The influx of women of childbearing age into the labor force, family dynamics of dual working parents as a result of economic factors, and weakening of extended family supports have increased demand for early childhood care and education programs in Nigeria. Consequently, a problem emerged in increased enrollment in ECCE programs that are deficient in terms of structural and process factors of child-caregiver ratio, group size, staff qualifications, health and safety practices, curriculum implementation, and parental engagement. The purpose of this study was to explore the factors that influenced parents' in their decision process for ECCE placement for their children aged 6 months to 1 year in Asaba education zone of Delta State, Nigeria. Epistemological constructivism was employed as the conceptual framework for this inquiry. A qualitative design together with one-on-one interviews of 9 parents of children enrolled in selected public, mission, and private ECCE programs were employed to answer four research questions on parents' decision making for ECCE selection. The resulting data were analyzed using both a priori and open coding to generate themes and patterns. The study revealed that parents relied on personal priorities over quality indicators. This study may contribute to social change by providing policymakers and other stakeholders with information on factors parents consider in their selection of ECCE programs, including factors that incline parents to choose quality-deficient programs. This information may lead to program improvements that increase enrollment of children into quality programs, reduce gaps in achievement and opportunity between the low and middle-income groups, and enhance social equity and success for children enrolled ECCE programs.

Administrators and teachers are concerned that English Language Learners (ELLs) in an urban elementary school in a southern part of the United States are not meeting required state standards in reading. Teachers have indicated that they do not always know how to differentiate instruction for ELLs. The purpose of this qualitative case study was to investigate teachers' implementation of differentiated instruction for ELLs. This research study was guided by the conceptual framework of Vygotsky's zone of proximal development and Tomlinson's theory of implementing differentiated instruction. The research questions investigated teachers' perceptions of differentiated instruction and their professional development for mediating instruction for ELLs. Six teachers from Grades 1 to 3 who teach ELLs with limited English-speaking ability and 2 ELL teachers participated in the study. Data were collected from transcribed interviews, open-ended surveys, and lesson plans. Inductive analysis was used to identify themes and commonalities within the collected data. The major themes included that differentiation is crucial for ELL instruction, teachers use varied instructional strategies to meet ELLs' individual needs, and teachers want purposeful and relevant professional development to meet ELLs' academic needs. The findings indicated a need for a professional development that include a systematic approach to differentiated instructional strategies to improve academic achievement for ELLs. A 3-day professional development was designed. The findings of this study and professional development may contribute to positive social change by increasing teachers' use of instructional strategies that align with the district's guidelines to improve learning and achievement for ELLs.

Children's undeveloped social, emotional, and behavioral skills have long been a concern in early childhood classrooms. Numerous studies have illuminated how therapy dogs in pedagogical settings support children's holistic development, yet there is scant data on the integration of therapy dogs into the early childhood classroom. This study was guided by the progressive education theory and the concept of the human-animal bond, which collectively lay the foundation for how young children develop critical life skills in the presence of a therapy dog. A qualitative collective case study was used to examine how 3 early childhood educators used therapy dogs and viewed the support these dogs provide for the social, emotional, and behavioral development of children. Two educators from three Indiana public schools and 1 educator from an Indiana independent early education program participated in semi-structured interviews on their use of therapy animals in early childhood classrooms. Classroom observations, children's artifacts, and researcher field notes were used to triangulate the data. A within-case analysis was conducted for each site, followed by a cross-case analysis for comparisons and generalizations. Three themes resulted: a therapy dog (a) is an innovative teaching tool; (b) supports children's social, emotional, and behavioral development; and (c) enhances children's experiences. It is expected that these findings may give program administrators and early childhood educators the mechanics of effective therapy dog practices. Knowing the mechanics of therapy dog usage in the classroom and understanding the potential outcomes for young children, administrators and educators could build on this process, develop a more effective plan for their own program, or opt out of a therapy dog program entirely.

