Browsing by Subject "Early childhood education"
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Item An exploratory study of emergent literacy development as demonstrated through play(Texas Tech University, 1998-12) Baker, Michelle D.The purpose of this study was to explore the use of play as a resource for examining children's emergent literacy development. Specifically the study addressed the following questions: 1. What types of emergent literacy demonstrations do children exhibit while playing in a literacy-enhanced environment? 2. What do these demonstrations reveal about children's knowledge of literacy? The study took place in my pre-kindergarten classroom, which is a part of the kids-day-out program of a Southern Baptist church in the southwestern Untied States. The classroom consisted of 10 four-and five-year- old children who were due to start kindergarten in the fall of 1997. The class followed a daily schedule which included a seventy-five minute play period. My observations focused on one five-year-old girl who played in a variety of centers. This is a participant observation study of a prekindergarten child during play in literacy-enhanced centers. Data were collected using the participant observation guidelines of Bogden and Biklen (1982), Glesne and Peshkin (1992), Lincoln and Guba (1985), and Hatch (1995). Descriptive data were recorded through the use of field notes and videotaping. Additional data included a collection of participant artifacts and informal interviews. The data were analyzed using the constant comparison method as described by Bogdan and Biklen (1982). This study adds to the research base in the area of emergent literacy assessment using play. This study offers implications for practitioners about the importance of including literacy-enhanced play centers and time to play in the classroom. This study also describes how play observations are a useful resource for assessing a child's knowledge of the functions and concepts of print. Further, this study demonstrates how some children more clearly demonstrate their emerging literacy abilities in less structured, authentic settings than on more structured literacy assessments.Item Behavior intervention : positive behavior support practices for educators of young children(2011-05) Narcisse, Ghislaine-Ducis Louise; Rieth, Herbert J.; O'Reilly, Mark; Fuller, Anne; Flower, Andrea; Valenzuela, Angela; Northcutt, NorvellCurrent public health reports show that early childhood behavior problems have increased in magnitude and prevalence in educational settings in recent years (Brauner & Stephens, 2006). The prevalence of problem behaviors in young children in general is more than 10% for children under age 8 in the U.S. (Joseph & Strain, 2003). Challenging behaviors are those that deviate from the expected appropriate behaviors within a context (Gresham & Elliot, 1993). This study investigated the effects of positive behavior supports (PBS) on children with challenging behaviors in early childhood settings (ages 3-8 years). The implementation of multiple-component PBS interventions resulted in decreases in challenging behaviors and increases in appropriate behaviors across settings for each participant, respectively.Item Charting a course to creativity in developmental education(2008-05) Ciez-Volz, Kathleen Ann, 1969-; Roueche, John E.A central problem in community colleges' developmental education programs concerns the over-emphasis on basic skills instruction to the possible exclusion of higher order thinking. Although the ability to read, write, and compute establishes an indispensable foundation for future academic success, basic skills instruction alone does not teach students how to analyze, synthesize, and evaluate ideas--all of which are imperative in the global, knowledge-based economy where creative thinking constitutes the primary form of capital. The purpose of this study, therefore, was to synthesize creativity research and developmental education by investigating the significance of creative thinking in developmental courses taught at Florida Community College at Jacksonville's Kent Campus. To fulfill the study's purpose, the researcher employed a qualitative research design and methodology through which she explored the perspectives and practices of twelve participants selected through stratified purposeful sampling. Representing different disciplines, the participants varied in their instructional classification (full-time versus part-time) and developmental teaching experience. Having designed a basic interpretive qualitative study, the researcher, as a human instrument, sought to understand the participants' perceptions regarding the importance of promoting creativity in developmental courses; the characteristics of classroom environments that facilitate creative thinking; as well as the instructional approaches and methods that foster such thinking. By triangulating the data collection through interviews, observations, and document analyses and by obtaining member checks of the interviews from the participants, the researcher endeavored to enhance the trustworthiness of the findings. Presented in the rich, thick description distinctive of qualitative analysis, the study revealed that the enthusiastic, caring, and learner-centered participants possessed the personality characteristics necessary for the cultivation of creative thinking among students. Despite being intended to promote the acquisition of basic skills, many of the