The purpose of this study was to determine if three different tests of phonological awareness: the Comprehensive Test of Phonological Processes (CTOPP) (Wagner, Torgesen, & Rashotte, 1999), The Phonological Awareness Test (PAT) (Robertson & Salter, 1997), and the Pre-Literacy Skills Screening (PLSS) (Crumrine & Lonegan, 1999) measure the same phonological awareness skills (content) in the same manner (procedures) and, whether typically-developing kindergarten-age students perform similarly on each of the tests. Twenty-five kindergarten students consisting of 14 males and 11 females (mean CA of 72.24 months) participated in this study. All participants were attending the second half of kindergarten in a public school in Orlando, Florida. Prior to the administration of the three tools, all participants were administered the Fluharty Preschool Speech and Language Screening Test - Second Edition (Fluharty-2) (Fluharty, 2001) to ensure that no formal speech and/or language assessment was needed. A comparison of the CTOPP, PAT, and PLSS revealed that the PAT and CTOPP produced similar outcomes. That is, participants who performed well on one tool also did well on the other. Results of this study have shown that tasks on these two tools are comparable measures of phonological awareness known to strongly predict future reading ability. However, when the PLSS was compared to either the CTOPP or PAT, similar outcomes were not obtained. Three participants were identified "at risk" for reading disability on the PLSS. No participants were identified "at risk" on either the CTOPP or PAT. Using a standardized battery to identify children "at-risk" for reading failure and planning intervention may be more advantageous than using a screening measure like the PLSS. Even though it will take more time to complete, a comprehensive assessment battery may be of more value to the clinician. A summary, possible limitations of study, and suggestions for future research are discussed.

Early childhood is a time to build the foundational skills that are needed to be a successful learner in primary school. Preschool students in Singapore are expected to be able to write their name and the letters of the alphabet with appropriate speed by the end of kindergarten. However, there is a gap in common standards and handwriting instruction practices among early childhood educators. Teaching handwriting explicitly improves handwriting legibility and fluency, and direct handwriting instruction is especially important for children who are at-risk of challenges in writing and reading. A student’s handwriting fluency and legibility is predicted by teacher competence in providing handwriting instruction. Evidence shows that teachers feel they are insufficiently prepared in teaching handwriting to their students, are not equipped to identify fine-motor delay in children and lack the knowledge to help the children in their class who are struggling to learn to write. The proposed professional development program entitled Handwriting Success for School is a professional development program by occupational therapists for early childhood educators. The program aims to increase the knowledge, confidence and competence of early childhood educators in Singapore to teach handwriting and support children who show difficulties mastering handwriting skills. The content and design of the program is developed following a thorough literature review on effective professional development for teachers. Principles of Adult Learning Theory and Collaborative Consultation model guide the development of the design of the program. When teachers collaborate with occupational therapists in addressing handwriting acquisition and intervention for their preschool students, teachers feel supported to help struggling students. Occupational therapists, with their knowledge and expertise in neurodevelopment and sensory-motor development makes them key professionals in training teachers to teach handwriting. By increasing early childhood educators' understanding of the importance to practice the evidence-based principles of handwriting instruction, it will lead to better student outcomes in their handwriting development at the preschool level.