Teacher perspectives and judgments of students' race and gender are known to influence their assessment of primary and secondary students' academic achievements. However, little is known about the effect on children's academic achievement of preschool teacher perspectives and judgments of students' race and gender, which forms the basis for this study. The purpose of this study was to analyze teacher assessment of preschool children's mathematics and science skills on the Desired Results Developmental Profile (DRDP) and Teacher Strategies GOLD (TSG), along with teacher comments written in preparation for each child's parent-teacher conference, to determine if there was a relationship between preschool teachers' assessment and comments and the race and gender of the child. Wason's theory of confirmation bias formed the theoretical foundation of this study. The research questions addressed the relationship between preschool teacher assessments recorded on the DRDP and TSG regarding children's mathematics and science skill and teacher comments coded from Racasens linguistic model and those children's race and gender. Archival data from 2 Head Start centers in a western and southwestern state were analyzed using the Mann-Whitney U test, and the point-biserial Pearson correlation. The Mann-Whitney U test found no statistically significant differences in DRDP and TSG scores by students' race and gender. The point-biserial Pearson correlation found no statistically significant correlation between race or gender and teacher comments. This study contributes to positive social change by confirming observational assessments to be free from teacher bias, supporting their continued use with preschool children to promote their learning and development.

This case study explored early childhood practitioners' response to government mandates for increased professionalism in Trinidad and Tobago; the impact of mandates on their personal and professional lives; and their conceptions of professionalism. The study addressed government concerns about lack of professionalism in Early Childhood Care and Education; informed policymakers of the myriad challenges therein; and included practitioners' voices in international discourse on professionalism. Change theory, systems thinking, and voice elicitation formed the conceptual framework for understanding changes needed to increase professionalism in the sector. The meaning of professionalism as defined in mandates; difference between practitioners and officials' definitions of professionalism; practitioners' view on the impacts of mandates; and how those impacts should be addressed were explained. Data were collected in interviews, focus groups, activity plans and journals from 12 practitioners; and from the national standards, curriculum guide, and schools' code of conduct. Discourse and content analysis were employed to identify patterns and themes in the data. Key findings were that mandates had more negative than positive impacts; children were under served; teachers frustrated and confused by impractical demands; and some administrators lacked content knowledge and leadership skills. Government officials, practitioners, and stakeholders need to dialogue to resolve problems illuminated by this study. Revision of legislative documents, fiscal adjustments for Trinidad and Tobago, continuous professional development, ongoing research, and national sensitization of practitioners' role will yield a better understanding of early childhood care and education, the catalyst for nationwide social change.

High quality prekindergarten programs that provide students with core academic skills have been found to increase subsequent student reading achievement. However, students across the United States continue to show deficiencies in reading skills, a problem which may stem from a lack of participation in early childhood education. The study district offered a prekindergarten program, but the impact on later reading achievement was unknown. The purpose of this quantitative study was to examine the effects of a prekindergarten program on the subsequent reading skills of kindergarten students. The constructivist learning theories of Whitehurst, Lonigan, Piaget, and Vygotsky provided foundation. Research questions focused on the difference in early literacy skills between kindergarteners who attended the district's public prekindergarten program (n = 64) with students who did not participate (n = 64). Scores on the Dynamic Indicators of Basic Early Literacy Skills (DIBELS) were compared using repeated measure analysis of variance at the beginning, middle, and end of the school year for those students who participated in a Pre-K program and those students who did not. Statistically significant findings revealed that participation in the public prekindergarten program yielded greater early literacy skills for kindergarteners when compared to those children who were not enrolled. The positive social change implications included providing local data on the reading achievement outcomes of students attending prekindergarten. The study findings will be useful to school administrators, teachers, and parents when making decisions on prekindergarten program availability and attendance.

