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Contemporary early childhood experts, via their major professional organization, the National Association for the education of young children (NAEYC), have adopted a set of guidelines for "developmentally appropriate practice" (DAP) in kindergartens. These guidelines, based on child development research, contrast sharply with a contrary educational movement for increased formal "academic" programming for young children. The primary purpose of this study was to survey the beliefs and practices of kindergarten teachers in Massachusetts, and to examine the congruence of those beliefs with the set of nationally proposed guidelines. A second purpose was to examine the relationship between the beliefs and practices reported and selected professional development variables. A questionnaire designed by a Louisiana group (Charlesworth et al., 1991) and based on the NAEYC guidelines was used. In addition, an author-designed set of questions on key demographic and professional development variables was included. Surveys were mailed to a random sample of 150 elementary schools in Massachusetts. One hundred twenty six teachers responded, representing 102 schools for an overall school return rate of 68%. Results indicated that Massachusetts teachers tend to follow the NAEYC guidelines for developmentally appropriate practice. Correlations between the Teacher Belief Scale and the Instructional Activities Scale (r =.6225, p,.0001) indicate that teachers in Massachusetts generally report using practices that are congruent with their beliefs. Significant positive relationships were found between teachers with advanced college training and both of the Teacher Questionnaire Scales. The professional development activities most frequently listed as valuable to Massachusetts kindergarten teachers included college courses, whole language workshops, Math Their Way workshops, DAP seminars, the Lesley College Kindergarten Conference and inclusion workshops. In further analysis, the sample was divided into thirds based on the total DAP scale scores. Those with high DAP scores differed from those with low DAP scores in the amount and type of professional development activities. The results were discussed with respect to the effectiveness of specific professional development activities.

Master of Science / Department of Family Studies and Human Services / Bronwyn Fees / An increased focus on school readiness in recent years has placed more attention on the importance of quality early care and education settings for children ages 3 to 5 years. The first five years of a child’s life represent a crucial period for development, and care settings impact children’s outcomes in a variety of domains. Preparation of teachers in order to provide a high-quality level of care that supports positive outcomes for children is critical. This report assesses the current state of the literature on effective professional development for early childhood professionals (primarily those working center-based settings with children ages 3 to 5 years), specifically as it relates to improved outcomes for children in the areas of social-emotional competence and language and literacy development. Methods for adult learning are also reviewed and recommendations for appropriate models of professional development based upon this review are provided. It is recommended that specific aspects within models of professional development be reviewed further to determine more concrete predictors in terms of what is effective for adult learning and application of concepts. It also is recommended that early care and education providers take part in professional development activities that have an added level of support and feedback, such as coaching, to assist in improving instructional practices to impact developmental outcomes in targeted areas, such as literacy.

Doctor of Philosophy / Department of Special Education, Counseling, and Student Affairs / Judy Hughey / Successful transition practices are essential in moving students forward into new facets of learning and life. Noteworthy is the transition into kindergarten, as students experience a new environment, with new academic, social, and behavioral expectations. Research has reviewed teacher and student perceptions on this topic, but has traditionally overlooked the parent stakeholder. Specifically assessing kindergarten transition from parents’ vantage point provides a varied and necessary perspective that is often underutilized in effective school transitioning programs. Therefore, this study surveyed parents of children transitioning into kindergarten to identify their experiences and involvement in transition programming. Specifically to: (a) assess the concerns of parent stakeholders upon transitioning their children into formal schools (b) assess the perceptions of parent stakeholders in regards to their children’s transition into kindergarten, (c) assess the areas in which parent participants would like more information about the transition process, and (d) explore environmental variables and demographics that may impact student transitional success. The study utilized a retrospective pretest survey design to examine the experiences and perceptions of parents whose children were enrolled in full-day kindergarten in two school districts of comparable size in Northeast Kansas. A sample size of 91 participants was generated, as a parent or guardian of every student enrolled in kindergarten for the 2010-2011 school year in the surveyed schools was selected and solicited as participants for this retrospective pretest study. The final study population included 68 participants (n = 68) amongst the two respective schools, for an overall response rate of 74.7%. Survey mean results indicated that no particular item in academic, behavioral, or social domains were considered a great concern for parents transitioning their child into kindergarten. However, items that received the highest rating for concern prior to kindergarten were in the areas of academic success in comparison to peers, and adjusting to new routines and surroundings. Parents also rated adjusting to new routines and surroundings as the area with the least amount of transitional success. Seventy-three percent of participants agreed or strongly agreed to feeling engaged in the transitional process. Also, a significant difference in parents’ perceived need for both social and behavioral support emerged between first and second born children as they transition into formal schooling indicating parents of firstborn would like more information and support. Finally, results also showed that significance emerged between parents’ desire for counselor services and their concern as to the child’s level of behavioral success upon entering kindergarten.

