Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Hong Kong, 2009. / Includes bibliographical references (p. 243-280) Also available in print.

Thesis (M.Ed.)--University of Hong Kong, 1997. / Includes bibliographical references (leaves 70-73). Also available in print.

Many children in the United States cannot read on level by fourth grade. Traditionally, teachers have delayed reading instruction until first grade. However, involving children sooner in literary activities may provide skills needed to enable them to read on grade level. The purpose for this study was to determine the extent to which daily writing in kindergarten influences the development of invented spelling and learning to read. Five teachers modeled writing with 78 kindergarten children who wrote every day or almost every day for 20 weeks. There were 51 children in an experimental group, and 27 in a control group who were given a pretest and a posttest using the Observation Study (Clay, 1993). Results from a mixed model ANOVA indicated a significant difference between the control group and the experimental group on the Dictation Task F (1, 76) = 11.76, P≤ .001 and the Writing Test F (1, 76) = 4.33, P≤ .01. Results from a z-Test of dependent proportions indicated there were significant differences in the reading levels of the control group from the pretest to the posttest (z = 7.51, P ≥ .05) because (z = 7.51, Zcv = 1.96). The experimental group results from pretest to posttest were also statistically significant (z = 6.48, P ≥ .05) because (z = 6.48, Zcv = 1.96). At the end of kindergarten 82.35% of the experimental group was reading, while only 48.15% of the control group was reading. This research indicates that if kindergarten children are encouraged to write daily and use invented spelling there is a greater possibility they will enter first grade reading.

This study is the result of an examination student social skills conducted at two elementary schools to determine kindergarten necessity.

Throughout the United States, state governments are allocating millions of dollars to support Voluntary Pre-Kindergarten (VPK) programs. Recent research has indicated that students that participate in VPK demonstrate higher academic achievement scores across a number of subject areas. Moreover, VPK participants are more likely to enter primary school on grade level, which in turn leads to a reduction in grade retention. Studies have indicated that although all students that participate in VPK programs benefit from such programs, minority students and students that come from low-socioeconomic backgrounds benefit at an even higher level. The intent of this study was to determine to what extent, if any, a VPK program within a large, suburban school district impacted the academic achievement and kindergarten preparedness of participants in comparison to students that did not participate in the VPK program offered by the district. To measure the impact, student scores on the 2006-2007 Florida Kindergarten Readiness Screener (FLKRS) were compared through the use of an independent samples t-test. The same students had their 3rd grade Florida Comprehensive Assessment Test (FCAT) Reading and Mathematics scored compared as well. Two groups were compared against one another. The control group was a group of students that did not participate in the VPK offered by the school district. The treatment group was the group of students that participated in the district offered VPK. The results of each of the independent sample t-tests conducted determined that there was not a statistically significant different in either student preparedness or student academic achievement between the VPK participant group and the non-participant group.

No description available.

School readiness is a prominent issue in early childhood education as adults strive to prepare young children for school. The desirability of school readiness lies within the notion that if children enter kindergarten prepared, then they will be successful throughout their schooling. However, school readiness is a complex concept. It is perceived differently by parents, teachers, policy makers, and researchers. Nationally, children are the only stakeholders whose voices are ignored in the discussions of school readiness. Based on three frameworks, that children are active agents in their experiences, that children have the right to be heard, and that children should not be silenced by traditional research practices, this dissertation proposed that children could participate in research to express their views about being ready for school. Since the central argument for school readiness is that children who enter school prepared will be successful later in school, it was imperative to determine how children’s views on school readiness were linked to later school-related outcomes. Therefore, this dissertation also sought children’s perceptions of their adjustment to school (i.e. their attitudes toward school). In a two-part study, 36 kindergartners from Southern Arizona participated in interviews, activities, and a survey to discuss their perceptions of being ready for school in the beginning of kindergarten and their attitudes toward school at the end of kindergarten. Participants consistently revealed that they needed to create positive peer relationships and that they needed to comply with institutional demands (rules, routines, and tasks) in order to be ready for and succeed in school. In addition, participants revealed three influential factors that affected their attitudes toward school: types of activities (academic versus extracurricular), play, and peer relationships. Participants who didn't like academic activities, who didn’t view school as a place for play, and who had fewer peer relationships struggled with adjusting to school and reported low school liking. Finally, a qualitative analysis was conducted to investigate trends that emerged between kindergarteners' perceptions of school readiness at the beginning of the year and their attitudes toward school at the end of the school year. School readiness perceptions that were centered on the rules, routines, and tasks (work) of school were related to less positive attitudes toward school and perceptions centered on knowledge/skills (learning) and prosocial behaviors were related to more positive attitudes toward school. These patterns suggest that students will enjoy school if they perceive school to be intellectually and socially empowering rather than institutionally limiting. These findings confirm that young children have unique insights of school readiness and what they need to succeed in school. Additionally, their early perceptions of school readiness are related to their later attitudes toward school suggesting that these views should be given due weight. In order for these views to be given due weight, adults should consider how to incorporate children's perspectives regarding school readiness into educational practices and policies. Children's perspectives provide insight into the experiences and challenges of being a new student. Only by listening to children can adults identify how to support and prepare children for success in school.

