Early Childhood Education Commons^™

Recast The Class, Keira O. Grant

Creativity and Change Leadership Graduate Student Master's Projects

ABSTRACT OF PROJECT

Recast the Class

This project outlines how to incorporate education into the classroom. Through the personal reflection of the author’s formal academic and professional experiences, it is determined that creativity is an integral part of education. In this inward reflection, the need to incorporate creativity into the classroom is presented. The project also highlights the significance of speaking with students, parents, and educators to gain insight into their perspectives regarding the classroom. Also highlighted in this project are classroom design, curriculum design, and ways to teach in differentiated classrooms. The classroom is a microcosm of the school …

The Lack Of Environmental Awareness In Preschool Curriculum, Micaela Padgett

Capstone Projects and Master's Theses

This paper attempts to bring attention to the lack of environmental awareness in preschool curriculum.

Increasing Bullying Awareness In Middle Schools, Crystal Rocha

Capstone Projects and Master's Theses

Bullying is a repetitive behavior of mistreatment towards someone less powerful than you. This includes to be verbal, physical, and social. This issue is very common in schools, but students don't get enough knowledge from this behavior to be able to change or help others.

Increasing Social-Emotional Development Skills In Preschoolers, Skyler Thao

Capstone Projects and Master's Theses

Many preschool children have not yet developed skills of emotional regulation, and often, emotional regulation is not being taught in their classrooms. When children struggle with regulating their emotions, they are more likely to be underprepared for Kindergarten, have their long term mental health be affected, and have conflict with their peers. To help address the lack of emotional regulation skills taught in preschool classrooms, I created a two-day lesson for the preschoolers at the Military Monterey Road Child Development Center in Seaside, California.

Raising Awareness In Early Language & Literacy, Elisabeth Causor

Capstone Projects and Master's Theses

This paper attempts to provide information on bringing awareness to parents on early reading and literacy. Through learning about the big 5 factors and providing examples of how parents can making reading engaging.

Implementing Lgbtq+ Curriculum In Early Education Classrooms, Mahri Walker

Capstone Projects and Master's Theses

Many elementary schools have LGBTQ+ content missing from the curriculum, with gender identity and expression and diverse family structures notably absent. The issue that arises is children from LGBTQ+ families, or who may be LGBTQ+ themselves, do not feel represented in the curriculum. If children are provided with the knowledge of what it means to be LGBTQ+, then they are more likely to have a healthy relationship with themselves and their peers who may be included in that community. In order to address this issue, I created a three-day lesson for Kindergarten through first graders at San Lorenzo Valley Elementary …

¿Cómo Le Va A Mi Estudiante En Clase?: Increasing Parent Involvement For Latinx Elementary Students, Lisset Ochoa

Capstone Projects and Master's Theses

Parental involvement in the education of Latinx elementary students is truly essential. If a student does not receive the guidance or commitment from their parents while they are young, they may struggle in their education. Early parental involvement, it is claimed, will increase children's motivation to learn while also encouraging cognitive and emotional competencies. It is necessary to incorporate resources that increase parental involvement so that Latinx parents are aware of the help their students need. Two teachers, the vice principal, and two parents were interviewed in order to learn more about the resources that would be useful to both …

Increasing Bullying Prevention Curriculum In Elementary Schools, Alexis Doty

Capstone Projects and Master's Theses

Bullying prevention is often absent from elementary school curriculum. Many young elementary students may not know how to recognize and address bullying when it occurs, potentially causing early harm to their social and emotional development and their academic performance throughout their primary school years. To address the lack of bullying prevention and education, I created a three-day lesson on bullying and bullying intervention which I intend on presenting to a class of fifth graders at Las Animas Elementary School in Gilroy, California.

The Mind Matters: Yoga And Mindfulness In Preschool And K-12 Schools, Anna E. Hall

Honors Theses

This study uses a systematic literature review to examine the efficacy of preschool and K-12 school based yoga and mindfulness programs. A collection of 47 sources were examined to compare and contrast results and determine best practices. The results of the literature review are divided into three primary categories: implementation methods, student outcomes, and teacher and student opinion. The results suggest that individual and whole school implementation methods are the most effective. The results also suggest that there are positive student outcomes in regards to classroom behavior, child executive functioning, and anxiety. Teacher and student opinion on these programs are …

Examining Construction And Reproduction Of The Educational Opportunity Gap: The Nation’S School Board Members Respond, Hallet Demouy

Honors Theses

This thesis explores opportunity gaps, often related to achievement gaps, in education via the analysis of school board members’ responses regarding challenges that face future education, students, and the public school system. The perceptions of these school board members serve to address the sources, prevalence, and effects of inequities that exist in widening (perpetuating) this gap between students. After discussing and elaborating upon the perceived challenges and barriers located in the institution of education, school board member responses will again be used to present potential ways and opportunities through which the achievement gaps, relating to the success rates and testing …

Playground And Garden Design: Troy Christian Early Childhood Education Center, Gabriella Spatz