Bakgrund: Under förskollärarutbildningen har intresset för det estetiska ämnet bild och språkutveckling vuxit fram. Anledningen till intresset är utifrån egna tankar hur de två ämnesområden skulle kunna kombineras för att stärka och stötta barns språkutveckling i förskolan. Utbildningens olika fördjupningskurser och den verksamhetsförlagda utbildningen har erbjudit en stor variation i hur förskollärare kan använda bildskapande undervisning i förskolan för att stötta barns språkutveckling. I utforma av studien har olika sökningar inom tidigare forskning gjorts för att kunna beskriva och få en fördjupad kunskap inom studiens ämnesområden bild och språkutveckling i förskolan. Tidigare forskning har bidragit till en förståelse för hur viktigt utformningen av undervisningen är, för att skapa lärorika lärtillfällen för barn att utvecklas. Förskollärares planering av undervisningstillfällen i förskolan är betydelsefulla för att barn ska gynnas av undervisningens innehåll Whorall (2015, s.123). Forskaren menar att den planerade undervisningens innehåll är av en högre kvalitet än i den oplanerade undervisningen. Lindgren, & Modin (2011, 2 19) menar att en viktig del i arbetet med barns språkutveckling är att främja barns kreativitet, samt att barn ges möjligheter till att prova sig fram. Syfte: Studiens syfte är att skildra om förskollärare arbetar språkutvecklande med det estetiska ämnet bild. Ytterligare något som är av intresse att undersöka förskollärarnas arbetssätt utifrån sociokulturellt perspektiv och hur det visar sig i undervisningen som bedrivs. Metod: Denna studie är genomförd med kvalitativ forskningsmetod. För att få en tydlig bild av hur förskollärare arbetar med bild har observation som metod tillämpats, dessa observationer har varit icke-deltagande observationer. Åtta observationer har genomförts på två olika förskolor. Resultat: Studiens resultat visar att sättet förskollärare arbetar språkutvecklande med bild är individuellt och varierar utifrån ett flertal faktorer. Till dessa faktorer hör barngrupp, plats, planering och kommunikation. Resultatet visar även att bild har stor potential för språkutvecklande undervisning men att man behöver bättre förutsättningar för att på bästa sätt kunna använda sig av den

In dieser Masterarbeit wurde der Frage nachgegangen, wie sich der Ikonizitätsgrad von Bildsymbolen, d.h. die wahrgenommene Ähnlichkeit eines Bildsymbols mit seiner realen Referenz, auf das Symbolverständnis von Kindern im Alter von 4 bis 5 Jahren auswirkt. Konkret wurden drei Ikonizitätsgrade (niedrig, mittel, hoch) und ihre Auswirkungen auf das Erreichen repräsentationaler Einsicht, d.h. der Erkenntnis, dass ein Symbol für etwas anderes als sich selbst steht, untersucht. Diese Frage wurde mit Hilfe eines einfaktoriellen, dreistufigen Between-Subject-Experimentaldesigns untersucht. Als Versuchsaufbau diente eine adaptierte Suchaufgabe, die auf der Arbeit von Judy S. DeLoache basiert. Darüber hinaus wurde der Frage nachgegangen, wie das Erreichen repräsentationaler Einsicht mit anderen kognitiven Fähigkeiten zusammenhängt. Die Ergebnisse zeigten, dass Kinder Schwierigkeiten haben, abstrakte Bildsymbole mit niedrigem Ikonizitätsgrad zu erfassen. Darüber hinaus konnte ein Zusammenhang zwischen dem Erreichen repräsentationaler Einsicht und der medialen Zeichenkompetenz sowie der Fähigkeit zur Metaphernbildung nachgewiesen werden. / This Master’s thesis investigated the question of how the degree of iconicity of picture symbols, i.e. the perceived similarity of a picture symbol with its real reference, affects the symbol understanding of children aged 4 to 5 years. Specifically, three levels of iconicity (low, medium, high) and their effects on the achievement of representational insight, i.e. the recognition that a symbol stands for something other than itself, were investigated. This was investigated with the help of a one-factorial, three-level between-subjects experimental design. The design of the experiment was an adapted object retrieval task based on the work of Judy S. DeLoache. In addition, the question of how the achievement of representational insight is related to other cognitive abilities was investigated. The results showed that children have difficulties in grasping abstract picture symbols with a low degree of iconicity. Furthermore, representational insight was found to be related to media sign literacy and the ability to form metaphors.

This study examined the effects of performance feedback information on parenting practices that contribute to development of vocabulary and pre-literacy skills. Fifty-one dyads of parents and their pre-school aged children were randomly assigned to one of three treatment groups. Group one received full treatment including a workshop and feedback. Group two, designated as the control group, did not receive the feedback portion of the treatment; and group three, designated as a wait list control group, received neither the workshop nor performance feedback. All participating parents were administered a survey of parenting practices that lead to vocabulary and pre-literacy development. Treatment produced significant results for the vocabulary measure; however, the data did not yield a significant result for the cognitive measure. There appeared to be a significant difference between the treatment group and the wait list control group. This difference was not found when comparing the treatment group to the control group, or when comparing the control to the wait list control. Also, feedback was shown to have an effect on only one of the five parenting practices surveyed.

