An early childhood assessment tool was developed by the author to fill a need for an observational, authentic, child assessment instrument that would include the measurement of social and emotional development, help guide teachers towards best curriculum practices, and meet common criteria for effective, appropriate, and equitable assessment. Theoretical constructs of interactionalism, multiple intelligences, dispositions, and developmentally appropriate practices were used to inform the construction of the tool. In addition, the author hoped to develop a tool that would be effective for use as a Head Start program evaluation research instrument. Research methods involved a representative random sample of 200 children in four early childhood programs in two northwest states and the use of two different surveys, one completed by 15 early childhood experts and one by 114 users of the assessment. The Oregon Assessment was found to be an instrument with an acceptable degree of item, curricula, and construct validity; a high level of test-retest, inter-rater, and internal reliability (coefficient alpha = .879); and an acceptable degree utility. Only one item out of 60 was found to have low item validity, and three other items were rated lower than others (although generally positive) on both item and curricula validity. It was found to have significant but moderate congruent validity with total scores on The McCarthy Scales for Children and The Vineland Adaptive Behavior Scales. Users throughout the U.S. found it generally useful – nearly 87 of respondents agreed or strongly agreed that the results accurately reflect the skills, behaviors, and abilities of their children. The length of time it takes to administer emerged as a concern from some users. Recommendations were made to refine the instrument and user manual and to develop a shorter version. It was found to have great potential use as a research instrument for program evaluation and for promoting best practices in early childhood programs.

The purpose of the study is to contribute to more knowledge about preschool children's knowledge of programming and how they learn to control a robot by programming it. The methods used to investigate the purpose of the study are participatory observations with conversations inspired by open qualitative in- terviews. In the survey, a programming activity with participating children was carried out where a robot in the form of a Blue-Bot is used as a tool in pro- gramming. The children who participated in the study are six five-year-olds, four boys and two girls. The results have shown that the children have an un- derstanding of how to use the Blue-Bot by pressing the buttons. The children use different strategies in the programming depending on how far the Blue-Bot is to be programmed to travel over a grid. For longer and more difficult pro- gramming, the children take support from body parts such as the hand or a finger. Many of the children seek support from the adult in the activity in order to succeed in programming the Blue-Bot to the desired goal. The results of the study show that the children use relevant concepts, but they are not specific to programming. / Syftet med studien är att bidra till mer kunskap om förskolebarns kunskaper kring programmering samt hur de lär sig att styra en robot genom att program- mera den. Metoderna som används för att undersöka studiens syfte är delta- gande observationer med samtal som inspirerades av öppna kvalitativa inter- vjuer. I undersökningen har en programmeringsaktivitet med deltagande barn genomförts där en robot i en form av en Blue-Bot används som verktyg vid programmering. Barnen som deltagit i studien är sex femåringar, varav fyra var pojkar och två var flickor. Resultatet har visat att barnen har förståelse för hur man kan använda Blue-Boten genom att trycka på knapparna. Barnen an- vänder sig av olika strategier vid programmeringen beroende på hur långt Blue-Boten skall programmeras att röra sig över ett rutnät. Vid längre och svå- rare programmering tar barnen stöd av kroppsdelar som handen eller fingret. Många av barnen söker stöttning av den vuxne i aktiviteten för att lyckas pro- grammera Blue-Boten till det önskade målet. Resultatet av studien visar att barnen använder relevanta begrepp, med de är inte specifika för programme- ring.

Denna studie syftar till att se på hur barn tar sig an konstruktionsritningar i jämförelse med fritt byggande i en lekfull gruppmiljö. Tidigare forskning visar skillnad mellan mängden män och kvinnor i tekniska yrken och även män och kvinnors inställning till de tekniska ämnena. Vissa forskare visar också på åldersskillnader mellan hur barn lär sig tekniska ämnen. Tar fyra- och femåringar frivilligt sig an konstruktionsritningar, följer dem och färdigställer de konstruktionen? Studien har särskilt tittat på om det fanns skillnader mellan flickorna och pojkarna när de byggde? Hur påverkar barnens eget intresse hur de bygger? Om barn, fyra och fem år gamla kan följa bygginstruktioner? Resultatet av denna studie, i viss mån, stödjer tidigare forskning om att det finns en genus aspekt redan i förskoleåldern, pojkarna var mer försekomna och hade lättare för att följa lego instruktioner än flickorna, men frågan kvarstår; varför finns denna skillnad? Förutom genusaspekten fanns det också ett tydligt resultat som visade på skillnad i byggkunskap mellan fyraåringar och femåringar. Fyraåringarna utforskade främst byggmaterialet, medan många av femåringarna kunde följa en Legobygginstruktion näst intill perfekt. / This study aims to look at how children approach building instructions compared to free building in a playful group environment. Researchers have found age differences, between how young children learn technical subjects. Other studies show that there are differences between the number of men and women in technical professions and also between men and women’s approach to the technical subjects. This study seeks discover if and how four and five year olds voluntarily use, follow, and complete a building exercise using instructional drawings. The study paid close attention to if girls and boys had different approaches to building; how does the children’s own interests affect the process of building? If children aged four and five years are capable of following building instructions. The results of this study to some extent support earlier research that there is a gender difference already at four to five years of age, but the question still remains why this difference exists. As well as the gender difference, there was also a strong result showing a difference in building knowledge between the four year olds and the five year olds. The four year olds mainly explored the building material whereas many of the five year olds could successfully follow the building instructions.