Honors Projects

The following project is a result of a study of the existing playground and garden at Troy Christian Early Childhood Education Center (TC ECEC) in Troy, OH. The TC ECEC Director wanted research, marketing standpoints, and a re-design for their playground and garden which led to an academic and professional collaboration that crosses into multiple project typologies. The Director consulted with the researcher, Gabriella Spatz, to create a list of necessary inclusions in both spaces which led to proposed floor plans and visuals of the playground and garden respectively. The designs sought to answer two research questions:

1. “What playground and …

Playing Through Tragedy: A Critical Approach To Welcoming Children’S Social Worlds And Play As Pedagogy, Cassie Brownell

Occasional Paper Series

Children’s play frequently reflects the ways they understand and cope with personal life experiences and those in the wider world. Drawing connections to many of the tenants of Jonathan Silin’s lifelong work, the author offers illustrative examples of why play and children's social worlds matter as well as why adults should pay attention to what children do and say in their play. Through personal stories, the author shows how integrating play(full) experiences into the daily life of a classroom can foster children's understanding of seemingly "difficult" or "adult" ideas and events that may be confusing, fear-inducing or represent significant loss. …

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 …

Decolonial Water Pedagogies: Invitations To Black, Indigenous, And Black-Indigenous World-Making, Fikile Nxumalo

Occasional Paper Series

In this paper, I share everyday stories of young people’s pedagogical encounters with water. I share these stories as illustrations of pedagogies that welcome young people into caring relationships with more-than-human life. I focus on the decolonial potential of these pedagogical encounters in relation to what they activate for Black, Indigenous and Black-Indigenous world making.

Young Mathematicians: Stem Skills For Success, Lindsey Herlehy

Publications & Research

Our youngest STEAM learners are creative and curious but require support and foundational skills in math and science. Through play-based, open-ended explorations, young students can engage in STEAM-learning skills such as subitizing, sorting, drawing, and patterns. In this session, participants will actively take part in activities highlighting each of the mathematical foundations, examine STEAM-integrated tasks that support these concepts, and share resources to be used in the classroom.

Boosting Toddlers' Brains To Affect School Achievement And Beyond, Kristen C. Morgan

Morehead State Theses and Dissertations

A capstone submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Education in the Ernst and Sara Lane Volgenau College of Education at Morehead State University by Kristen C. Morgan on April 12, 2021.

The Effect Of Responsive Classroom On The Social Emotional Learning Of Preschool Children: A Mixed Methods Study, Jacqueline Barnhart

Graduate Theses & Dissertations

Approximately 2.4 million students enter kindergarten without the social-emotional skills needed. Preschool is when children should be engaged in learning how to interact with their peers and the skills to be successful in kindergarten (Curby et al., 2015). Helping children develop the skills needed to interact with peers appropriately is essential in Early Childhood Education. Preschool plays an essential role in raising healthy children by fostering their cognitive development and their social and emotional development (Durlak et al., 2011). Schools need to address and meet the challenges that arise from student's inability to manage emotions and challenging behaviors that interfere …

Assessing The Needs For Early Childhood Mental Health Consultation Upon Return To School After Covid-19, Emily Kurland

Undergraduate Research and Scholarship Symposium

School-based mental health consultation recognizes and understands the importance of children’s emotional and behavioral needs in conjunction with educator/caregiver competencies. In early childhood classrooms, mental health consultation utilizes a problem-solving approach, creating collaborative relationships with educators to build their skills and expertise (Duran et al., 2009). Early Childhood Mental Health Consultation (ECMHC) works to maximize the social-emotional skills of all children while minimizing the vulnerabilities of children experiencing behavioral difficulties (Low & Shepard, 2010). As emotional and behavioral challenges are increasing in early childhood settings, it is evident that mental health consultation is becoming increasingly necessary and beneficial (Green, Everheart, …

Covid-19 And Early Childhood Workforce Emotional Well-Being: An Exploratory Investigation, Mark Nagasawa

Straus Institute for Thriving Children & Families

This conference paper was presented at the 2021 meeting of the American Educational Research Association. It shares findings from a mixed method, exploratory study that sought to understand how New York State's early childhood (ECE) workforce was faring early in the COVID-19 pandemic (n=3,555). This was a project of the New York City Early Childhood Research Network, a research practitioner partnership organized to create evidence-informed early childhood public policy. Among the key findings were high levels of reported stress, for instance those working remotely were approximately one-and-a-half times more likely to rate their emotional well-being negatively than those whose settings …

Teaching To The Test Or Limiting Students?, Victoria Rivera

English Department: Research for Change - Wicked Problems in Our World

The purpose of this paper is to shine light on the way the school systems have been teaching and how it is affecting students in a negative way. It focuses mainly on teaching to the test and how it stops students from learning creatively and also does not let teachers teach the way they might want to. It also shows how this is a wicked problem and is more than a small school system issue. This impacts students, teachers, and the society we live in. The results of this research was that there were a lot of other authors that …

The Impact Of Standardized Testing, Marissa Rapposelli

English Department: Research for Change - Wicked Problems in Our World

This paper will discuss the issues revolving around standardized testing and the detrimental effects it has on student’s mental health and testing anxiety. This will also show how it can limit and hinder the students long term learning in the future with standardized and high-stakes testing. It will also show how changes could be made in school systems to help better their students and their learning. The focus is on Pennsylvania testing due to the amount of standardized testing they provide their students.