participants' approaches and methods, particularly the use of personalized instruction, verbal praise, cooperative learning, and figurative language, could also be employed to establish learning environments that facilitate creative thinking. Upon reviewing the data, the researcher made recommendations designed to contribute to the limited body of knowledge about the synthesis of creativity research and developmental education.Item Contributions of James Lee Hymes, Jr., to the field of early childhood education(2003-08) Anderson, Charlotte Jean, 1968-; Davis, O. L. (Ozro Luke), 1928-This work follows the life, career, and contributions to early childhood education of James Lee Hymes, Jr., 1913-1998. Born in the Bronx, New York City, Hymes attended Harvard University and Teachers College, Columbia University. His subsequent work with the Works Progress Administration nurseries and the Progressive Education Association during the 1930s along with his brief but highly significant experience with the Kaiser Child Service Centers during World War II forged his educational philosophy. Hymes’ postwar career consisted of three professorships at the institutions State Teachers College, New Paltz, New York (1946-1949), George Peabody College in Nashville, Tennessee (1949-1957), and the University of Maryland, Bethesda, Maryland from 1957-1970. Additionally, Hymes served as President of the National Association for Nursery Education (1945-1947), now the National Association for the Education of Young Children, and served on the original thirteen-member Planning Committee for Head Start in 1965. Hymes’ prolific writing and effective speaking manner were cornerstones of his career. Reasons for the prominence of his books and for his popularity as a speaker include his strong interrelational skills, personal intelligence, and keen sense of humor. Hymes also exerted a unique influence upon his students during his time as instructor at New Paltz, at George Peabody College, and at the University of Maryland. In order to assess some of the reasons for Hymes’ effectiveness, personal interviews were conducted with over fifty of his former students and colleagues. Interviews reveal that Hymes’ teaching methodology was clear and memorable and that his intense dedication to the field of early childhood education was lived out through his interactions with other professionals in ways that not only instructed but inspired. Throughout his career, Hymes strongly held to his original educational philosophy of child development. Known as the child development point of view, this theory postulated that curriculum should always suit the child’s current developmental abilities and immediate capabilities. Respecting the process of growth, whether physical, intellectual, social, or emotional, was of utmost importance, and growth was never to be rushed. Hymes was fully committed to the nurturance of ‘the whole child’ through attendance to emotional, social, and intellectual needs. For Hymes, making school a ‘friend’ of the child by respecting and giving ample berth for the processes of growth as well as attending to all domains of the whole person were methods by which the child could have the highest quality school experience. Furthermore, such an approach served as prevention against moral and social ills as it nurtured healthy future citizens. Attention to all that affected the child and a sensitive teaching approach fostered moral values and, more broadly, enabled democracy to stand firm for succeeding generations.1 Curricular emphases turned to more cognitively oriented issues during the postwar years, but Hymes remained devoted to his developmentalist viewpoint. Hymes disregarded much of what came into vogue educationally during the latter half of the twentieth century, thus causing his status as a scholar to lessen. Despite the fact that his work remained in the developmentalist camp during the years of increased attention to cognition, however, his popularity escalated and he continued as a coveted and much sought-after speaker and visiting professor during the 1970s and 1980s. Each chapter of this work covers a distinct portion of Hymes’ life. Chapter One surveys his growing up years through his college days at Harvard. Chapter Two reviews the onset of his vocational educational career starting with his continued years of study at Teachers College, Columbia University where he earned his Masters degree in child development and parent education. Chapter Two includes his work with the Works Progress Administration nurseries and his time with the popular Progressive Education Association. Chapter Three is a detailed account of his very significant time spent in Portland, Oregon working with mentor Lois Meek Stolz at the Kaiser Child Service Centers during World War II. Chapter Four covers his doctoral work at Teachers College 1 Evelyn Weber, Ideas Influencing Early Childhood Education, A Theoretical Analysis (New York: Teachers College Press, 1984), p. 142-148. that surged forth his writing career when he produced A Pound of Prevention: How Teachers Can Meet the Emotional Needs of Young Children as his doctoral dissertation under the direction of Lawrence Kelso Frank at the Caroline Zachry Institute of New York. Hymes’ Presidency of the flagging National Association for Nursery Education, present-day National Association for the Education of Young Children, and his work to fortify that Association is included in Chapter Four. Chapter Five analyzes his agonies and