Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons^™

Using Head Start Children's Language Development To Predict Social Information Processing Ability, Kendra Newman

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

As young children grow and develop, gaining social skills and different language abilities is extremely important. As children develop, they also acquire the ability to process social information, which then helps them respond in various social situations. Children should eventually be able to respond to social situations in socially acceptable ways, instead of answering in aggressive or passive ways. This study examined the relations between children’s language development, and social information processing ability. This study included 51 children, from 19 Head Start classrooms. Results showed that at the beginning of the Head Start year children with more language, responded in …

Psychosocial Effects Of Shared Book Reading, Amy Halling

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Many studies have examined the academic benefits of parents reading with their children, but few studies have looked at the psychological and social benefits, and even fewer have related the quality of shared book reading to psycho-social benefits. This study looked at whether positive and negative reading interactions during shared book reading predicted parent-child relationships, child social skills and child academic skills. Twenty-five parents of 4-year-olds read a story with their child and completed parent relationship and child social skills questionnaires. The reading interactions were then coded into two separate composite scores: positive and negative. Positive interactions did not significantly …

Coaching Parents To Use Positive Behavior Support: Function-Based Interventions For Preschool Children With Challenging Behavior, Lauren E. Pace

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Parents who have children with challenging behavior may feel stressed, overwhelmed and at a loss for solutions. Challenging behavior can cause problems with children’s relationships with others and their school success. There are many resources for schools and children with special needs; however, resources for parents for young children (ages 3 to 5) with challenging behavior are limited. This study examined the impact of a 6-week intervention to coach parents to use strategies that encouraged children to develop skills that helped them to express frustration and solve problems in positive ways. Parents were better able to understand what the children …

Comparing The Predictive Power Of Executive Function Assessment Strategies On Preschool Mathematics Performance, Jacob A. Esplin

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

A child’s executive function (aspects: working memory, response inhibition, and set-shifting between sets of rules) capabilities have been found to strongly relate to their mathematics skills. However, while the relationship has been strongly supported by researchers, a consensus has not been reached regarding the specifics of the relationship between executive function and math skills, including which executive function aspect is most predictive of mathematical performance and the differences in said relationship that might be found when examining both numeracy, such as counting skills and basic operations, and geometry skills. The lack of consensus may be in part because researchers have …

The Effect Of Prosody On Preschool Children’S Emotional, Cognitive, And Behavioral-Eye And Behavioral-Body Engagement During Story Time, Trevor Rowe

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Many children have insufficient early literacy experiences and fail to obtain proficient emergent literacy before they enter kindergarten. Reading to young children has been positively linked to improving their emergent literacy. Numerous factors influence how engaged children are while being read to including the adult’s prosody, receptive vocabulary, and the home literacy environment. Using a quantitative quasi-experimental design, this study sought to understand the association among prosody, child engagement (emotional, cognitive, behavioral-eye, and behavioral-body), receptive vocabulary, and the home literacy environment. The sample included 76 3- to 5-year-old children from local child care centers and their parents. To understand the …

Mother-Child Attachment And Preschool Behavior Problems In Children With Developmental Delays, Mary S. Lamont

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Secure mother-child attachment has been found to be an important factor in the healthy emotional development of children and has been shown to have effects on child, adolescent, and adult behavior. Previous research has primarily focused on attachment in children who are typically developing. However, little research has been conducted in populations of children with developmental delays. The research thus far has suggested that medical situations, child disabilities and maternal emotions may affect interaction patterns between the mother and the child which may in turn influence the security of the mother-child attachment in children with developmental delays. This study contributes …

Addressing Disruptive Behaviors In The Preschool Classroom: An Adaptation Of Parent-Child Interaction Therapy (Pcit) For Head Start Teachers, Brent R. Collett

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Several researchers have begun to investigate early intervention and prevention programs, seeking to alter the trajectory of early-onset behavior problems. While it appears that multi-modal programs are the most promising approach, researchers have only recently begun to evaluate programs that use a similar treatment approach across settings and there is currently little information about classroom-based treatments for disruptive behaviors among preschoolers. The purpose of this study was to develop a classroom-based intervention based on the Parent-Child Interaction Therapy (PCIT) model developed by Eyberg. In addition, this study provides an initial investigation of the efficacy of this program with an emphasis …

Mean Length Of Utterance In Relation To Gender And Preschool Activity Area, Angela Sisson Thompson

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Factors influencing language development and use are many. Teacher influences such as teacher:child ratio and teaching experience can affect the types of language children produce. Classroom influences including activities, size of the room, and length of the day also play a role in the development of language. All of these areas need to be considered in order to provide the best possible language environment for the preschool child.

