Early Childhood Education Commons^™

Teaching Latino Parents About Early Intervention And Asd, Maricela Lopez

Capstone Projects and Master's Theses

Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is one of the most prevalent neurodevelopmental disorders, identified by persistent impairment in reciprocal communication and social interactions and restricted, repetitive behaviors, interests, or activities(Campisi et al., 2018). The lack of awareness of early intervention has a significant setback on their children’s developmental domains. Many Latino families are unaware of resources that can help young children with autism. Latinos endured many challenges, especially being underdiagnosed compared to white non-Hispanics They face challenges such as language barriers, cultural awareness, and denial Latinos families need to learn more about ASD to support their children's development. Research confirms that …

Examining Quality Inclusive Practices In Early Childhood Education, Laura Wagner

Master's Theses & Capstone Projects

This literature review synthesizes research on practices for high quality early childhood inclusion. The inclusive practices that are examined are categorized under participation, access, and supports. This review of literature examines the measurement tools used to assess the quality of inclusive practices used in early childhood settings. Research published in the last ten years shows that there are some promising measures that can be used going forward to assess the quality of inclusive practices in early childhood.

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 Adding Social Emotional Learning Impacts Preschool Student's Ability To Manage Their Behavior, Pamela Niemeyer

Master's Theses & Capstone Projects

This action research was inspired by the researcher's own classroom observations of students' behaviors, interactions, and emotional reactions throughout the day in preschool. Having students who have behaviors that may get out of control, the researcher wondered if a whole class social emotional instruction would provide them with strategies make a difference in all student's ability to manage their emotions. The participants in this study included 20 preschool students, 3- to 5-year-old. This study took place over a 4-week period where social emotional lessons were presented as whole groups and small groups. During this time, the teacher was intentional in …

Fostering Resilience Through Early Childhood Education, Amanda Nelson

Graduate Teacher Education

Resilience is the capacity to thrive in, rather than just survive stress and adversity (Ernst et al., 2019). Supporting children to develop resilience is an essential part of holistic developmentally appropriate practice within the field of Early Childhood Education because an improved capacity for resilience benefits other domains of education and wellness (Center on the Developing Child at Harvard University, 2011). Studies on resilience in early childhood education were examined to identify and explore protective factors, classroom strategies, and home relationships that contribute to an increased capacity for resilience in young children. In addition, position statements and articles from early …

Ways Technology Impact Cognitive Development In Early Childhood Environment, Katlyn Janssen

Graduate Teacher Education

Dramatic changes have occurred with technology in education worldwide (Sullivan and Bers, 2016). Technology can offer new and exciting ways to get children excited about learning. The types of technology that can be used in a classroom are endless. Research has investigated a wide range of technology in classrooms, from smartboards, to robots, iPads, and tablets to magic educational toys and from computers to apps. The purpose of this capstone project was to evaluate current research to understand what technologies (interventions) can impact cognitive development in preschoolers. Knowing in what ways technology can impact cognitive development in early childhood education …

How Can Nature-Based Learning Support Healthy Overall Development Of Preschoolers In Early Childhood Education?, Tu Lynn Sommerfeld

Graduate Teacher Education

As nature-based learning is gaining momentum in early childhood education programs (Jordan & Chawla, 2019), this is an opportunity for early childhood educators to recognize how nature-based learning can support the healthy overall development of preschoolers in early childhood education. The purpose of this capstone project was to evaluate current research to understand how nature-based learning can provide equitable learning opportunities for preschoolers enrolled in early childhood education programs. Knowing what nature-based learning opportunities are, early childhood educators can incorporate developmentally appropriate practices (NAEYC, 2020), along with scaffolding, and the use of authentic assessments and observations to provide evidence of …

Implementing Positive Guidance Strategies To Reduce Challenging Behavior In Preschool Classrooms, Margaret Weber

Graduate Teacher Education

Preschool teachers are looking for more positive classroom support to handle disruptive behaviors in the classroom such as Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports Carter ,Van Norman, Tredwell (2011). Conscious Discipline Bailey (2014), and Trauma-Informed Practices Erdman, Colker, Winter (2020). Carter, Van Norman and, Tredwell (2010), discussed how there has been a shift from using punitive discipline practices to incorporating positive guidance strategies in early childhood education classrooms. Clearly defined expectations and teaching the expectations positively guide the child’s social-emotional, cognitive, and physical growth. Researchers have shown that using positive guidance strategies such as Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports (PBIS), Conscious …

