Pre-Elementary, Early Childhood, Kindergarten Teacher Education Commons^™

Exploring Early Childhood Teachers' Beliefs And Perceptions About The Use Of Technology In The Classroom, Sharron Hallanger

All Master's Theses

The purpose of this qualitative study was to explore how the professional beliefs and perceptions of teachers in early childhood education (ECE) influenced their acceptance for the use of interactive technology as a learning tool for children. Eight primary grade teachers at a rural school district in Washington State were interviewed. Of the eight ECE teachers, two had no student technology use in their classrooms. The second group of two teachers had some student technology use on a weekly basis, and the last group of four teachers utilized daily student technology use in their classrooms. The sample subjects were interviewed …

Discipline Policy And Preschool Special Education Students' Social Skills, Amanda Lee Tamagni

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Preschool special education students lack of personal-social skills is affecting their kindergarten readiness and placing them at risk for exposure to school discipline in a large school district in the Southeastern United States. The purpose of this quantitative study was to examine the relationship between the quality of school discipline policies and personal-social skills of preschool special education students within the focus district. Ecological systems theory provided the framework for the study. Data collection included archived personal-social skills scores, as measured by the Battelle Developmental Inventory 2 (BDI 2), of 354 preschool special education students. Four trained educators rated the …

Teachers' Perspectives Of Their Engagement Of Fathers In Early Childhood Classrooms, Tymeshia L. Gadson

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Despite positive effects of parent engagement on children's school success, prior research into parent engagement has relied almost exclusively on interactions by mothers and has not included fathers. The purpose of this basic qualitative study was to explore the perspectives of preschool teachers regarding their engagement with fathers of children in their classrooms. The conceptual framework was Epstein's 6 types of parental involvement. Three research questions, regarding teachers' perspectives of father engagement, teachers' reported efforts to increase the engagement of fathers, and the barriers teachers describe in increasing fathers' engagement, form the basis of this study. This was a qualitative …

Art As A Mediating Tool: Children And Learning In A Music And Arts-Based After School Program, Claudia Saldana

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

This study explores the experiences of primarily Latina/o children with learning music in a Music and Arts-Based Program (MABP) the context of a low-income neighborhood on the U.S- Mexico border. This year-long ethnographic study was conducted in an after-school art program in the Rio Grande Elementary School, in a low-income neighborhood located within one-mile of the U.S.-Mexico border. The purpose of the study is to understand how music and art can be used as a mediating tool for children to construct social and cognitive learning within a culturally diverse community, thus, enhancing the social environment in which they interact. The …

Dissertation: Professionalism In Trinidad And Tobago's Early Childhood Sector: A Case Study, Cynthia Juliana Celestin

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

This case study explored early childhood practitioners' response to government mandates for increased professionalism in Trinidad and Tobago; the impact of mandates on their personal and professional lives; and their conceptions of professionalism. The study addressed government concerns about lack of professionalism in Early Childhood Care and Education; informed policymakers of the myriad challenges therein; and included practitioners' voices in international discourse on professionalism. Change theory, systems thinking, and voice elicitation formed the conceptual framework for understanding changes needed to increase professionalism in the sector. The meaning of professionalism as defined in mandates; difference between practitioners and officials' definitions of …

Mandarin Teachers' Experiences Using Technological Pedagogical Content Knowledge In Early Childhood Classrooms, Francesca Pugh-Opher

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

The focus of this research study was on the experiences and perceptions of Mandarin Chinese teachers who used technologies and innovative instructional methods to teach second language skills to young learners. The conceptual framework drew on 3 theories: (a) Vygotsky’s sociocultural learning theory, (b) Schӧn’s action theory, and (c) Mishra and Koehler’s technological pedagogical content knowledge (TPACK). The research questions focused on the experiences of early childhood teachers integrating TPACK to teach Mandarin Chinese and how do early childhood teachers perceive the use of instructional methods to teach Mandarin Chinese. Purposeful sampling was used to identify 8 Mandarin Chinese language …

Stakeholder Perspectives On Teacher Attrition In Private Early Childhood Schools In India, Swathi Sandesh Menon

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Teacher attrition is a problem that has consequences for children and schools in many countries; children are affected negatively both emotionally and intellectually, while schools suffer setbacks, such as financial stress and disruption of the learning environment. This multiple case study explored the perspectives of stakeholders in India regarding how teacher attrition in private early childhood schools influenced students, teachers, parents, school leaders, and schools, as well as the factors that stakeholders identified as important for teacher retention in private early childhood education. The conceptual framework was Bronfenbrenner's ecological systems theory. Data were collected through interviews with teachers and school …

