The purpose of this study was to examine the effects of e-mail specific performance feedback (ESPF) on increasing the quantity and quality of pre-school teacher behavior specific praise (BSP) using a multiple probe design across 4 general education pre-school classrooms which included students with and without disabilities. Researchers also wanted to examine the effects of the teacher’s BSP on student’s task engagement during class activities. Results indicated a functional relation between ESPF and increasing the quantity and quality of BSP statements. Results also indicated that increased quantity and quality of BSP statements increased average task engagement across all student participants.

The purpose of this study was to investigate if early childhood educators could reliably score items using a new scoring system for the Assessment, Evaluation, and Programming System for Infants and Children (AEPS; Bricker, 2002). The participants were university students completing their certification in Interdisciplinary Early Childhood Education (IECE) at the University of Kentucky (UK). The six participants completed training on implementing the AEPS and administered the AEPS to measure child outcomes. The results of this study validated the new scoring system for the AEPS by illustrating that the participants could reliably score a curriculum based assessment.

This study determined the effectiveness of using picture activity schedules with preschoolers who exhibited disruptive behaviors in an inclusive setting during transition times in a public preschool. The participants in this study were three male and one female student, ages 3 years to 5 years, who were enrolled in an inclusive public preschool. All children are Caucasian. Three of the children had an individualized education plan including goals for speech and social-emotional concerns. One child was typically developing and did not have an individualized education plan. The study method used a single-subject withdrawal design (ABAB). The results confirmed that the use of picture activity schedules decreased the mean duration of transitions and the duration returned to pre-intervention levels when picture activity schedules were removed for two of the four children.

As technology and our world understanding develop, we will need citizens who are able to ask and answer questions that have not been thought of yet. Currently, high school and college graduates entering the workforce demonstrate a gap in their ability to develop unique solutions and fill the current technology-driven jobs. To address this gap, science needs to be prioritized early in children's lives. The focus of this research was to analyze a science training program that would help pre-school teachers better understand Mind in the Making life skills, the nature of science, science practices, and improve their self-efficacy integrating science education into their classrooms and curriculum. Seventy-one teachers enrolled in two three-day, professional development trainings that were conducted over three, five-hour sessions approximately one month apart. During that training the teachers learned hands-on activities for young children that introduced life and physical science content. They were also given the task of developing and implementing a science-based lesson for their students and then analyzing it with other participants. The information from the lesson plans was collected for analysis. After the last training the teachers were given a pre/post retrospective survey to measure effective outcomes. The results from the lesson plans and surveys indicate that the trainings helped improve the teachers' understanding of Mind in the Making, the nature of science, and science practices. The results also show that the teachers felt more comfortable integrating science education into their classrooms and curriculum.

The diploma thesis is about education and integration of children - foreigners in the field of pre-school education. This thesis specifies the specifics of working with these children in standard kindergarten. The goal of this work is to find forms, methods and ways how to work with children - foreigners before starting compulsory schooling. The thesis is divided into theoretical and practical part. In the theoretical part the thesis clarifies the work and basic terminology, which includes a comparison of the terms child - foreigner and child with a different mother tongue. Furthermore, the thesis covers topics as communication, education, integration of children - foreigners into the environment of standard kindergartens and describes forms and methods of working with them. Within the practical part dominates a research focused on finding methods and forms of working with children - foreigners in pre-school facilities. This research was conducted in a selected kindergarten and it is based on research questions which were set. Data collection was conducted in the way of observation of kindergarten classes and interviews with school staff. Gathered data helped to find the answers to the research questions. These answers became the baseline for the evaluation. The conclusion of the thesis is an...

This study was conducted to comparatively examine child specific expulsion rates and parent satisfaction of children who received early childhood mental health consultation (ECMHC) services delivered in 2 states for the 2012 program year: Maryland (unlicensed) and Delaware (licensed) . This current study examined secondary data to determine whether unlicensed (Maryland) ECMHC professionals are equally or more effective than licensed (Delaware) ECMHC professionals. Of the total number of child specific consultations or cases referred for services in Maryland (unlicensed), N = 370, n = 266 children avoided expulsion and were able to remain at their childcare placements while n = 17 children were expulsed. Of the total number of child specific consultations or cases referred for services in Delaware (licensed), N = 135, n = 119 children were able to remain in their childcare placements while n = 3 children were expulsed. The results of this study revealed that there is no statistically significant difference in expulsion rates between Unlicensed (Maryland) professionals and Licensed (Delaware) professionals. Results suggest that licensure status of ECMHC professionals has no affect on expulsion rate outcomes and should receive further examination. Additionally, results could support policy changes that could lead to a national credentialing process that would address the current gap in ECMHC services due to the shortage of qualified ECMHC professionals. This study was unable to determine the outcome of parent satisfaction due to missing data. Future direction should include replication using a mixed longitudinal study.