Media is now a part of the early childhood world. In many countries, including industrialized and developing countries, children spend more time consuming various kinds of media. The impact of media on children's perception of their body images has been and continues to be a concern of parents and early childhood professionals. This research examined the influence of Disney movies on Thai kindergarten girls' body images and self-esteem. Thai kindergarten girls completed three measures of body self-image: the Body Figure Preference Scale, the Body Esteem Scale, and the Self-Esteem Scale. The girl participants were randomly assigned to two groups: focused on a female theme (FFT) and focused on a non-human theme (FNT). The experimental group viewed "female" Disney movie themes, while the control group viewed "animal" Disney movie themes. Girls in the experimental group expressed greater body image dissatisfaction scores after watching Disney movies, which was an expected finding. Results from the present study suggest that girls in both groups become concerned about their body esteem after video exposure. However, there was no significant difference in self-esteem between girls in FFT and FNT. In summary, the findings of this study support the belief that Disney movies influence young girls' perceptions of their body image, and they have an awareness of their body size. It can be concluded that Disney movies have an influence on Thai girls' body image dissatisfaction and body esteem. The results also indicated that Thai girls are not totally aware of the influence of Disney media on their self-esteem. Understanding how Disney movies, in particular, and other media, in general, influence young children, especially girls, can encourage parents and educators to identify risk factors associated with children's body image dissatisfaction and low self-esteem.

This dissertation study examined the predictive validity of alphabetic knowledge and phonemic awareness assessments on word reading fluency. The participants were approximately 900 kindergarten students from a suburban school district in Oregon. The study used extant curriculum-based measure (CBM) reading assessment data collected during the 2013-2014 school year to examine the predictive validity of measures of letter naming fluency (LN), letter sound fluency (LS), and phoneme segmentation fluency (PS) on word reading fluency (WRF). Linear regression was employed to examine the amount of variance that early reading skills (LN, LS, and PS), measured during the fall and winter, explained in WRF measured in the spring of kindergarten. The relation of non-performance demographic data to student spring WRF was also examined. Results of this research are intended to inform practitioners implementing early reading instruction and interventions through an equity lens.

This study aimed to investigate the attitudes, knowledge, and practices of Kuwaiti kindergarten teachers regarding their leadership roles in the classroom and schools within the State of Kuwait. This study was conducted using a mixed methods research design whereby both quantitative and qualitative data were collected and analyzed simultaneously. The qualitative sample included 56 kindergarten teachers and twelve heads of departments selected from 12 kindergarten schools from all six school districts in the State of Kuwait. The quantitative sample included 560 volunteer participants who completed a survey that measures teachers’ values, practices, and their perspectives on school culture regarding teacher leadership. ANOVA was used to analyze the differences among school district location, years of teaching experience, and teacher’s education level. The findings suggested that there were no statistically significant correlations among teachers’ beliefs regarding teacher leadership and school location, years of experience, and education level. Also, there were no statistically significant correlations between teacher leadership practices and school location, years of experience, and education level. There were significant correlations between school climate conducive to teacher leadership and years of experience, without school location and education level. Moreover, the concept of teacher leadership was ambiguous in Kuwaiti kindergarten schools. There were some indications of opportunity for teacher leadership roles, but those roles were not considered effective by participants. Teacher participants believe that their roles are restricted, and this perspective was supported in part by the heads of department. Teachers enumerated some hindrances to teacher leadership, such as instability of ministry supervisors’ decisions; top-down, unilateral decision-making; and school administrations’ tight control of teachers’ roles to the level of organizing and running classrooms. Broader implementation of Kuwaiti school restructuring efforts employing a distributed leadership model among formal and informal leadership roles and positions is recommended to help improve quality of education, the teaching profession, and school reform. In the end, the most significant benefit would be gained by students. / Includes bibliography. / Dissertation (Ph.D.)--Florida Atlantic University, 2018. / FAU Electronic Theses and Dissertations Collection