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 …

Effects Of Play-Based Learning On Phonemic Awareness And Phonics Skills, Kristen Heidecker

Dissertations, Theses, and Projects

The purpose of this research was to determine the effectiveness of play-based learning on phonemic awareness and phonics skills in kindergarten. This study aimed to determine whether or not play-based learning materials such as letter tiles, cards, timers, and literacy-based games were an effective way for kindergarten students to acquire skills such as segmenting, letter sounds, and sight word recognition. A pre-assessment was given using FastBridge to determine which skills the students were working towards mastering. Play-based learning materials were then offered to small groups of students during our regular literacy time, and data was collected using FastBridge after two …

Will They Be Welcomed In? The Impact Of K-12 Teachers’ And Principals’ Perceptions Of Inclusion Of Students With Disabilities, Emily Smith Edd, Karen H. Larwin Phd

Journal of Organizational & Educational Leadership

The purpose of this study is to investigate the perceptions K-12 principals and teachers have of inclusive education in a school district in western Pennsylvania school district. The dependent variables are the teachers’ and principals’ perceptions of inclusion and the independent variables are years of educational experience, extent of special education background, and level of support by district administrators. Instrumentation for this study is the Multidimensional Attitudes toward Inclusive Education Scale (MATIES) survey. Data were analyzed for correlational relationships using the Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS). Findings suggest an average to high level of support by administration in …

Effects Of Birth Month On Talent Identification Participation And The Identification Process In Sports, Junjiro Kubo, Seidai Nishikawa, Yasunori Morioka, Hideyuki Arikawa, Keiichi Tamaki

Topics in Exercise Science and Kinesiology

Topics in Exercise Science and Kinesiology Volume 2: Issue 1, Article 7, 2021. The purpose of this study was to clarify the effect of the birth month on Talent Identification (TI) participation and the identification process in sports. The subjects were 4th grade elementary school children (mean age, 9±5.8 years) who participated in the Talent Identification Project. The method of identification was two-stage. In the first stage, the 30 m sprint, standing broad jump, and medicine ball front throw (1 kg) were performed, and 99 boys and 97 girls with high overall scores were selected to participate in the second …

Book Review Of A Young Writer's World: Creating Early Childhood Classrooms Where Authors Abound., Hannah D. Szatkowski

The Language and Literacy Spectrum

A Young Writer’s World: Creating Early Childhood Classrooms Where Authors Abound (Giles, 2020) provides early childhood educators with the knowledge and resources in order to create an immersive learning environment conducive for developing pre-school and kindergarten’s writing development. This book review evaluates the layout and key components of the text in order to identify the potential implications it could provide within an early childhood classroom.

Initiating Courageous Conversations About Race And Racism With Read-Alouds, Brittany Adams, Annemarie Bazzo Kaczmarczyk

The Language and Literacy Spectrum

This article describes a classroom activity developed by two teacher educators to support pre-service teachers in integrating culturally responsive teaching practices with reading methods instruction. The activity tasks pre-service teachers to select culturally authentic children’s texts and design read-alouds that engage elementary students in conversations around race and racism while simultaneously meeting English Language Arts standards. This reimagined classroom practice will be of interests to educators who are seeking resources on how to address culturally relevant topics, such as race and racism, in the classroom.

K-12 Discipline Disparities In The Six Largest U.S. School Districts, Marie A. Falcone, Saha Salahi, Olivia K. Cheche, Peter Grema, Caitlin J. Saladino, William E. Brown Jr.

K-12 Education

This fact sheet highlights K-12 school discipline disparities by race in the six largest school districts in the United States. The districts include New York City Public Schools, NY; Los Angeles Unified, CA; Chicago Public Schools, IL; (Miami) Dade County, FL; Clark County School District (CCSD), NV; and Broward County, FL. Data are compiled from the Civil Rights Data Collection for the 2015-2016 academic year. Specifically, we examine the data for the discipline strategies of in-school suspensions, out-of-school suspensions, and expulsions.

Parent Concerns Are Associated With Early Intervention Outcomes, Mohadeseh Solgi

University Honors Theses

Objective: To test the association of parents’ concerns with Early Intervention (EI) developmental services outcomes including evaluation, eligibility, and enrollment in services.