ecstasies with university life at all three institutions; portions of his popular literature are reviewed. Chapter Six explores the creative works of his retirement years including experimentation with the use of media, his continual speaking and visiting professor engagements, and the last of his writings. The prologue establishes the stage for Hymes’ entrance into the field of child development as it flourished over the first thirty years of the twentieth century. The epilogue examines Hymes’ practices and philosophy in order to evidence ways that we as professionals can influence educators for the cause of improved educational opportunities for children of all ages and reflects upon ways in which his practices can be practically implemented today. Methodology and Sources Sources used for the study include archives, dissertations, fifty-six original oral history interviews conducted in person, via telephone, or via mail, monographs, periodical literature, written correspondence, and electronic mail messages.Item Coordinating care: a microethnographic investigation into the interactional practices of childcare workers(2006) Mehus, Siri Elizabeth; Streeck, Jürgen K.This project is an investigation of the interactional practices of childcare workers. It is based on approximately 25 hours of videotaped interaction among caregivers and young children (2-24 months) at a childcare center, supported by observation and interviews. I approach the childcare environment as a place of work, grounding my analysis in the growing tradition of microanalytic studies of collaboration in the workplace. I focus on caregivers’ utilization of cultural and local resources in accomplishing their jobs, including specialized lexical items, verbal and gestural routines, and aspects of the material surround. In particular, I find that culturally available ways of interacting with children can serve the purpose of collaboration among caregivers in this site. By addressing utterances to preverbal children, caregivers act in conformance with professional and organizational ideologies of language socialization. Through these same practices, caregivers give voice to their understandings of “what’s going on” with the children, allowing for the coordination of caregiver actions. These practices moreover provide a space for the construction and negotiation of shared interpretations of children’s conduct. I provide a comprehensive description of the ways in which collaboration is achieved through such practices of communicating through children, and then discuss this phenomenon as an instantiation of “collective minding,” considering what it suggests about possibilities for participation in systems of coordinated action. In addition, I examine a particular strategy for managing children’s behavior in which caregivers create interactional and physical contexts for children's actions. I explore this phenomenon using the analogy of “child-proofing,” which refers to modifications made to a physical environment in order to constrain or enable certain actions on the part of children, or to create a context in which the actions children are likely to take become unproblematic. The environments created through “interactional child-proofing” may be situations brought into being through words, but they can also be material environments. This is an ongoing process in which caregivers continually attend to and anticipate children's movements in order to avoid resorting to direct forms of coercion. I consider this practice in terms of the focused attention and situated planning that it requires of caregivers.Item The curious case of Oklahoma : a historical analysis of the passage of universal pre-kindergarten legislation in Oklahoma(2013-05) Bell, Christian Marie; Reyes, Pedro, 1954-; Gershoff, Elizabeth T.State-funded voluntary pre-K programs have grown steadily over the past decade and now enroll 1.3 million children (Barnett, Carolan, Fitzgerald, J., & Squires, 2012). While the overall trend has been to increase participation in state funded Pre-K, access in most states is targeted to select groups of at-risk 4-year-olds. Unfortunately, targeted programs for disadvantaged children tend to underserve their targeted populations with respect to availability and quality (Gelbach & Pritchett, 2002). In light of this, Pre-K advocates have begun pushing for universal Pre-K. However, only six states offer universal-prekindergarten, and with varying degrees of success. In this environment of modest state funding for Pre-K, the state of Oklahoma has managed to rise to the forefront of the universal Pre-K movement. That a high-quality Pre-K system exists in a conservative state is a very curious case and provides an opportunity for a thorough examination of the political processes. This study seeks not only to explain the development and passage of universal Pre-K in Oklahoma, but to also understand what lessons can be taken from a historical analysis of this issue for contemporary education policy.Item Development of a music curriculum for an early childhood non-music major college level course(Texas Tech University, 2004-08) Jahnke Dees, JenniferInstructors of music courses for undergraduate early childhood education majors face many challenges when designing a one-semester music curriculum. Few music textbooks specific to early childhood are available. Many more music texts geared for elementary majors are available but include little information of early childhood years (birth - 8 