In this study, the researchers examined the mean length of utterance (MLU) values of preschool children while participating at three areas in a preschool classroom: art, dramatic play, and snack. Gender differences …

The Relations Between Parenting Stress, Father Involvement, And Leisure, Among Fathers Of Preschool-Age Children, Patricia Mehl Brown

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

This study examined relations between fathers' parenting stress, father involvement in child care giving, and family leisure activity among 46 fathers of preschool age children. Results indicate that the relations between parenting stress and father involvement depend on child gender. A negative association was found between parenting stress and father involvement in caregiving among fathers of boys but a positive association was found between these two variables among fathers of girls. furthermore, higher levels of family play are associated with lower levels of parenting stress among fathers of boys. Results also indicated a negative association between father involvement and mothers' …

Preschoolers' Perceptions Of Their Alternative Care Environments, Michael K. Godfrey

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

The purpose of this study was to examine children's perceptions of their alternative child care environment without constraining thought processes or suggesting appropriate answers. The Child Care Game Assessment (CCGA) was developed to meet these goals. The CCGA is a role-plating, game-like assessment for preschool children. It uses a model of the child's alternative care environment and allows children to act out portions of a typical day.

The CCGA was administered to 57 four- and five-year-old children attending non-parental child care. Twenty-one children (11 boys and 10 girls) attended Utah State University's Child Development Laboratory, a 10-hour-per-week preschool. Twenty-one children …

A Comparison Of Traditional Preschool And Computer Play From A Social/Cognitive Perspective, Jeanne M. Hoover

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Twenty females and twenty-three males from the Utah State University Children's House participated in this study which compared traditional preschool play with computer play. The Parten/Smilansky nested social/cognitive play hierarchy was used. Sociometric and cognitive assessments were incorporated in order to more clearly define behaviors. Five types of play were observed: computer, art, locks, manipulative toys, and the dramatic area.

No gender differences were found in terms of the amount of time or type of play at the computer. However, sociometric status did influence computer play. Children who engaged in more positive social interactions used the computer constructively, while those …

Involving Parents In A Nutrition Education Program For Preschool Children, Cheryl Wright

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

The primary intent of this study was to ascertain the effectiveness of parents in the role of teaching nutrition to their children. This research endeavor was an extension of refinement of a three-year program in nutrition education in the Department of Family and Human Development at Utah State University. Fifty-seven children enrolled in the Child Development Laboratory at Utah State, and their parents were involved in the study. Eighteen children were taught nutrition by their mothers. Twenty-one children were taught nutrition by their mothers and fathers, and 18 children served as the control group and received no nutrition using an …

Proxemic Behaviors Of Sociometrically Identified Preschool Children, Laura Gaynard

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

From a population of 160 children, 59 were sociometrically identified into four categories: popular, amiable, isolated, and rejected. Same-sexed pairs of children were then observed in an experimental play situation in which two experimenters, using a computerized event recorder, obtained the amount of time each identified child spent at various distances (0-305 cm) from the confederate. Frequency of moves was also recorded. A general pattern of proxemic behavior for all children, across category, was found to exist in which subjects spent the majority of time at distances of 30.5 cm to 122 cm and very little time at greater distances. …

Nutritional Understanding Of Preschool Children Taught In The Home And Child Development Laboratory, Thomas R. Lee

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

This study was devised to determine the readiness of preschool children to learn about basic concepts of nutrition. Sixty preschool children enrolled in the Utah State University Child Development Laboratory, comprised the sample. Twenty children were taught at home by parents, 20 were taught at the Laboratory, and 20 received no instruction. The curriculum was based on the concept of nutrient density and used the Index of Nutritional Quality (INQ) in developing instructional mate rials. INQ is an index for comparing the amount of nutrients to the amount of calories in a food. Food Profile Cards, visual representations of this …

Verbal Memory Of Preschool Indian And Non/Indian Headstart Children, Karen L. Swenson Carter

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

The purpose of this study was to test the hypotheses l) there is a significant difference between scores of Head Start children on the Uintah and Ouray Indian Reservation in Utah and the norms of the Verbal Memory Test from the McCarthy Scales of Children's Abilities; 2) there will not be an association between being Indian or non-Indian; 3 ) there will be an association between teaching styles and the children's performance on the language test. The T test was used to analyze all of the data. The experimental sample scored lower, but not significantly lower than the standardized norms. …