Method: We collected survey data on parents’ concerns and EI service use data from a sample of 428 children referred to EI in 2016-2018 from six Oregon primary care clinics serving lower income families as part of a developmental and autism spectrum disorder screening intervention. We assessed EI service use trajectories and associations of parent concern presence, age of child at time of parents’ concerns, number of concerns, and type of provider concern, with EI evaluation, EI eligibility, …

Play-Based Learning In The Early Childhood Mathematics Classroom: Culturally Sustaining Play, Makenzie Evans

Innovations and Critical Issues in Teaching and Learning

The purpose of this paper is to explain the importance of play-based learning in early childhood mathematics classroom through culturally sustaining experiences. Approaches to providing culturally sustaining play-based learning within the classroom will be described. The intent is to provide instruction that allows students to be able to connect their imagination and real-world experiences to their mathematics learning through play.

Innovations And Critical Issues In Teaching And Learning, Volume 2, Issue 1, 2021

Innovations and Critical Issues in Teaching and Learning

Complete text of Innovations and Critical Issues in Teaching and Learning, volume 2, issue1, 2021.

Nebline, June 2021

NEBLINE Newsletter Archive from Nebraska Extension in Lancaster County

Choosing Quality Child Care: Guidance For Parents

Eastern Carpenter Bees

Eating for Brain Health

Recipe of the Month

Naturally Occurring Contaminants, Part 4 of a Series — Arsenic

Efficiency Is Key To Profit On Stocker Cattle

Common Grub Control Questions

Garden Guide: Things to do This Month

Heart of 4-H Volunteer Award: Jen & Jesse Metcalf

4th Graders Learn About “Farm to Fork” During Virtual Ag Festival

Statewide 4-H Companion Animal Challenge Results

Extension News

Extension Calendar

STEM Zoom Workshops in June

Seeking Lancaster County Fair Historic Memorabilia and Stories

An Evaluation Of One School's Reading Program To Support Struggling Readers Through The Use Of Data, Gabrielle Jones

Dissertations

ABSTRACT

The purpose of this study is to evaluate the efficacy of one school’s reading intervention program, and its impact on struggling readers reading performance. Participants in this study included administrators, Grades 3 through 5instructional staff that directly impact student learning in reading through reading instruction. I collected survey data and analyzed it to determine teachers’ ability to instruct struggling readers with high expectations for student learning. As a result, this evaluation exhibit teachers require more quality planning time to prepare effective reading intervention lessons that includes strategies attained from strategically designed professional development structured to increase students’ reading ability. …

Closing The English Language Proficiency Gap In Post-Secondary Education In Canada, Priscilla Lothian-Hendrix

Dissertations

The proposed research employed a mixed-method approach to investigate why the linguistic standards of the Canadian Language Benchmark (CLB) (levels 5–8) are deemed satisfactory for English as a second language (ESL) learners at the college level. An examination of the Canadian English Language Proficiency Index Program (CELPIP) identified why an ESL learner with a CLB level of 5–8 requires English support services in post-secondary education to achieve academic success in Canada. The CLB levels of six female participants were analyzed using a questionnaire in reading, writing, listening, and speaking to explore their English levels in articulating the language, pronouncing words, …

Lessons Learned: What The Covid-19 Global Pandemic Has Taught Us About Teaching, Technology And Students With Autism Spectrum Disorder, Jane Roitsch, Robert L. Moore, Annemarie Horn

Communication Disorders & Special Education Faculty Publications

Purpose. This paper examines the impact of the abrupt transition from attending school face-to-face to participating in online learning in response to the COVID-19 pandemic as reported by a parent of a student with autism spectrum disorder (ASD).

Design/methodology/approach. A phone interview was conducted with the parent of a child with ASD. The semi-structured interview focused on how the child’s family was impacted when classes shifted to virtual from face-to-face learning in response to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Findings. Four themes emerged from the interview. Three of these included adjustments to changes in 1) routines and roles, 2) …

Embracing The Emergent Nature Of Research In Early Childhood Education And In Life, Anna Malyukova

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

This work investigates the emergent nature of research on emotions and wellness in early childhood education and in life. The research discussed in this thesis was emergent and contingent. Through my experiences as an educator, student, mother, human being living through a pandemic, and daughter, I embraced opportunities for research in various fields of my life.