years old). In addition, these elementary music texts often place a major emphasis on the fundamentals of music. Studies show this focus may not be the most productive in developing generalists who will provide quality musical experiences in their classrooms. Students would benefit greatly from a sequential, experiential, and applicable music curriculum that includes song materials, age appropriate activities, pertinent readings, valuable resources, and experiences interacting musically with children. The purpose of this study was to develop a music curriculum designed for undergraduate early childhood majors in the study of early childhood music. The curriculum was based on studies of the practical music skills and understandings of classroom teachers, studies of musical self-perceptions of non-music majors, studies of sequence, the MENC position statement on early childhood music (MENC, 1993), and a review of available texts. The prescribed sequential curriculum provides a weekly format of in-class topics and activities, as well as homework assignments. Although the curriculum described in this paper is specific to a particular one-semester, three-credit-hour, early childhood major music course, the ideas and activities could be adapted to meet the needs of another course.Item Developmentally appropriate practice in accredited child care centers: teachers' understanding and perceived use(Texas Tech University, 1997-12) Oekerman, Rebecca BurwellIn 1987, the National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC) published its position statement on developmentally appropriate practice (DAP) to enhance understanding of DAP, especially among individuals engaged in the NAEYC accreditation process. Yet, it has been suggested that educators engage in "reflective practice," determining for themselves how to integrate the results of their personal experiences with theoretical knowledge. This study was done to determine if early childhood teachers understand DAP and perceive themselves as using DAP appropriately or whether they modify its use to fit the needs of their individual classrooms. Participants were 124 preschool teachers working in 50 NAEYC accredited child care facilities.Item "Easier said than done": pre-service teachers and multicultural education(2007-08) Braud, Hillary Nicole, 1974-; Reifel, Robert StuartThis qualitative dissertation explores the beliefs of 15 pre-service teachers who completed their apprentice teaching semester in diverse early childhood classrooms. The pre-service teachers' beliefs about teaching in diverse early childhood classrooms and the experiences the pre-service teachers attributed to having influenced and/or challenged their prior beliefs are of particular interest in this study. An analysis of interview data resulted in four themes. The first theme explores the participants' focus on their beliefs about how students learn, the role of the teacher in students' learning, and the importance of building a classroom community when asked to describe teaching in diverse early childhood classrooms. The ways in which the participants marginalized multicultural education by limiting what it included and by reserving it for particular subject areas, grade levels, and groups of children is described in the second theme. The third theme details the experiences that altered the participants' prior beliefs about teaching in diverse early childhood classrooms, including seeing difference, confronting prejudices, observing teachers, and refining beliefs. In the final theme, I examine the instability found in the participants' beliefs with regard to language, difference, families, and holidays. A second phase of research, including interview, observation, and document data, resulted in two themes: adopting pedagogical approaches and reflecting on practice. These findings lead to three conclusions for this study. First, pre-service teachers' beliefs about teaching in diverse classrooms are more complex than previous research has suggested. Second, reflecting on beliefs and practice is essential to the development of multicultural education practices. However, reflection about diversity, by itself, does not help pre-service teachers with their practice during field placements. Pre-service teachers need opportunities to observe multicultural education practices to connect beliefs and theory to practice. Finally, teacher educators need to understand the prior experiences and beliefs of the pre-service teachers in their courses in order to plan a range of activities that meet pre-service teachers where they are and then take them where they need to go with regards to their beliefs about teaching in diverse classrooms, so that these activities are effective for providing an interruption of prior beliefs.Item English language education in two kindergarten classes in Korea : pedagogical practices and insiders' perceptions(2014-05) Kim, Eun A, active 2014; Hoffman, James V.; Reifel, Robert StuartThis study explores English education in two local private kindergarten classes in Korea. The purpose of this study is to understand English education in private kindergartens in Korea by closely looking at pedagogical practices in two kindergarten classes and the insiders' perceptions of the pedagogical practices. The research questions guiding this study are as follows: (a) What are the pedagogical practices relative to English education in two private kindergarten classes in Korea?; and (b) How do the members of the two