Inclusion classrooms were introduced in the United States in 1990 when the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act required that special education students be instructed in a general education setting. Ensuing changes in instructional formats have caused role confusion for special and general education teachers, resulted in mixed attitudes toward teacher responsibilities, and lowered teachers' sense of efficacy about being able to teach their students. Guided by Deci and Ryan's self-determination theory, this bounded case study design in a rural elementary school in a southeastern state was used to understand the perceptions of general and special educators regarding their work in inclusive co teaching environments and how their perceptions influenced teaching methods and student learning in the inclusion classroom. Data collection consisted of interviews and observations with a purposeful sample of 8 general and 3 special education teachers, grades 3-5, who had participated in co-teaching during the past 2 years. Data were coded and 6 themes were found. Themes that emerged included teachers' needs for collaboration, shared responsibilities, common planning time, and professional development. Other themes involved understandings of teacher attitudes toward co teaching, the components of student success, and the basis for administrative decisions. A professional development project based on the findings was designed to address needs, attitudes, and understandings of special and general education teachers in inclusive classroom settings. This project may foster positive social change by providing a vehicle to assist general education and special education teachers so that they can work together with confidence and cooperation to enhance learning for all students, regardless of their abilities.

In the southwest region of Tennessee, a local Head Start program classroom assessment scoring system's (CLASS) scores fell in the lowest 10% among national Head Start programs in emotional and instructional support. Since 2012, the Office of Head Start has released reports showing that the average Head Start program has low performance CLASS emotional and instructional support scores. The purpose of this exploratory case study was to investigate the professional development of local Head Start teachers with low CLASS scores in emotional and instructional support. Knowles's adult learning theory of andragogy was the overall conceptual framework and the concentrated theory of this study was Mezirow's transformative learning theory. The key research question focused on how the professional development of Head Start teachers contributed to successful CLASS scores in emotional and instructional support as perceived by Head Start education specialists and teachers. Data collection methods included observations, previous CLASS scores, 2 focus group interviews of 5 teachers, and 1 focus group interview of 4 education specialists. NVivo 10 was used in detecting trends, ideas, and displaying connections from which the themes of coaching, mentoring, individual learning plans, and observations emerged. Findings showed that although viable professional development strategies were used, learning transfer activities were unsubstantiated. A professional development program was created to increase learning transfer into the classroom. An implication for positive social change could result in achieving maximum emotional and instructional CLASS scores in the Head Start community, providing the highest quality of services recognized by the Head Start Office.

Recent legislative actions requiring schools in the local school system to increase the percentage of students served in the inclusion classroom has led to teachers having difficulty in implementing inclusion best practices. Using Vygotsky's social theory, the purpose of this case study was to examine teachers' understanding, knowledge, and perceptions of inclusive teaching strategies. The research questions were used to explore the teachers' understanding of inclusion, perceived effectiveness of strategies, and the resources that teachers feel are necessary to implement inclusion strategies. A purposeful sample of 10 teachers currently teaching in an inclusion setting were interviewed face-to-face using semistructured questions. The interview transcripts were coded for common themes. Some of the themes included a lack of training and a need for a better understanding of coteaching roles. Findings indicate that the teachers believe inclusion to be worthwhile, but challenging. The findings also indicate a need for more professional development and training on inclusion strategies. Using the findings, a 3-day professional course was designed to address the teachers' needs. This study will provide administrators with a greater understanding of the professional learning needs of the teachers. It has the potential to bring about positive social change in many ways, including better-prepared teachers, leading to more effective teaching practices and greater self-efficacy. Also, this project has the potential to reap many benefits for the county's students with disabilities population, by providing them with more suitable educational opportunities.

An increasing number of infants are diagnosed with neonatal abstinence syndrome (NAS) as a result of prenatal opioid exposure. Early intervention services are recommended for this population of children and families to mitigate developmental delays associated with NAS. The effectiveness of early intervention is dependent on the ability of interventionists who deliver these services. The purpose of this qualitative case study was to explore early interventionists' perspectives of self-efficacy when working with infants diagnosed with NAS and their families. Bandura's self-efficacy theory and Rotter's concept of locus of control provided the conceptual framework for this study. The study's guiding research questions focused on early interventionists' self-efficacy beliefs and factors that may affect those beliefs in their work with infants diagnosed with NAS and their families. Data were collected via semistructured interviews with 8 interventionists. Themes emerged from both in vivo and a priori coding pertaining to interventionists' self-efficacy beliefs working with the NAS population. Most interventionists in this study reported feeling highly efficacious in their work with infants with NAS and their families despite a lack of applicable educational and professional preparation. Interventionists attributed their professional efficacy to their own self-study, experience, and motivation to learn. Interventionists agreed that training specific to their work with NAS may improve their ability and self-efficacy in their work with infants with NAS and their families. Targeted training to increase interventionists' self-efficacy in their work with infants diagnosed with NAS and their families may result in increased effectiveness of intervention services and lead to lifelong positive outcomes for these vulnerable children.