whole child. There is a lack of research on K-5 elementary alternative programs, such as ASCT, and specifically those that integrate student-centered learning practices to influence the whole child. Literature does not contain universally accepted interventions that are effective in the elementary alternative setting to help students return to the mainstream classroom setting better prepared to display appropriate behaviors when a student is removed from a mainstream classroom setting due to disruptive behaviors. …

The Merit Of Inclusion: A Policy Review Examining The Convergence Of Special Education And Inclusions Policies With Compensatory Medicaid Policies In The Wake Of The Covid-19 Pandemic, Corbyn Baggett

Capstone Experience: Master of Public Health

On March 11, 2020, the World Health Organization (WHO) formally recognized the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak as a global pandemic. This global issue compelled governments to announce careful virus containing policies in order to prevent further spread and control of the disease. Although it has been proven that measures like social isolation could aid in scaling the spread of illness, the resulting extended school closures that occurred in response to an increased number of COVID-19 outbreaks posed significant challenges for all students, but especially those students with special needs. The unpredictable nature of COVID-19 at the outset of the pandemic …

Factors Influencing Handwriting Development Among Preschool Children: A Systematic Review, Zati Izny Achymy, Masne Kadar, Nor Afifi Razaob, Farahiyah Wan Yunus

Kesmas

Handwriting development is essential for academic performance, yet the research on the factors contributing to it is scant. This systematic review aimed to provide a comprehensive overview of the factors contributing to handwriting development among preschool children that may benefit public health knowledge, especially among teachers, parents, and therapists. A systematic search was conducted using four databases: PubMed, ERIC, CINAHL, and Google Scholar. During the preliminary search, 565 relevant studies were found. Screening, review selection, and characterization were performed based on the inclusion and exclusion criteria. The inclusion criteria included preschool children, quantitative, written in English, and published in January …

Movement Guidelines For Young Children: Engaging Stakeholders To Design Dissemination Strategies In The Hong Kong Early Childhood Education Context, Catherine M. Capio, Rachel A. Jones, Catalina S. M. Ng, Cindy H. P. Sit, Kevin K. H. Chung

Health Sciences Faculty Publications

Background

Early childhood is a critical period during which patterns of movement behaviors are formed. The World Health Organization had endorsed guidelines for physical activity, sedentary behavior and sleep over a 24-h time period, which had been adopted by the Center for Health Protection of Hong Kong. This paper reports on stakeholder engagements that were conducted to inform the design of strategies to disseminate the guidelines in early childhood education (ECE) settings.

Methods

Using a mixed-methods study design, we sought to (a) assess the stakeholders' levels of awareness and knowledge of the Hong Kong movement guidelines for young children and …

Holistic Education: How And Why, Amanda Krebs

Honors Theses

Since standardized testing began in the early 2000s, teachers and administrators began to focus on grades and numbers due to pressure placed by these measures. Students are not numbers and therefore are not getting a holistic education that develops their whole being, only their academics. How do we incorporate methods into the classroom to develop the whole child, not just academics, and why is this important?

The most common way in the present day is through socio-emotional learning platforms or curriculums. These may be stand alone lessons or techniques on incorporation into lessons and school culture in general. Normally, whole …

The Forgotten Subjects: Implementation Of Science And Social Studies Into Elementary Education, Kayla Wendler, Kayla M. Wendler

Honors College Theses

The content areas of science and social studies are areas that students in today's elementary education classrooms do not interact with daily. In many general education classrooms, literacy and mathematics take up a majority of the instructional time leaving students missing out on important skills that help them grow and flourish in society. The importance of science and social studies within the classrooms goes beyond simple means of expanding their knowledge. For example, these "forgotten subjects" allow students to connect with the world around them and incorporate the higher levels of Bloom's Taxonomy. The content areas are used to deepen …

Non-Governmental Organization/Non-Profit Organization Impact On Education Policy In Ghana, Sarah Ayikai Okine

Journal of Social, Behavioral, and Health Sciences

Non-Governmental Organizations/Nonprofit Organizations (NGOs/NPOs) are progressively becoming an essential source for government agencies in education worldwide. Developing countries such as Ghana have opened the way through regulations and policies for NGOs/NPOs to contribute to the educational system. Nevertheless, perceived threats and confrontations hinder their ability to support the Ministry of Education (MoE) and partner leaders to fulfill their duties in assisting the government in realizing comprehensive universal primary education. This qualitative case study responded to stakeholders’ perceptions of NGOs/NPOs influence on Ghana’s educational system to better comprehend the dynamic and power of NGOs/NPOs on education in Ghana’s rural communities. The …

The Play Workforce In Wales – An Exploratory Demographic Study, Pete King, Justine Howard Dr