classes (i.e., the child participants, ECE teacher, and English instructors) perceive the language, language teaching and learning, and the pedagogical practices? The study was conducted as a qualitative study through the fieldwork using such methods as participant observations, interviews, questionnaires, and collection of documents and artifacts. The study took place in private kindergartens located in two separate communities in Korea. In each kindergarten, I focused on a particular class: The fieldwork in the two research sites spanned a two-and-a-half-month period, between May and July 2011. Regarding the first research question, I found that members of each class co-constructed the pedagogical practices relative to English education in a locally specific way. Within their particular context, the members of Red Class were involved in creating a caring classroom environment consisting of English lessons, learning, learners, and reciprocal relationships among them. The members of Green Class played their respective roles as leaners, ECE teacher, or English language instructors. However, many of the learners tended to care little about the English lessons or learning but all the same were sure to finish their English tasks. Regarding the second research question, the members of the two classes perceived English language, language teaching and/or learning, and the pedagogical practices based on their experiences in particular contexts. However, their perceptions, at the same time, reflected in various ways the larger culture. Red Class members tended to describe and interpret their pedagogical practices in positive ways and to consider English useful and important. Green Class members tended to talk more about their pedagogical practices with multiple voices.Item Essential practices for early childhood educators who value multicultural perspectives(2014-05) Lee, Sunmin, active 2014; Adair, Jennifer KeysThis report addresses the importance of multicultural education in early childhood classrooms as well as three essential practices for early childhood educators who value multicultural perspectives. The early childhood classroom is the first place in which children develop their identities and recognize cultural differences. Multicultural education can offer opportunities for children to value and understand cultural diversity as they have more experiences outside of their homes and neighborhoods. While there are many kinds of practices that support a multicultural perspective, this paper focuses on three multicultural practices that early childhood educators can incorporate in their classrooms in order to create authentic multicultural classrooms and to promote multiculturalism. The three practices are 1) integrating culturally relevant pedagogy/culturally responsive teaching, 2) understanding multicultural families, and 3) pursuing social justice. These practices can help early childhood educators better understand multicultural students and families and have more meaningful interactions and partnership opportunities with them.Item An examination of the integration of traditional core content areas in a kindergarten music classroom : a music specialist’s rationale, understandings, and perceptions(2011-05) Andrews, Stephanie Kuna; Field, Sherry L.; Brown, Anthony L.; Brown, Christopher P.; Costa-Giomi, Eugenia; Salinas, Cynthia S.The purpose of this research study was to examine the instructional strategies, rationale, understandings, and perceptions of an elementary music specialist, Michelle Roberts, regarding the integration of traditional core content areas (TCCAs) in the kindergarten music classroom. This study sought to scrutinize the characteristics and details of Michelle’s teaching through Elliot Eisner’s notions of educational connoisseurship and criticism and through his conceptualization of educational research and practice as art. A number of early childhood educators and researchers have stressed the importance and pedagogical efficacy of using interdisciplinary, holistic instructional approaches with young children. Such approaches have the potential to create space for a humanizing education in the early childhood classroom. This qualitative research study was conducted at a public elementary school in a large, urban district in Texas, between September 18, 2009 and January 26, 2010. The participant was Michelle Roberts, an elementary music specialist with nearly 25 years of teaching experience. Data sources included classroom observations, examination of instructional artifacts, and semi-structured interviews. Following analysis of the data, three conclusions concerning the music specialist’s rationale, understandings, and perceptions regarding the integration of traditional core content areas and kindergarten music instruction were drawn. First, Michelle’s rationale, understandings, and perceptions regarding the integration of the TCCAs and kindergarten music instruction were grounded in her wealth of teacher knowledge and skills and in her beliefs regarding teaching. Second, Michelle’s rationale for the integration of the TCCAs and kindergarten music instruction was that it allowed her to educate her students in the most fitting manner possible and that it made learning “solid” or “a complete picture” for the students. Third, Michelle’s perceptions and understandings regarding the integration of the TCCAs and kindergarten music instruction were grounded in three beliefs: (a) the integration of the TCCAs and