The Role Of Verbal Incentives And Researcher Attitude In The Motivation Of Preschool Children From Different Socioeconomic Levels, Carol Hunter Byrnes

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

The motivating effects of positive and negative verbal reinforcement and researcher attitude on the performance of preschool children were studied in relation to socioeconomic level. Forty children from the Utah State University Child Development Laboratory and forty from Head Start classrooms in northern Utah served as subjects. Each child performed the simple task of placing pegs in a pegboard during a 60- second time interval; once under conditions of positive verbal reinforcement and positive attitude, and again, under one of four experimental conditions: control; positive reinforcement/positive attitude; negative reinforcement/positive attitude; or negative reinforcement/ negative attitude.

The findings seemed to indicate …

Levels Of Art Development Among Preschool Children, Sally Lynn Miner

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

The problem which was investigated in this study was the influence of a child development laboratory experience and the child's discriminatory abilities on the developmental level of children's art productions.

Forty-eight children, three and four years of age, of whom 24 had no prior experience, and 24 others had completed approximately six months as participants in a child development laboratory, were included in the study.

All children were given a discrimination task to establish their individual levels of discriminatory abilities. Each child painted four pictures, two with easel paint and two with crayons. Each painting was analyzed to determine art …

The Influence Of Age, Sex, And Colors On The Number Recognition And Counting Abilities Of Preschool Children, Connie L. Jackson

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

The effects of the child's chronological age, his sex, and a second concept of color were studied as they effected the counting skills and number recognition abilities in preschool children. The research was conducted at the Utah State University Child Development Laboratories with the subjects being three and four-year-old children enrolled at that time. Each child was given counting and number recognition tasks involving cubes in sets of one color and also in sets which involved two colors.

It was found that as the age of the child increased, his ability to correctly count and label sets of cubes also …

An Investigation Of The Relationship Between The Bender-Gestalt, Draw-A-Man, And Wechsler Preschool And Primary Scale Of Intelligence, G. Edward Allen

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

This study investigated the relationship between the Bender-Gestalt, Draw-a-Man, and the Wexler Preschool and Primary Scale of Intelligence. Twenty-two children enrolled in the Logan, Utah Head-Start Program comprised the sample. Product-moment correlations indicated a significant relationship between these instruments.

The following tentative conclusions were drawn:

1. The Wexler Preschool and Primary Scale of Intelligence bears a relationship to the Draw-a-Man and Bender-Gestalt tests similar to that between the Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children and these instruments.

2. The Bender-Gestalt test, using the Koppitz scoring system, and the Draw-a-Man test can serve a similar checking function with the Wexler Preschool and Primary Scale …

   ---

   Go to article

The Validity And Use Of Wechsler Pre-School And Primary Scale Of Intelligence In Predicting School Achievement, Sam Campanella

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the Wechsler Pre-School and Primary Scale of Intelligence for use in predicting school achievement. The Wechsler Pre-School and Primary Scale of Intelligence was administered to 22 children enrolled in the Operation Head Start Program in Logan, Utah. The Wide Range Achievement Test was administered five months later to the same 22 children. The scores on the Wechsler Pre-School and Primary Scale of Intelligence were correlated to the scores on the Wide Range Achievement Test.

On the basis of the .53 correlation between the Wechsler Pre-School and Primary Scale of Intelligence Full …

Comparison Of Mosaic Responses Of Disadvantaged And Advantaged Preschool Children, Renée Ostler

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Developmental age differences were studied between a group of Head Start children and a group of preschool children attending the Utah State University Child Development Laboratory. The Lowenfeld Mosaic Test was used to make distinctions between the child whose developmental age was below his age in years. The results were compared to the four-year and five-year chronological age level of the Armes and Ilg scoring criteria.

Although behavior in response to the Mosaic test developed in the same way for both the disadvantaged children and the advantaged children, the products or Mosaic designs of the disadvantaged children were less mature …

The Preschool Child's Concept Of God, Linda Thompson Saxton

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

The setting is a cheerful nursery school room bustling with activity and lively three and four year old children. Sally, Tom, and Dick are building with blocks and are busily engaged in conversation regarding who is "boss" of the project.

"I'm the boss," states Sally emphatically.

''No, I'm the boss." retorts Dick with just as much enthusiasm.

"Did you know that God is boss of the whole world?" questions Tom thoughtfully. So we see one more example of the tremendous task of reaching for and of gathering in facts and experiences in the environment in order to create some semblance …