The purpose of this study was to investigate empirically the relationship that exists between age at the time of entrance to kindergarten and academic achievement as reflected by standardized achievement scores administered in the fourth grade. The theoretical framework of this study is found in the field of child growth and development.;The sample included 200 students whose fifth birthdays occurred on or between January 1, 1975 and March 31, 1975 or on or between October 1, 1975 and December 31, 1975. They were selected from a suburban school system located in Central Virginia. The sex, race, birthdate, I.Q., socioeconomic level, and the SRA reading and math growth scale values of each sample member were collected.;Statistical tests of significance for the research hypotheses involved the use of analysis of covariance. The effect of age was determined by comparing the achievement scores of the two age groups. The covariate, intelligence, was used to control for initial inequalities. The hypotheses were tested for statistically significant (p < 0.05) relationships between (a) entrance age and reading achievement, and (b) entrance age and math achievement. (1) The hypothesis that the reading achievement scores of late school entrants would be significantly higher than the reading achievement scores of early school entrants was accepted. (2) The hypothesis that the math achievement scores of late school entrants would be significantly higher than the math achievement scores of early school entrants was accepted.;In conclusion, it appears that significant differences in academic achievement are likely to accrue as a result of age differentials at the time of entrance into kindergarten with an advantage for late beginning children. A move to delay the chronological age for school admission might improve readiness and subsequent academic achievement.

This study examined the theories of Maria Montessori and Jean Piaget in relation to their views of the importance of young children's activity. The purpose of the study was to demonstrate that there are significant differences between the two theories regarding this issue, and that these differences suggest important implications for early childhood education. It was concluded that Piaget's emphasis on self-regulated activity and transformations is significantly different from Montessori's emphasis on channeled activity and perceptual configurations. Relevant research was then reviewed in order to determine if these theoretical distinctions could be supported with empirical data. Support for these distinctions was found in the results of program evaluation studies, Piagetian training research and microanalytical studies of children's activity. Based upon the examination of the two theories and the review of relevant research, a number of implications for early childhood education were discussed. These implications included: the importance of differentiating among various conceptions of activity; the need for teachers of young children to take a descriptive rather than a prescriptive approach to children's activity; the importance of emphasizing part to whole relationships; the importance of understanding the distinction between figurative and operative activity; and the possibility the different types of activity produce different outcomes in terms of learning and behavior.

The researcher examined the academic engagement in Circle Time activities and STEM (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics) activities for three young children with autism spectrum disorders (ASD) who attended a large Orange County Public School, enrolled in an ASD preschool classroom. Given the increasing number of children diagnosed with ASD each year and many STEM job opportunities for individuals with ASD, it is becoming important to know how young children with ASD learn and engage in STEM activities. Strengths of individuals with ASD in the STEM field have been reported in several research studies (Chen & Weko, 2009; Kirchner, Ruch & Dziobek, 2016; Samson & Antonelli, 2013). Although this study focuses on academic engagement of young children with ASD, there has been limited research investigating the learning in academic activities for this population. Moreover, there is a distinct gap in the literature specific to young children with ASD and the academic engagement in STEM learning. A single case study with an alternating treatment design and three participants was used to investigate the difference in academic engagement of children with ASD in STEM activities compared to Circle Time activities. Data were collected using observations and a social validity questionnaire. Data were analyzed and then presented using a Time Series Line Graph. The results of this study indicated all three young children with ASD had more engaged time during STEM activities than during Circle Time activities. Furthermore, the teacher's social validity questionnaire revealed she strongly agreed that STEM activities were beneficial for children with ASD. Overall, findings from this study gave direction for future studies and intervention programs focusing on improving academic engagement and learning in STEM activities for children with ASD that may support better learning outcomes. Implications and recommendations for teachers of students with ASD were discussed.