Factors Influencing Teacher Burnout And Retention Strategies, Sean Brady Scott

Williams Honors College, Honors Research Projects

Teacher attrition has become a significant problem within the field of education. Despite research reporting retention strategies and programs that can decrease this trend, teachers continue to burnout of the workforce due to stress and an inability to cope with teaching conditions. This research article explores the underlying problem of burnout, including the symptoms and extent in which they manifest, as well as possible strategies to decrease attrition and keep teachers in the classroom. By compiling research that suggests tested programs and supports that help retain teachers, both individuals and schools can explore these avenues further in hopes of combatting …

Characteristics Of Successful Early Childhood Educational Leaders, Darla Tucker

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

The problem that precipitated this study was the marked differences among early childhood education leaders in the quality of leadership for private early childhood entities as indicated by a voluntary quality rating improvement system in a Midwestern state. The scholarly literature lacks studies on characteristics of high-€quality leadership in early childhood education. The purpose of this qualitative descriptive case study was to explore characteristics of quality early childhood leadership based on examination of successful early childhood programs using leadership trait theory as a conceptual framework. Research questions were designed to examine characteristics of successful early childhood leaders based on the …

Disadvantaged Preschool Children: Public Policy, Education Models, And Kindergarten Readiness, Virginia H. Byerson

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

There is a high rate of academic failure among disadvantaged preschool and post preschool students in some school districts in Virginia, yet little is understood about the relationship between education models and academic performance among economically disadvantaged students (EDS). The problem explored is the absence of classroom exercises in pre and post preschools that capitalize on cognitive development to improve executive function (EF) and self-regulation (SR) skills. The purpose of this study is to understand if a change in current classroom practices impacts academic performance among low-income students. Narrative policy serves as a theoretical guide in this qualitative case study …

Does Waldorf Education Offer A Well-Rounded And Integrated Experience That Prepares Students For Higher Grades And Life In General?, Jacqueline A. Stratton

Cal Poly Humboldt theses and projects

This thesis research focuses on the study of Waldorf education and how it benefits the whole child. It begins by looking at Rudolf Steiner’s Waldorf educational program and its foundational history and then takes an in depth look at the key elements of its rich philosophy and pedagogy. The literature review focuses on the key question, ‘Does this 100 year-old teaching philosophy encourage a more well-rounded and integrated educational experience than traditional public schools?’ The review highlights four broad topics in relationship to Waldorf education. These include: Educating the Whole Child; Education for the Three Stages of Childhood; Early Childhood …

Jamaican Kindergarten And First Grade Teachers’ Expectations For Readiness Skills, Sadie Henrietta Harris-Mortley

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Children’s readiness to meet demands in Grade 1 is a common concern in most primary schools in Jamaica. Teachers have voiced their expectations that students should display a level of mastery in readiness skills so that they can be engaged in academic tasks when they transition from the kindergarten to Grade 1. The purpose of this qualitative case study, guided by social constructivism, was to explore kindergarten students’ readiness for Grade 1 based on the perceptions of kindergarten teachers compared to Grade 1 teachers on readiness skills, instructional practices, and expectations of students’ competency. The research questions were designed to …

Developing Children’S Physical Literacy: How Well Prepared Are Prospective Teachers?, Judith Dinham, Paul Williams

Australian Journal of Teacher Education

While the known health impacts of sedentary lifestyles have focused attention on children’s outdoor activity, the development of their physical literacy – the physiological, social, cultural, cognitive, expressive, and psychological dimensions of their physicality – is much less in focus.

Developing children’s physical literacy is embedded in the Early Years Learning Framework and Primary curriculum: Health and Physical Education, and the performing arts subjects within The Arts. This study asks “How well prepared are pre-service teachers to implement a program that contributes to developing children’s physical literacy?”

This mixed methods study includes an environmental scan of BEd courses at 12 …

“That’S What You Want To Do As A Teacher, Make A Difference, Let The Child Be, Have High Expectations”: Stories Of Becoming, Being And Unbecoming An Early Childhood Teacher, Jessica Ciuciu, Natalie Robertson

Australian Journal of Teacher Education

This article explores the experiences of four individuals who changed careers into early childhood teaching in Victoria, Australia and later left the profession. The study was conducted with a narrative inquiry approach and reveals insight into motivations for becoming an early childhood teacher (ECT), experiences of being an ECT and factors that lead to un-becoming an ECT. Participants were motivated by pragmatic reasons such as career advancement and family-work compatibility alongside intrinsic interest when becoming an ECT. They entered the profession eager to support children’s learning and development. However, their experiences compromised their health and wellbeing and inhibited them from …

Call For Manuscripts

Journal of Science Education for Students with Disabilities

No abstract provided.