Children with pronunciation difficulties are at risk of consequences later on, such as reading and writing difficulties. Problems with pronunciation could make a child less intelligible and affect their ability to discriminate between different speech sounds. To facilitate the assessment of pronunciation difficulties it is necessary to use appropriate and updated assessment tools suitable to analyze the children’s phonological development. The Swedish pronunciation test, Bedömning Av Fonologi (B.A.F.), has therefore been developed. This new test can be used by professionals to evaluate the phonological realisations of children. The purpose of this study was to gather normative data of 4 and 5 year olds for B.A.F. and to investigate if girls and boys performed differently concerning the pronunciation of the words in B.A.F. Furthermore, the intention was to investigate if there was any correlation in the performance of the words in B.A.F. with oral motor precision (by oral motor movements tasks), oral motor speed (by repeating syllables) as well as auditory perception (by repetition of nonwords). 63 children (36 girls and 27 boys) in the ages of 48 to 71 months participated in the study. The results showed that by using B.A.F. it is possible to see that the number of correctly pronounced words increases with age. Further, the results indicated that children in the ages of four and five had established /p, t, k, d, f, v, j, h, l, m, n/ and /ŋ/ and all the vocals except /y:/ and /Y/. The only speech sound that did not prove to be established was /r/. Neither the 4 nor the 5 year olds had established consonant clusters containing /r/. A significant correlation was found between oral motor speed and correctly pronounced words in B.A.F. The children’s auditory perception also correlated with the number of correctly pronounced words in B.A.F. This study suggests that skills concerning auditory perception and oral motor speed have more effect on pronunciation skills than oral motor precision. The results gave no indication of a difference in pronunciation between girls and boys. / Barn med uttalssvårigheter löper risk för senare konsekvenser, som exempelvis läs- och skrivsvårigheter. Problem med uttal kan göra ett barn svårförståeligt för omgivningen och kan påverka förmågan att särskilja mellan språkljud. För att underlätta bedömningen av uttalssvårigheter behövs uttalstest som är aktuella och anpassade efter barns utveckling. Därför har det nya uttalstestet Bedömning Av Fonologi (B.A.F.) producerats. Med hjälp av B.A.F. kan barns fonologi undersökas genom uttal av språkljud i ord. Denna studie syftade till att ta fram normativa data för testet hos 4- och 5-åringar. Studien syftade även till att undersöka om några skillnader mellan könen gällande prestationen på B.A.F. fanns samt om något samband mellan uttal av orden i B.A.F. och ett antal uppgifter som mätte oralmotorisk precision (oralmotoriska rörelser) och snabbhet (upprepning av stavelser), samt auditiv perception (repetition av nonord) kunde påvisas. I studien deltog 63 barn (36 flickor och 27 pojkar) i åldrarna 4;0 år till 5;11 år. Under analysen delades barnen in i grupper av halvårsintervall. Resultaten visade att man i B.A.F. kan se att antal korrekt uttalade ord ökar i linje med stigande ålder. Det påvisades även att barn i fyra- och fem årsåldern etablerat /p, t, k, d, f, v, j, h, l, m, n/ och /ŋ/ samt alla vokaler utom /y:/ och /Y/. Det enda konsonantfonem som ej visade sig vara etablerat i dessa åldrar var /r/. Ingen av åldersgrupperna hade heller etablerat kluster innehållandes /r/. Ett signifikant samband kunde påvisas mellan oralmotorisk snabbhet och antal korrekt uttalade ord i B.A.F. Även barnens auditiva perception korrelerade signifikant med antal korrekt uttalade ord i B.A.F. Föreliggande studie tyder på att auditiv perception och oralmotorisk snabbhet har ett större samband med uttalet än oralmotorisk precision. Inga uttalsskillnader mellan könen framkom.