The Institute of Medicine (IOM) identifies the importance of water consumption and suggested that children need to consume water each day (IOM, 2011). Head Start Performance Standards requires that the children have free access to drinking water throughout the program day (DHHS, 2016a). The first goal of this study was to identify the quantity of water consumed by children during the program day (8am-2pm). This study employed a person-centered approach to explore the water consumption of the children through observations and direct measurement to identify the amount of the water consumed during a program day. Four classrooms from a Head Start center in a southeastern school district were included in the study. A total of 80 children were observed during the program day (8am-2pm) over a period of 8 weeks. Each child was given a water bottle and instructed to drink freely from the water fountain or the water bottle. In the classroom, water intake from the water fountain and water bottles were recorded. The second goal of this study is to examine profiles of the water consumption from both the school and at home. A person-centered approach combined the individual data of water consumption, from both observation and parental reports, to deepen our understanding of the issue. The 80 parents or legal guardians completed a brief survey to provide information on water consumption at home. No statistically significant differences across demographic characteristics were found. However, large to moderate effect size were discovered. The third goal of the present study was to compare the usage of the sugary sweetened beverages (SSBs) with the national Head Start Faces data 2009 (DHHS, 2017). The current study group had statistically significant difference in consumption of those sugary sweetened beverages. The current study concluded that the water consumption of the children in Head Start classrooms are far less that recommended level. Suggestions on how to increase water consumption were made based on observed behaviors of children across four classrooms. Policy changes regarding water consumption is suggested to increase the water consumption.

This study has multiple purposes. The first purpose is to investigate whether variations in the Early Intervention (EI) service delivery model influence parents' perceptions of the quality of their EI services. The second purpose is to compare parents' satisfaction level with the early intervention program in the selected counties from Pennsylvania and Florida. The third purpose is to reveal whether families' residency determines the level of access to services. The study subjects were parents and caregivers whose children received services through the Part C early intervention program between January 2013 and January 2017. The targeted population for the study were residents living in Florida and Pennsylvania. Participants were selected from three counties in Florida, and three counties in Pennsylvania. The result of this study revealed that parents' satisfaction level was higher in a state where families had access to multiple services, sessions were provided more than once a week, and the services were provided across disciplines. In addition, the results indicated that parents' level of satisfaction was influenced by the quantity of the provided services, and families residing in Pennsylvania had better access to services than did a comparative group of families in Florida.

The purpose of the study was to determine the extent to which preschool programs and the 10 research-based components that develop language are present in Florida public school districts. Based on qualitative methods of analysis, the study utilized two primary sources of data collection to answer the two research questions that follow: 1. Of the 67 traditional public school districts in Florida, which have language development programs for children under the age of 5, excluding those subsidized by Part B of the IDEA? 2. How do components of the programs in the sample of school districts that have language development programs align to components recommended in the literature? The Florida School Districts' Language Development Programs Data Gathering Template was created to list the preschool programs provided by school districts. It was determined that each school district in Florida had at least one preschool program, and the mean number of preschool programs for each school district was 2.2. Florida school districts do have programs to develop children's language before they enter kindergarten; however, their accessibility should be further researched. Ten components identified in research as important for preschool programs were: assessment, communication, instruction, class size, standards, duration of the program, teacher education and professional development, and family involvement and education. Each of the preschool programs was analyzed to determine the presence or absence of these components. Each of the 10 components was scored either 1.0 for present or 0.0 for not determined to be present. The component scores were then summed, and a mean was determined for each of the preschool programs. The mean score for the school district's preschool program(s) was used as a representative score for each school district. There is ample research on the effectiveness of these components on language development in preschool, yet less than 50% of Florida school districts' programs received a score of 1.0 for any one component.