Copyright And Open Access

Journal of Science Education for Students with Disabilities

No abstract provided.

Science Instruction For Secondary Students With Emotional Or Behavioral Disorders: A Guide For Curriculum Development, Tal Slemrod, Leah Wood, Shelley Hart, William Coleman

Journal of Science Education for Students with Disabilities

This article provides a step-by-step guide for the organization and development of science lessons and units, to support the academic and behavioral performance of secondary students with challenges with related disabilities. This clinical practice guide provides a process for curriculum development for students with emotional or behavior disorders (EBD) in the science classroom. Steps include recommendations, goals, and examples for administrators and educators to discover appropriate plans and interventions to promote engagement and learning, including supporting success on State mandated High Stakes Assessments.

Implications Of 3-D Printing For Teaching Geoscience Concepts To Students With Visual Impairments, Karen E. Koehler, Tiffany A. Wild, Sean Tikkun

Journal of Science Education for Students with Disabilities

This article presents the results of a study on the use of 3-D printed models in a science classroom for students with visual impairments and examines whether the use of these models impacts student conceptual understanding and misconceptions related to geosciences concepts, specifically plate tectonics.

Data were collected one week prior to instruction, one week after instruction and throughout the 3-week instructional period. Results showed that students with visual impairments held many of the same misconceptions about plate tectonics as students who are typically sighted. All students in this study had fewer misconceptions after the instructional period than they held …

Early Childhood Teacher Turnover In Nebraska, Amy M. Roberts, Kathleen C. Gallagher, Susan Sarver, Alexandra Daro

Buffet Early Childhood Institute Reports and Publications

Teacher turnover is a serious challenge across early childhood settings. Turnover can be expensive for early childhood programs, burdensome to staff, and harmful to children throughout the nation. Nebraska is no exception. This research brief describes teacher turnover in the state’s early care and education settings, including licensed child care, state-funded PreK, and Kindergarten through Grade 3.

Research Questions The following research questions were asked across early childhood programs (licensed child care, state-funded PreK, and K-3): 1. What was the average rate of annual teacher turnover? 2. According to administrators, what was the most common reason teachers left their employment? …

Exploring Young Children’S Digital Composing Practices, Megan D. Cross

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

This study explored the many layers involved in young children’s meaning-making as they digitally compose. Utilizing a multimodal, social semiotics theoretical framework to analyze children’s digital compositions using a composing app, this study was designed around one research question: What is the nature of three and four-year-old children’s multimodal meaning making while using a composing app? The qualitative study involved four focal participants from a three- and four-year-old classroom, who attended an inquiry-based lab school in the southeastern United States.

The data were collected over a period of eight weeks, where the children were invited to tell their stories using …

Metacognitive Reading Strategy And Emerging Reading Comprehension In Students With Intellectual Disabilities, Natasha Cox-Magno, Peter Ross, Kathleen Dimino, Andrea Wilson

Journal of Educational Research and Practice

This article ventures to address the gap in special education practices by providing a metacognitive reading strategy to support the emerging reading comprehension skills of kindergarten students with intellectual disabilities. Historically, students with intellectual disabilities have low reading comprehension skills that can impede their overall academic success. There is a gap in practice regarding the identification and effective use of evidence-based reading comprehension instructional strategies for students with intellectual disabilities. Guided by Piaget’s and Vygotsky’s constructivist theories, the purpose of this study was to test the effectiveness of a metacognitive reading strategy on the emerging reading comprehension (ERC) skills of …

Book Review: Towards Inclusion Of All Learners Through Science Teacher Education, Greg Stefanich

Journal of Science Education for Students with Disabilities

It is a pleasure to receive an invitation to submit a review for the book titled Towards Inclusion of All Learners through Science Teacher Education. The contributors include four wellknown leaders in inclusive science education complemented by a spectrum of authors American and international, in pre-service and graduate science education, pre-service and graduate special education, science research, special education practitioners, classroom teachers, graduate students, and students through case studies and interviews.