Research on adolescents sense of belonging in schools is plentiful; however, there is an obvious lack of research conducted in early childhood years. Friendship groups have been shown to be impactful in helping students feel like they belong in school. This study explores how kindergarteners talk about friendship in the context of belonging in a two-way immersion school. I pay particular attention to the role primary language plays in developing a sense of belonging and friendships at school. The 19 kindergarteners in this study were interviewed in small linguistically homogenous groups of 2 or 3 students. Each focus group was shown 2 puppets that represented one English-speaking and one Spanish-speaking child. Students were then asked to help each puppet understand what it would be like to be a new student at the school and what they would need to know to fit in. Findings reveal that these students recognize the utility of language for doing schoolwork and fitting into the institution of schooling, but did not highlight the importance of language as a necessary tool for making friends. Students focus on the importance of understanding the social context in order to belong at school. More research is needed regarding how school programs and social context influence the development of friendship.

Research on adolescents sense of belonging in schools is plentiful; however, there is an obvious lack of research conducted in early childhood years. Friendship groups have been shown to be impactful in helping students feel like they belong in school. This study explores how kindergarteners talk about friendship in the context of belonging in a two-way immersion school. I pay particular attention to the role primary language plays in developing a sense of belonging and friendships at school. The 19 kindergarteners in this study were interviewed in small linguistically homogenous groups of 2 or 3 students. Each focus group was shown 2 puppets that represented one English-speaking and one Spanish-speaking child. Students were then asked to help each puppet understand what it would be like to be a new student at the school and what they would need to know to fit in. Findings reveal that these students recognize the utility of language for doing schoolwork and fitting into the institution of schooling, but did not highlight the importance of language as a necessary tool for making friends. Students focus on the importance of understanding the social context in order to belong at school. More research is needed regarding how school programs and social context influence the development of friendship.

The purposes of this study were to identify the teaching concerns expressed in their early years of teaching by the graduates of the Early Childhood Education program in a church related teacher education institution, and to determine the relationship between teaching concerns and the variables of years of teaching experience and grade level taught.

This research study addressed a gap in the literature about the professional characteristics, including license, degree earned, years of experience, and professional development hours, of teachers of prekindergarten students with disabilities (SWDs) in Florida. Using archival data gathered from the Florida Department of Education, this study examined whether statistically significant differences existed in the professional characteristics of prekindergarten (PK) disabilities teachers among school districts implementing prekindergarten inclusion, the education of prekindergarten SWDs in regular early childhood classrooms with their nondisabled peers, which improves the social, language, and cognitive skills of prekindergarten SWDs. In addition, this study analyzed whether there were statistically significant differences in the professional characteristics of PK disabilities teachers among different-sized school districts, as determined by student population, a metric associated with access to qualified teachers. Quantitative methods were used to analyze the variables. Statistically significant differences were found among the prekindergarten inclusion rate groups in the years of experience and professional development hours of PK disabilities teachers but not in the degree earned or license. In addition, statistically significant differences were found among the school district size groups in the years of experience, professional development hours, degree earned, and license of PK disabilities teachers. Information gathered and analyzed in this study may assist state-level administrators, institutes of higher education, and school districts to better understand the levels of education, training, and expertise of the current workforce of prekindergarten disabilities teachers and to tailor training and professional development to the individual needs of PK disabilities teachers in Florida.

Moral development in preschool is a component of social and emotional development, which also includes self-regulation, interpersonal skills, and school readiness. While service-learning has demonstrated significant benefits to the social-emotional development of older students, very little research has examined the effects of service-learning with young children. The purpose of this study was to create an academic curriculum that would provide preschool children (3 to 5 years old) with a developmentally-appropriate approach to service-learning, and determine if such a curriculum had a measurable effect on naturalistic empathy. Children in two classrooms received a preliminary empathy score based on number of empathetic behaviors relative to time observed. Children in the experimental classroom engaged in a series of lesson plans designed to guide their self-selected service-learning project. Participants in the experimental classroom created an intergenerational project that directly served the residents of a nursing home across the street from their school. A subsequent assessment of empathy measured moral development as a result of the service-learning in comparison to the normal growth and development observed in the control classroom. Results indicate if participation in service-learning increases the number of observed empathetic behaviors. Implications and recommendations for further research are also discussed.