Let Them Be Little: Teacher Perspectives On Developmental Play In Kindergarten Classrooms, Amy Michelle Towne

Graduate Student Dissertations, Theses, Capstones, and Portfolios

Kindergarten is a German term meaning children's garden. In 1837, Fredrich Froebel founded kindergarten and stated, "Children are like tiny flowers; they are varied and need care, but each is beautiful alone and glorious when seen in the community of peers." Froebel believed that children needed to be nurtured and tended to like flowers in a garden. Kindergarten classes, at this time, encouraged children to develop and blossom freely through play under the guidance, not direct instruction, of the teacher. Through the years, kindergarten has changed drastically. Recent legislation has transformed the kindergarten curriculum even more.

Currently, many kindergarten teachers …

How Teachers Identify Characteristics Of The Reggio Emilia Philosophy In Practice: A Case Study, Autumn E. Smith

LSU Master's Theses

The Reggio Emilia philosophy has been guiding early childhood practices since its development by Loris Malaguzzi in 1963. Originating in Reggio Emilia, Italy, this approach to early childhood education emphasizes building and nurturing relationships between the adult and child. This philosophy is guided by eight core tenets – The Environment as the Third Teacher, 100 Languages of Children, Long-Term Projects, Teacher-Researcher, Image of the Child, Negotiated Learning, Documentation, and Social Relations. Research shows that young children’s engagement with the Reggio Emilia approach benefits their academic, cognitive, and social-emotional development. However, there is currently no school accreditation or teacher certification …

Canadian Families’ Decisions Of Communication Options* For Children Who Are Deaf Or Hard Of Hearing: An Initial Exploration, Holly F. Pedersen, Suzanne Nichol, Nicole Swartwout, Daniel R. Conn

Journal of Early Hearing Detection and Intervention

Communication is an essential aspect of human interaction and helps connect us to the people around us. The majority of children who are deaf or hard of hearing are born to hearing parents who are likely unfamiliar with hearing loss. These parents are then asked to make critical decisions about communication options for their children. It can be a challenging process but one that needs to be done quickly in order to capture the critical language development period. Little research has explored the factors associated with parents’ decisions about communication options for their children who are deaf or hard of …

Evaluation Of A Group Music Intervention To Support School-Readiness Skills In Preschool Children With Hearing Loss, Glynnis Dubois, Joanne Deluzio, Michael Thaut, Stephanie Nixon

Journal of Early Hearing Detection and Intervention

Although children with hearing loss are now often integrated into mainstream classrooms, many do not begin school with age-appropriate school-readiness skills. Traditional therapies in early listening and spoken language programs rarely focus on developing the social skills, executive functions, and motor abilities needed for the typical classroom environment of friends, academics, and play. The question, then, is how to incorporate group activities into traditional therapies in order to build skills in these areas, and whether or not the use of music and its social aspects could support this. A quasi randomized, group, facilitated, music intervention was conducted to help support …

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.

Coding Club, Nicole Livingston, Madalyn Meyer

Honors Program: Expanded Learning Clubs

Lesson plans for an about 12-week club designed to introduce middle schoolers to coding using Scratch. By the end of the club, every student will have made a game they can share with the class and have learned basic coding and game creation tools. Students can also miss classes or join late and still be able to join and enjoy the club with a different focus lesson every week.

Response To Intervention In Early Childhood Education, Kendyl Young Hinson

Masters Theses & Specialist Projects

The purpose of this study was to review literature on Response to Intervention (RTI) at the early childhood level. RTI has become increasingly prevalent within K-12 settings. Less research exists for the expansion within early childhood settings. A systematic review of literature was conducted and all available literature on RTI in early childhood education since 2004 was identified and reviewed. Articles were sorted into three broad categories for review: (a) combined, (b) academics, and (c) social emotional behaviors. The review indicated the different behaviors recommended to be examined within the early childhood setting, types of assessment methods used, and interventions …

It’S Really About Relationships: Perceptions Of Teacher Autonomy And It’S Influence On Instruction, Nancy Harmening

College of Education Theses and Dissertations

There is growing concern over why so many U.S. teachers are leaving the profession before retirement. Researchers studying this phenomenon theorize how future attrition rates will be determined by working conditions that either foster or squelch teachers’ sense of professional autonomy. What is unclear from the literature is an understanding of specific intrinsic and extrinsic factors affecting this autonomy development during a critical period in teachers’ careers, years 5-15. This study highlights the specific factors that influence the professional autonomies of nine early childhood elementary public-school teachers’ and how their sense of their professional autonomies interact to affect their instructional …