The book presents an excellent overview of current practices in schools, descriptions of individual and team efforts to improve practice, and emerging innovations such as the application of Universal …

Smart Start For Trauma: A Multiple Baseline Design, Sarah E. Dickinson

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to address gaps in the trauma treatment literature related to the expense and inaccessibility of evidence-based interventions for children with disabilities who have experienced trauma. Another aim of this study was to provide additional support for a newly piloted intervention for children with disabilities who have experienced trauma. This intervention is known as Smart Start: Parenting Tools for Children with Developmental Delay, Social-Emotional Concerns, and Trauma. A non-concurrent multiple baseline method was used to determine whether there was a functional relationship between the intervention and children’s challenging behaviors for five caregiver-child dyads. In addition, …

Teaching Science Through Inquiry Based Field Experiences Using Orientation And Mobility, Danene K. Fast, Tiffany A. Wild

Journal of Science Education for Students with Disabilities

Instruction in science can be difficult for students with visual impairments due to the use of visual instruction that is often used for conceptual understanding. Pedagogical approaches to teaching science continue to evolve, with inquiry-based science instruction as a primary instructional method used in current classrooms.

In teaching students with visual impairments, inquiry is a strategy that has been traditionally been used in orientation and mobility (O&M) instruction, in an effort to teach students with vision loss to explore and make conclusions about their environments through the use of all senses.

The purpose of this review is to outline how …

Early Childhood Leadership: A Photovoice Exploration, Kristi Cheyney-Collante, Melissa Cheyney

The Qualitative Report

The first five years of a child’s life represent critical windows in physiological, social-emotional, and cognitive development. Administrators of early childhood (EC) programs play a pivotal role in determining the quality of experiences that unfold for young children in center-based care. Using photovoice, semi-structured administrator interviews, and participant-observation, we aimed to identify the factors contributing to one center’s atypically excellent outcomes with diverse children and families. Our textual and photographic analyses revealed three findings. First, administrators saw themselves as embedded within a larger system of barriers characterized by low positionality within an educational caste system that is marked by pervasive …

Examining The Myth Of Antebellum Glory Through Confederate Memorials, James D. Nunez

The Councilor: A National Journal of the Social Studies

Recent events surrounding Confederate statues and monuments reveals a serious problem in the way people of differing political beliefs contend with controversial issues. In this manuscript, the author provides steps and resources to utilize Confederate monuments and memorials as a method of developing student political identity through historical thinking. The article demonstrates student examination of primary and secondary resources relating to the motivation for more than 1700 Confederate monuments that are constructed throughout the Southern United States. They use a mural found within the courthouse of a major city in Alabama created in the 1930’s that critics argue is veneration …

Integration Of Project-Based Learning In Elementary Social Studies, Arren Swift

The Councilor: A National Journal of the Social Studies

The marginalization of social studies education in elementary schools has been well documented. To provide meaningful social studies education to elementary students we must find ways to integrate social studies into other content areas. The application of project-based learning complements the process of cross-curricular integration. This article provides a rationale for this approach and a sample lesson to help clarify the process.

Through Their Eyes: Perspective Taking Activities For Social Studies Classes, William Gary Cole, Gary Padgett

The Councilor: A National Journal of the Social Studies

Perspective taking activities have been shown to yield a number of positive effects for students across disciplines. In this article, the authors provide two ready-to-teach lessons plans that encourage perspective taking through research, critical thinking, and creativity. By asking students to view history through the eyes of the people who lived it, these activities help students think deeply and creatively about social studies content.

Using Trade Books To Identify And Change Discriminatory Practices, Monisha Moore

The Councilor: A National Journal of the Social Studies

Elementary students need opportunities to explore social justice issues in their classrooms. They also need to examine text to analyze historical figures’ values, biases, and beliefs. Using trade books is one method to expose students to multiple perspectives in a diverse world. Having students identify, analyze, and address discriminatory practices through trade books equips them with the skills necessary to build empathy and address oppressive systems.

Self-Efficacy Of Early Childhood Teachers In Science, Technology, Engineering, And Mathematics, Ariella Rachel Donnelley Smith

Dissertations

Purpose. The purpose of this study was to identify the self-efficacy of early childhood teachers toward STEM subjects as measured on the Teacher Efficacy and Attitudes toward STEM Survey (T-STEM) and to explore factors that influence this confidence.

Methodology. A quantitative approach with two open-ended items was selected for this study, seeking to elicit both quantitative and qualitative data from participants. This approach allowed for multiple viewpoints to be expressed, with the qualitative data collected simultaneously with the quantitative data, and the former designed to illuminate reasons influencing the latter in a complimentary approach. The population for the study included …