music instruction is beneficial for young children; (b) it is important to maintain the integrity of the discipline of music when integrating instruction in the TCCAs and kindergarten music instruction; and (c) music cannot be taught in isolation from other content areas.Item Examining kindergarten teachers' beliefs and practices in science education(2014-08) Jeong, Hye In; Brown, Christopher P., Ph. D.This dissertation investigates kindergarten teachers' beliefs and their teaching practices in science education through a qualitative case study. This study addresses these topics by exploring two key issues: First, it illustrates how kindergarten teachers think about teaching science to the students. Second, this study demonstrates how the teachers’ beliefs about teaching science affect the teaching practices in the classroom. The qualitative data was obtained through formal and informal interviews with four kindergarten teachers from a public elementary school. In addition, observation of the science lessons were also conducted. The teachers' beliefs about science education were classified based on Calderhead's (1996) categories about teachers' beliefs: 1) beliefs about students in science classes, 2) beliefs about teaching science classes, 3) beliefs about science as a subject, 4) beliefs about learning to teach science, and 5) beliefs about teachers’ roles in science classes. Based on the categories of teachers' beliefs, this study found a relationship between teachers' beliefs and how they teach science. In particular, the participant teachers preferred hands-on science activities and focused on children's interest in science. Their personal learning history and past schooling experiences appeared to inform their beliefs. However, this research also shows that some of the teachers' beliefs did not match the teaching practices in science lessons. As evidence, contrary to their beliefs, some of the participant teachers did not include as many hands-on activities because of the limited time allowed for science and the characteristics of the topics in science classes. Finally, the findings suggest there are differences between experienced and inexperienced teachers' in the beliefs and practices. For instance, experienced teachers believed that they were able to effectively manage the science classes, whereas inexperienced teachers showed concerns regarding managing the science class. Moreover, the experienced teachers actually demonstrated their expertise in successfully managing the class, while the inexperienced teachers experienced difficulty. Summary of findings, limitation, implications, and future research are discussed.Item How children in a science-centered preschool use science process skills while engaged in play activities(2011-05) McFarlin, Lillian Marie; Reifel, Robert Stuart; Barufaldi, James; Brown, Christopher; Bryant, Diane; Marshall, JillSelf-motivated activities, or play, that children choose to engage in are manifestations of a variety of science process skills being used to construct knowledge about their environment. While many people agree that science skills should be fostered at an early age, due to the possible positive influence of a wider base of experiential knowledge and the development of a love of science, there is a lack of research available to support the development of early childhood science curriculum (Bredekamp & Copple, 1997, Brenneman, Stevenson-Boyd & Frede, 2009). This study follows the daily activities of four- and five-year-old children attending a science-based preschool in the southwestern United States. The play activities of the children were observed for their use of the science process skills of observing, comparing, classifying, measuring, communicating, inferring, predicting and experimenting. A wide range of play activities centered around the foundational skills of observing, comparing, measuring, communicating and inferring. The teachers and students combine to create a unique environment promoting excitement and exploration.Item Integrating management with instruction : how district aligned curricula has altered teacher thinking(2011-05) Bay-Borelli, Debra E.; Brown, Christopher P., Ph. D.; Svinicki, Marilla; Roser, Nancy; Lucksinger, Linda; Ritchie, ScottIn light of the continual debate among researchers regarding new teachers’ concerns about classroom management and the need to insure that instruction results in positive student learning the focus of this qualitative case study has been to examine how five second and third year teachers planned for and thought about the management of student engagement during instruction. The main purpose of this study was to examine the professional thinking of five second and third year teachers while planning for a lesson in comparison to their actions during the lesson and later how they reflected on that plan. In addition, the teachers’ beliefs about how they learned to integrate management with instruction during planning were examined. The results of this study indicate these five teachers did intentionally think about and plan for the integration of management with instruction during their lessons. District aligned curricula were used in each of these teachers’ districts which caused them to alter the traditional planning model so they could plan for the integration of management with instruction in their lessons. In addition these teachers believed they learned to address management with instruction as a result of their first