I explore teaching research to early childhood teachers who also became my coresearchers in a project that explores our roles of being teachers | researchers. Together, using a hermeneutic-phenomenological approach, we learn about the experiences of those participating in the research projects, both individually …

Social-Emotional Supports For African American Males: An Examination Of Strategies And Practices That Inform Persistence For College And Career Readiness, Kamilah Hampton

Dissertations

African American males are faced with many challenges because of the lack of social-emotional supports and current society. African American males experience trauma as a result of their exposure to violence, mistreatment in most environments, and implicit biases in obtaining an education. Social-emotional programming designed specifically for African American males is proven to positively impact their learning outcomes. This study found that the implementation of programming can have a direct impact on African American male’s ability to achieve at high levels. This must be addressed through continuous professional learning and support to challenge and improve a teacher’s instructional practice with …

Using Avatars To Address Teacher Self-Efficacy, Chancey Bosch, Trevor Ellis

Journal of Global Education and Research

Technology-enhanced learning continues to provide opportunities for increased interventions in educational programing. For teacher education programs, novelty pales in comparison to providing meaningful instruction and enduring outcomes. The use of avatars has provided integration of research evidence that increases intended behaviors; however, research is lacking on teacher self-efficacy change via an avatar experience. The purpose of this study is to examine the relationship between teacher self-efficacy and avatar use in a teacher education program. A relational study using both parametric and non-parametric designs for four different samples indicated a significant relationship between avatar intervention and teacher self-efficacy in classroom management, …

Equitizing Engineering Education By Valuing Children’S Assets: Including Empathy And An Ethic Of Care When Considering Trade-Offs After Design Failures, Pamela S. Lottero-Perdue, John Settlage

Journal of Pre-College Engineering Education Research (J-PEER)

The broad case being made in this paper is that recognizing student assets—rather than focusing on deficits—is essential for making engineering education more equitable. The paper begins with our exploration of an epistemic practice of engineering, ‘‘making trade-offs,’’ as enacted by kindergartners after experiencing design failure and during redesign. We then acknowledge through a reexamination of data that our understanding of children’s grappling about a trade-off was incomplete without considering another asset that children brought to the design experience: ‘‘enacting empathy and an ethic of care.’’ We argue for the inclusion of this asset as an epistemic practice of engineering. …

Investigating The Impact Of Learning Through Play At School

International Developments

Learning Through Play at School is a pioneering research study that investigates how playful approaches to teaching and learning are applied in the classroom. The four-year study provides an opportunity to expand understanding of learning through play at school in Ukraine and the impact on teachers and students.

Exploring Tactile Art-Making With Deafblind Students And Their Families: An Opportunity For Creative Play, Alice Rodgers

Expressive Therapies Capstone Theses

The impact of a deafblind diagnosis on an individual’s mental health and the well-being of the family involved can be profound. However, current research and available literature for the mental health treatment and therapy practices of deafblind persons and their families is limited (Kyzar et al., 2016; “WFDB Global Report 2018,” n.d.). This thesis used the Leeds Family Psychology and Therapy Service principles (Leeds FPTS) and the Expressive Therapies Continuum with established deafblind teaching strategies to facilitate an original arts-based community project entitled: “Things We Like.” This project provided an opportunity for deafblind students (ages three to 22) and their …

Where Are We With Education About Mental Health And Illness: A Survey Research, Symphony Williams

Symposium of Student Scholars

The purpose of my research is to investigate public awareness of mental health and illness. This study is paramount because of the mental health crisis our world faces today. I conducted a survey research in which I used Google Forms and asked a series of questions about the participants’ education, experiences, and opinions on mental health and illness. The total participants were 67. The analysis of survey responses resulted in several findings. First, 34.3% of the 67 participants had a diagnosed mental illness, and 72% of those participants suffer from some form of depression while 77.8% suffer from anxiety. These …

Still A Forgotten War? Investigation Of College Students' Understanding Of The Korean War., Symphony Williams

Symposium of Student Scholars

The purpose of my research is to investigate how much and what knowledge college students have on the Korean War. This study is important because the Korean War is often referred to as a “forgotten war” but is a significant event in American history, as well as an ongoing issue in today’s world. Investigation into what college students know and believe about the Korean War, as well as, where and when they learned this information, is critical in evaluating and reforming how the Korean War is taught in US schools. I designed a survey using Google Forms, and gathered results …