“Many kindergarteners struggle to master the foundational behaviors that enable them to successfully engage in classroom learning” (Cameron, et al., 2012, p 1229). As a school-based occupational therapist, there has been a noticeable rise in concerns from kindergarten teachers regarding the fine motor, visual motor, self-help, and social-emotional developmental deficits of students. Teachers have also shared concerns that this is an area they lack confidence in addressing. According to Cameron, et al., (2012) “Fine motor skills are the strongest predictor of special education referrals” (Cameron, et al., 2012, p. 1230). This concern has increased referrals for occupational therapy as well as teachers seeking class-wide interventions and support for their student’s lagging skills. An extensive literature review was completed to investigate the possible causes which then informed program development. The following causes were investigated: A shift in parenting culture in part due to the rise of the digital era, the role of the COVID-19 pandemic, decreased access to early learning programs, and the unintended consequences of the adoption and implementation of the Common Core standards. To meet this critical need and support teachers and students, the R.I.P.P.L.E program was developed. This interactive, fun, research-based program is easy to implement and will have a positive impact on their classroom community and their students’ skills. This program includes four components: a read-aloud interactive children’s book, followed by participation in foundational skill building through play and practice, and project-based skill development, culminating in a class-wide celebration. The activities, modifications, and directions are available on the program’s website. A pilot study will be conducted to determine if the R.I.P.P.L.E. program is the key ingredient in increasing students' foundational skills, school tool use, and self-care independence.

The purpose of this intervention study was to investigate whether a dialogic reading model modified and implemented by the teachers would yield higher literacy outcomes among preschoolers in low in-come communities over improvements obtained through exposure to the traditional Whitehurst et al. (1998) model and those made through the typical classroom reading style. Further investigation sought to determine whether teacher involvement in the re-design of the dialogic reading program resulted in high implementation. Three conditions were used in this study, namely; dialogic reading condition (DR), modified dialogic reading condition (MDR) and the Control condition. The Control group students received normal instruction from the teachers while DR and MDR were the experimental groups. A total of sixty three preschoolers and six teachers participated in the study. The children were assessed on the Preschool Language Assessment Instrument (PLAI-2) and a researcher designed book vocabulary test. Following an intervention period of eight weeks, a Repeated Measures Analysis of Variance (ANOVA) was used to analyze pretest and post test PLAI-2 and book vocabulary scores of the students. A significant difference was found for group and time indicating that over time all the groups made improvements in language but the MDR condition recorded a significant improvement. Qualitative analysis from teacher interviews, classroom observations and weekly book log entries supplemented the above findings by providing detailed explanations concerning what was happening in the three different conditions. These results suggest that there were changes in the way teachers in DR and MDR carried out book reading conversations. Further findings showed that when teachers are involved in the making of decisions that affect their classroom practices, they were more likely to show high implementation in their classrooms thus resulting in higher child outcomes which was the case for the MDR condition. Dialogic reading is a valuable model for use in the preschool classrooms and has been proven that it has a great impact on children's literacy development. Teacher contribution should be acknowledged in professional development. Further implications for dialogic reading and the importance of modification of programs are provided.

Literature for children does more than simply entertain, or create fantastical spaces for children to occupy—children’s literature is instructive. I argue that didacticism in literary tales for children works according to the two main ideologies of childhood, which Marina Warner refers to as “myths” in her essay Little Angles, Little Monsters: Keeping Childhood Innocent (1995). This study analyzes the two main nineteenth-century attitudes regarding childhood and their presence in literary tales—childhood innocence and inherent naughtiness. I argue that these ideologies reveal the struggle to accurately and collectively define childhood. In particular, I discuss naughty children in selections from Heinrich Hoffmann’s Struwwelpeter (1845), and innocent/good children in Hans Christian Andersen’s fairy tales, including The Emperor’s New Clothes (1837), The Snow Queen (1844), Dance, Dolly, Dance (1871), etc... In addition, I argue that these attitudes from the Victorian era are still present in today’s discourse surrounding childhood and in the literature of today, which I demonstrate through Neil Gaiman’s The Graveyard Book (2008) and Alvin Schwartz’ In a Dark, Dark Room and Other Scary Stories (1984). / Thesis / Master of Arts (MA)

Thesis (Ed.D.)--Boston University.