year(s) of teaching.Item The many forms of theatre for the very young : a look into development processes(2013-05) Corey, Bethany Lynn; Schroeder-Arce, RoxanneAs Theatre for the Very Young (TVY) has only begun to be produced in the United States within the past 10 years, little is written about how the work is being developed and produced. This thesis serves to acknowledge the impact international TVY practice has on US work while simultaneously providing insight into development processes. This document questions: What goals, considerations and limitations exist when developing TVY? Who is currently creating TVY? How does the context for the creation of a piece influence the development process and the product? Within this thesis I examine the processes of current TVY practitioners and identity three different organizational structures where TVY is currently being created. I also cite examples from TVY development processes I have engaged in within each organizational structure. Finally, I name how engaging with and in TVY has impacted my evolution as a TVY practitioner.Item The mediating effects of rapid automatized naming on children's inattention symptoms and word-reading ability(2011-05) Smith, Stephen William, 1981-; Keith, Timothy, 1952-; Carlson, Cindy; Nussbaum, Nancy; Sander, Janay; Tucker, DavidAttention Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) and Reading Disability (RD) are among the most common childhood disorders (American Psychiatric Association, 2000) and co-occur significantly more frequently than expected by chance (Dykman & Ackerman, 1991; Semrud-Clikeman et al., 1992). Similar processing deficits are seen in children with ADHD and children with RD, one of which is rapid automatized naming (RAN) (Denckla & Cutting, 1999). These continuous performance tasks require quick naming of visually represented stimuli. Uncertainty about what RAN actually measures, however, makes drawing conclusions about relations to ADHD and RD difficult (Tannock, 1998). By better understanding the cognitive processes involved in RAN, and how those processes relate to ADHD and RD symptoms, the relations among RAN, ADHD, and RD might be better understood. The current study sought to identify variables that would help explain ADHD and RD children’s difficulty with RAN. Five fundamental, neurocognitive skills were hypothesized to be related to RAN performance, ADHD, and reading disability. The effect of children’s phonological awareness, processing speed, working memory, fine-motor speed, and reaction time on their RAN performances was measured. The extent to which these same variables were related to inattention symptoms severity and word-reading ability was also assessed. Finally, the extent to which RAN mediated the effects of neurocognitive skills on inattention symptoms and word-reading ability was measured. By simultaneously measuring the hypothesized relations among variables, the processing deficits responsible for ADHD and RD children’s problems on RAN may be revealed. Structural equation modeling was used to analyze assessment data (i.e., neurocognitive, RAN, and word-reading performance scores; parent-report of inattention symptoms) of 183 children who received neuropsychological evaluations. Results indicated the following significant direct effects: phonological awareness and working memory on word-reading ability, processing speed and working memory on RAN, and RAN on word-reading ability. A possible significant mediation effect of processing speed on word-reading ability through RAN was also shown. Significant effects of study variables on inattention symptoms were not shown, which limited conclusions about RAN’s relation to ADHD. Results are of practical importance in RD assessment because the relation between RAN and word-reading ability was shown to involve processes beyond phonology.Item Micropolitics of parent-school interactions in an early childhood education setting(2012-05) Cheng, Shan-Shan; Reifel, Robert Stuart; Adair, Jennifer K.; Briley, Sandra L.; Brown, Christopher P.; Parker, RandallThe purpose of this study was to explore parent-school interactions in an early childhood education setting from a micropolitical perspective. Relying on the interpretivist perspective, a case study was undertaken as the methodology for exploring the interests, conflicts, strategies, and the patterns of interactions between parents, teachers, and administrators. This research was conducted in a private non-profit community-based early childhood development center in central Texas. Data were gathered through interviews, observations, the school documents collection, and field notes. The researcher first portrayed a general image of parent-school interactions at the research setting, the Big Bend Child Development Center (BBCDC). The BBCDC created an open and friendly environment for children and their parents based on the center’s philosophy and the Developmentally Appropriated Practice guidelines. Most of the parent-school interactions happened in informal arenas. Administrators and teachers provided different ways to get parents involved, and daily communication played an important role in building relationships within the BBCDC. Moreover, parents actively got themselves involved. Under the context of the BBCDC, parents’ school choice, the non-deficit discourse, and the process of socialization helped to reduce tension between parents, teachers, and administrators. Three groups of participants developed their own strategies