The focus of this research study was on the experiences and perceptions of Mandarin Chinese teachers who used technologies and innovative instructional methods to teach second language skills to young learners. The conceptual framework drew on 3 theories: (a) Vygotsky’s sociocultural learning theory, (b) Schӧn’s action theory, and (c) Mishra and Koehler’s technological pedagogical content knowledge (TPACK). The research questions focused on the experiences of early childhood teachers integrating TPACK to teach Mandarin Chinese and how do early childhood teachers perceive the use of instructional methods to teach Mandarin Chinese. Purposeful sampling was used to identify 8 Mandarin Chinese language teachers who taught Mandarin Chinese to students in preschool through 3rd grade. Data were collected through semistructured interviews, a questionnaire centered on TPACK, and a reflective journal entry. The data were analyzed through thematic inductive analysis using cross-case analysis to identify codes, patterns, and emerging themes that explored the teacher’s experiences. The overall findings in this study indicated that teachers experienced positive outcomes integrating technology, pedagogy, and content knowledge in the early childhood language learning classroom. The finding has the potential for social change by increasing technological and instructional resources and materials in early childhood language learning classrooms and providing on-going professional development for Mandarin Chinese language teachers in American schools.

English language learners (ELLs) at a public elementary school in the southeastern United States had not been passing state tests on literacy. Researchers have found that teachers must be adequately prepared to use instructional practices in mainstream classrooms to help ELLs increase language acquisition and pass state tests in literacy. The purpose of this case study was to examine the experiences of Grade 3 literacy teachers teaching ELLs in a mainstream classroom at the study elementary school in order to understand their instructional challenges. The conceptual framework was based on Bandura's social cognitive theory in order to understand how these teachers might improve their instructional practices. A purposive sampling technique was used to identify potential participants. Data were collected through individual semistructured interviews with 4 Grade 3 literacy teachers teaching ELLs. Data were analyzed using open coding and thematic analysis to identify emergent themes. The themes identified were inadequate professional development, lack of support at school, and lack of parental support impacting language acquisition of ELLs. Findings of this study can be used by school administrators, curriculum planning educators, and area superintendents to make decisions regarding the training of literacy teachers who teach ELLs. Based on findings from the study, a professional development program was developed for literacy teachers who teach ELLs to help them prepare students to graduate from high school. Implications for positive social change include providing strategies for literacy teachers at the study site to help ELLs pass standardized tests.

The purpose of this study was to examine the perceptions of preservice students completing their associate’s degree (AS) in early childhood education (ECE). My intent was to discover, from the preservice teacher’s perspective, what skills and knowledge preservice students consider necessary to teach young children. I was also interested in how they viewed their professional preparation at the completion of their AS program. The methods included participant interviews, documents and assignments completed by students, and program contextual data (faculty focus group and program documents). Seven themes were identified that represented the student’s perceptions of the skills and knowledge needed for working with young children (child development, learning environment, guidance, curriculum, teaching, assessment and experiences with children). All students reported the development of knowledge and skills through their participation in the ECE program. Each of these themes identified student support and belief in the philosophy of developmentally appropriate practices. Three themes were identified that supported the overall perception of their professional development (reflection, National Association for the Education of Young Children [NAEYC] New Teacher Standards, becoming a professional). All preservice students identified development of professional skills, and reported increased confidence in their preparation to be early childhood classroom teachers. All identified NAEYC New Teacher Standards as part of their professional development and understanding. This study provides the perspective of the AS degree seeking ECE preservice student. Little research is available on 2-year students. Further research in this area would aid in understanding and preparing teachers who are likely to work with the youngest in our society.

Functional analysis has proven to be an effective way of determining the function of problem behaviors. However, this process can consume a great deal of time and resources. Also, the majority of analyses are conducted with subjects greater than six years of age with unfamiliar persons conducting the analysis. Therefore, there is a need to examine a method that will expend less time and resources, and to determine if this new method will be effective with subjects in an early childhood setting. The current study examines the ability of classroom teachers to conduct a trial-based functional analysis within an early childhood classroom. Results suggest that trial-based functional analysis conducted by classroom teachers is effective in early childhood settings. The study's findings also suggest that a function-based intervention may effectively reduce problem behaviors for preschoolers.