International Journal of Playwork Practice

An online survey of 211 playworkers, 90 childcare and early years workers, and 90 ‘other play’ professionals provided demographic data from 391 people involved in the play workforce in Wales. This was the first extensive survey of the Welsh play workforce since 2008 and was part of a larger Welsh play workforce study. Results of the study found the play workforce in Wales is predominately white, female with no disabilities. Differences within the play workforce exist in relation to the average age where playworkers are younger compared to childcare/early years workers and ‘other play’ professionals. There is a significant difference …

An Assessment Of 50 State Early Hearing Detection And Intervention Websites: Is Needed Information Being Provided For Parent Decision Making?, Nichole Westin, Donna Sorkin

Journal of Early Hearing Detection and Intervention

Growth of the Internet as an information resource has provided expanded opportunities for families to easily gather information on a range of topics, including health related topics. State Early Hearing Detection and Intervention (EHDI) websites and other electronic data sources are an important opportunity to support families seeking information on options for their children who have been identified as deaf or hard of hearing. A review was undertaken between August and September 2021 of the 51 US EHDI (state and DC) websites and related information (such as links to others’ sites) to determine if information that is specifcally discussed in …

We’Re Not Migrating Yet: Engaging Children’S Geographies And Learning With Lands And Waters, Anna Lees, Megan Bang

Occasional Paper Series

Considering the places, the geographies, of children’s learning, of human learning, is fundamental to seriously considering not only the “whats” or the content of learning but perhaps more importantly the “whys” and the “hows” of learning and the overall goals of education. The whys and hows of education construct what is deemed relevant and irrelevant as well as what is rendered invisible to the “here and now” to children’s lives (Apple, 2004; Iorio & Parnell, 2015; Nxumalo et al., 2011; Tesar, 2015). We argue in our work that issues of place, and relevancy to the “here and now”, is always …

Green Genius, Zoe Zingler

Honors Program: Expanded Learning Clubs

No abstract provided.

A Ruff Day On The Road: How Relocation Affects Children Pre-K Through Third Grade And How A Picture Book Can Help, Bryant Miller

Honors Projects

Moving their home from across town, a couple of states away, or overseas is something most will experience at least once in their lifetime. For all, moving is a big change, but for children, it can have lasting effects. Presumably, social skills, academic development, and family dynamics are all impacted when children move. But how and to what length are these factors influenced? This led to the original research question, how does relocation affect children and how can this transition during relocation be eased? After the first portion of the research was done to answer these questions, the research then …

Teachers Of General Education: Perceptions And Experiences Teaching Inclusion In U.S. Schools, Ann C. Sander

Teacher Education, Educational Leadership & Policy ETDs

This phenomenological qualitative study explored the perceptions and experiences of a group of U.S. public schools, kindergarten through fifth grade teachers, certified in general education with experience teaching inclusion--a federally mandated practice requiring schools to educate students both with and without disabilities in the same classroom. Much of the literature surrounding inclusion focuses on the perceived benefits of the program and children with disabilities' legal rights. The literature has a limited number of references describing the perceptions and experiences of teachers who are required to provide the educational services necessary for inclusion in the classroom.

In this study, 35 participants …

Bridging Research And Practice To Achieve Community Prosperity, Kathleen Bolter, Michelle Miller-Adams, Timothy J. Bartik, Brad J. Hershbein, Kyle Huisman, Bridget Timmeney, Brian J. Asquith, Gabrielle Pepin, Lee Adams, Jessica Brown, Gerrit Anderson, Allison Colosky

Reports

No abstract provided.

Computational Thinking And Coding For Young Children: A Hybrid Approach To Link Unplugged And Plugged Activities, Daisuke Akiba

Publications and Research

In our increasingly technology-dependent society, the importance of promoting digital literacy (e.g., computational thinking, coding, and programming) has become a critical focus in the field of childhood education. While young children these days are routinely and extensively exposed to digital devices and tools, the efficacy of the methods for fostering digital skills in the early childhood classroom has not always been closely considered. This is particularly true in settings where early childhood educators are not digital experts. Currently, most of the efforts in standard early childhood settings, taught by teachers who are not digital experts, appear to revolve around “unplugged” …

Critical Awareness, Reflection, And Action In Head Start Leadership: A Critical Consciousness Case Study Of Head Start Leaders, Christopher Pearce Agudelo

Dissertations and Theses

Diverse families with preschool-aged children are at an enhanced risk of marginalization in the United States. Whether they are of a different race, level of ability, gender, or socioeconomic background, they need early childhood leaders and educators who can focus on caring for their children. In this exploratory qualitative study, I conducted five open-ended interviews with Head Start education managers--a similar position to a preschool Director or a K-12 Principal. The objective was to understand better how Head Start Education Managers attend to equity and inclusion via critical awareness, critical reflection, and critical action. I utilized the three-element construct of …