Contexte L’orthophonie scolaire vise à favoriser l’éducation inclusive et la réussite éducative de tous les enfants. Pour ce faire, les orthophonistes peuvent travailler avec le personnel enseignant afin de favoriser la participation des enfants et de soutenir leur développement langagier, notamment par la lecture interactive en classe. Cependant, les recherches doivent documenter davantage les retombées de l’implication des orthophonistes dans les services universels. Pour soutenir le personnel enseignant, les orthophonistes peuvent leur offrir du développement professionnel. Les orthophonistes pourraient agir à titre de modèles en classe, ce qui pourrait être une modalité de développement professionnel adaptée à certains milieux de pratique, mais qui demeure peu étudiée. Objectifs Cette thèse vise à documenter l’implication que les orthophonistes peuvent avoir dans les services universels, notamment en soutien à la pratique des enseignants et des enseignantes. Plus spécifiquement, elle vise à : 1) Comprendre les effets de la lecture interactive et d’un programme de développement professionnel, utilisant principalement la modalité du modèle en classe, sur la participation des enfants lors des activités de lecture; 2) Documenter les changements de pratiques enseignantes; et 3) Comprendre comment ce programme de développement professionnel utilisant principalement la modalité du modèle en classe a suscité des changements de pratiques. Méthodologie Dans cette étude, qui s’est déroulée au Québec, 11 enseignantes de maternelle 5 ans ont participé à un programme de développement professionnel et 197 enfants de leur classe ont participé à une intervention consistant en des lectures interactives en classe animées par la doctorante. Une approche de méthodes mixtes avec un devis convergent a été utilisée. Pour le volet quantitatif, un devis quasi-expérimental a été utilisé avec six classes faisant partie d’un groupe expérimental et cinq classes faisant partie d’un groupe contrôle/expérimental en attente. Des analyses de vidéos des enseignantes lors de la lecture ont été réalisées sur les variables de la participation spontanée des enfants, les cibles travaillées par les enseignantes et leurs stratégies d’étayage. Des tests statistiques non paramétriques ont été utilisés. Pour le volet qualitatif, un devis longitudinal a été utilisé. Les enseignantes et 78 enfants ont participé à 3 entrevues individuelles, et les enseignantes ont complété un journal de bord. Ces données ont été analysées avec une analyse thématique réflexive. Résultats 1) D’abord, l’intervention a permis d’augmenter la participation spontanée des enfants lors de la lecture et de changer certaines perceptions des enseignantes et des enfants quant à la participation des enfants lors de la lecture. 2) Ensuite, les enseignantes ont augmenté le nombre de cibles langagières sur lesquelles elles travaillent lors de la lecture, ainsi que leur utilisation de stratégies d’étayage. Leur perception de la lecture a changé, tout comme leur perception de ce que les enfants disent lors des interactions pendant la lecture. 3) Enfin, certains des mécanismes qui ont suscité les changements de pratiques sont distinctifs de la modalité de développement professionnel du modèle en classe et d’autres mécanismes peuvent être opérationnalisés de manière plus flexible dans une diversité de modalités de développement professionnel. Conclusion Les orthophonistes scolaires sont invités à cibler le soutien à la participation des enfants et les stratégies d’étayage comme objectifs lors de leurs interventions en classe. De plus, elles et ils sont invités à considérer le modèle en classe comme modalité de développement professionnel pour les enseignants et enseignantes. / Context School-based speech-language pathology aims to promote inclusive education and educational success in all children. To this end, speech-language pathologists (SLPs) can work with teachers to foster children's participation and support their language development, using approaches such as interactive book reading. However, further research is needed to document the impact of SLPs’ involvement in universal services. SLPs can also provide teachers with professional development to support them. They could act as an in-class model, which may be a professional development modality suited to some practice settings; however, it remains understudied. Objectives This thesis aims to document the involvement of SLPs in universal services, particularly to support teacher practice. Specifically, it aims to: 1) Understand the effects of interactive book reading and a professional development program that primarily used the in-class modeling modality on children's participation in book reading; 2) Document teachers’ changes in practice; and 3) Understand how the professional development program, which primarily used in-class modeling as a modality, led to changes in practice. Methodology This study took place in Quebec, in which 11 kindergarten for 5-year-olds teachers and 197 children from their classes participated in an intervention consisting of interactive book reading in the classroom, facilitated by the doctoral candidate, as well as a professional development program for teachers. A mixed-methods approach with a convergent was used. For the quantitative part, a quasi-experimental design was used, with six classes in the experimental group and five classes in the waiting control/delayed experimental group. Videos of teachers’ book readings were analyzed for the variables of children's spontaneous participation, the target teachers worked on, and their scaffolding strategies. Nonparametric statistical tests were performed. For the qualitative part, a longitudinal design was used. The teachers and 78 children participated in three individual interviews, and the teachers completed a logbook. These data were analyzed using a reflective thematic analysis. Results 1) First, the intervention increased the children's spontaneous participation in reading and changed some of the teachers' and children's perceptions of the children's participation in book reading; 2) Next, teachers increased the number of language targets they worked on during book reading and their use of scaffolding strategies. Their perception of reading has changed, as their perception of what children say in interactions during reading. 3) Finally, some of the mechanisms that have prompted changes in practice are distinctive of the in-class modeling professional development modality, and the other mechanisms can be operationalized more flexibly in a variety of professional development modalities. Conclusion School-based SLPs are invited to consider supporting children's participation in classroom activities and scaffolding strategies as their classroom intervention goals. They are also invited to consider in-class modeling as a professional development modality for teachers.