of working with each other. Two types of strategies were found, including day-to-day strategies and facing-conflict strategies. All the day-to-day strategies were also used during the process of managing conflicts. The day-to-day strategies were “preparatory strategies” (Malen & Cochran, 2008), which were employed to accumulate resources that might be converted to influence at a later time. By analyzing the strategies, the researcher found that relationships, information, and authority were all resources of power which these three groups of participants gave every effort to gain. Four patterns of politics were found in this study, including operating cooperation, facing conflict, preventing conflict, and suppressing conflict. The important roles of administrators and daily communication on the micropolitics of parent-school interactions were discussed. Based on the findings, the researcher suggested implications for early childhood education administrators, for early childhood education research from a micropolitical perspective, and for future research.Item The preschool and kindergarten classrooms of children from Latino/a language minority families(2013-08) Ramos, Aida Isela; Crosnoe, RobertEducational policy increasingly prioritizes early intervention and enrichment for children from historically disadvantaged populations, and this push is relevant to Latino/a children, especially those from language minority families. Beyond increasing the enrollment of such children in early education programs, the highly variable nature of the programs serving them has been a concern. To address this concern, this dissertation provides a picture of the instructional settings of children from Latino/a language minority families. Following a mixed methods strategy, statistical analyses of national data provide an overview of the intensity of reading and math instructional practices in preschool and kindergarten classrooms serving children from Latino/a language minority families, and then qualitative analyses of local data parse out the interactional quality of instruction in primarily Spanish-speaking classrooms as well as the challenges teachers faced in their instructional mission. Findings revealed that, although children from Latino/a language minority families appeared to be advantaged in terms of frequencies of many instructional practices at the national level, they appeared to be at a disadvantage in terms of instructional quality at the local level, possibly reflecting teachers' perceptions that issues of language and literacy, the socioeconomic background of students, and difficulties connecting to parents complicated their instructional abilitiesItem A qualitative case study : an in-service pre kindergarten teacher's perceptions and teaching experience with culturally and linguistically diverse children and families(2011-05) Lee, Hyun Ju; Reifel, Robert Stuart; Brown, Christopher P.; Palmer, Deborah K.; Salinas, Cynthia S.; Schallert, Diane L.This study explores a teacher’s perceptions and teaching practice with culturally and linguistically diverse children and families. A qualitative case study, it follows one in-service pre-kindergarten teacher at a public school. To provide rationales of the study, the researcher adopt culturally responsive teaching, funds of knowledge, developmentally appropriate practice, anti-bias multicultural education and English as a second language learning theories as the conceptual framework. Data were collected through formal interviews, informal conversations, and observations and analyzed using the constant-comparative method. The findings display the results of the study in three aspects: creating a cohesive multicultural community, helping culturally and linguistically diverse children’s English development utilizing their home languages and cultures, and establishing reciprocal relationships with those families. The study finds that a cohesive multicultural community can be created by building caring relationships among community members, by reflecting the children’s cultural and linguistic backgrounds in teaching practice and by practicing anti-bias multicultural education. This study shows the ways of helping the children’s English development according to five themes: understanding the children’s different English abilities, creating a class environment reflecting the children’s home languages and cultures, matching language mates, collaborating with bilingual teachers, and utilizing children as the language experts. This study also finds that reciprocal relationships with culturally and linguistically diverse families can be established by understanding diverse families’ backgrounds, by increasing cross-cultural communications, and by utilizing family resources in her teaching practice. This study reveals that the children’s learning experience can be enhanced when integrating their cultural and linguistic knowledge into class learning. The presented examples and descriptions in this study demonstrates the explicit and practical ways of how teachers can cultivate the children’s cultural and linguistic knowledge base, reflect this knowledge base in their class learning, help the children’s English development, and establish reciprocal relationships with families from culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds. Thus, this study will be a source of detailed practical information for teachers, teachers’ educators, and educational administrators in early childhood education.