Reading fluency—the ability to read accurately, with appropriate pacing, expression, and rhythm—is a fundamental skill for elementary school students to develop (Snow et al. 1998). Reading fluency is related to comprehension skills (Daane et al. 2005; Donahue et al. 1999; Pinnell et al. 1995) and to overall educational achievement (Silberglitt et al. 2006). However, many elementary school students do not reach grade-level reading fluency levels (Hemphill and Vanneman 2011; Pinnell et al. 1995), especially those from low-resource communities or from racial and ethnic minority groups (Donahue et al. 1999; Hemphill and Vanneman 2011). Research has suggested that children who do not develop the ability to read fluently early in the schooling process are likely to experience difficulty learning and comprehending important material from texts introduced in later grades (Chall et al. 1990; Lyon and Moats 1997; Rasinski et al. 2012). Interventions can be effective in improving reading fluency...

Koo Wai-sze. / Thesis (M.Phil.)--Chinese University of Hong Kong, 2001. / Includes bibliographical references (leaves [163-172]). / Abstracts in English and Chinese. / Contents --- p.i / Abstract --- p.v / Acknowledgement --- p.vii / Chapter Chapter 1 --- Introduction --- p.1 / Chapter 1.1 --- Current Situation of Preschool Education and Services in Hong Kong --- p.1 / Chapter 1.2 --- Historical Review of Preschool Education and Services in Hong Kong --- p.5 / Table 1.1: Percentage of children aged 3 to 5 attending schools (1971-1996) --- p.10 / Table 1.2: Gross enrolment ratios of Pre-Primaty Education in Selected Countries (1995-1997) --- p.10 / Chapter 1.3 --- Research Inquiries --- p.12 / Chapter 1.4 --- Structure of the Thesis --- p.19 / Chapter Chapter 2 --- Literature Review --- p.20 / Chapter 2.1 --- Functional School of Thought --- p.21 / Chapter 2.1.1 --- Functional Perspectives on Preschool Education and Servicesin Hong Kong --- p.27 / Chapter 2.2 --- Conflict School of Thought --- p.29 / Chapter 2.2.1 --- Conflict Perspectives on Preschool Education and Services in Hong Kong --- p.37 / Chapter 2.3 --- Institutionalist Perspectives and Organizational Analysis --- p.39 / Chapter 2.3.1 --- Organizational Perspectives --- p.39 / Chapter 2.3.2 --- Institution and Institutionalization --- p.42 / Chapter 2.3.3 --- The Problem of Isomorphism --- p.48 / Chapter 2.3.4 --- Institutionalist Perspectives on Preschool --- p.50 / Chapter 2.4 --- Theoretical Framework --- p.51 / Chapter 2.4.1 --- New Institutionalist Perspective on Institutionalization of Preschool Education and Services in Hong Kong --- p.51 / Chapter 2.4.2 --- New Institutionalist Perspectives on Preschool Education and Services --- p.52 / Chapter 2.4.3 --- The Child as Scientized Individual - Child-Centered Ideology --- p.56 / Chapter 2.4.4 --- The Form of Education Institution Embodied by Preschool Education --- p.61 / Chapter Chapter 3 --- Methodology --- p.64 / Chapter 3.1 --- Government and Other Documents --- p.64 / Chapter 3.2 --- Content Analysis --- p.66 / Chapter 3.2.1 --- Subject of Analysis and Method of Classification --- p.66 / Table 3.1 Analytical frameworks for content analysis of newspaper articles --- p.69 / Chapter 3.2.1.1 --- Formalization --- p.70 / Chapter 3.2.1.2 --- Modern Ideological Claims --- p.71 / Chapter 3.2.1.3 --- Conventional Conceptions on Preschool Education --- p.72 / Chapter 3.2.2 --- Unit of Analysis --- p.73 / Chapter 3.2.3 --- Limitations --- p.74 / Chapter 3.3 --- Interviews --- p.74 / Chapter Chapter 4 --- An Alternative Institutionalization 一 From Modern Education to Modern Early Childhood Education --- p.77 / Chapter 4.1 --- Preschool Education and Services under the Hong Kong Government --- p.80 / Chapter 4.2 --- The Changing Discourses of the Government 一 From Pragmatic Discourse to Child-centered Ideology --- p.84 / Chapter 4.2.1 --- Phase I: Pragmatic Discourse (from the fifties to the end of the seventies): Peripheral Status of Preschool in the Educational Sector --- p.86 / Chapter 4.2.2 --- Phase II (since the beginning of the eighties): Child-centered Ideology Discourse as Justification for Modern Early Childhood Education --- p.90 / Chapter 4.3 --- Child-centered Ideology as Source of Legitimacy --- p.94 / Table 4.1 Summary of recommendations on formalization of preschool education and services in government documents (1980-2000) --- p.98 / Chapter 4.4 --- The Redefinition of Preschool Education as Modern Early Childhood Education --- p.104 / Chapter Chapter 5 --- Other Forces in The Institutionalization of Preschool Education And Services --- p.107 / Chapter 5.1 --- "Child-centered ideology in the discourses of professionals, pressure groups and the media/ public" --- p.107 / Chapter 5.2 --- From newspaper ´ؤ an overview --- p.109 / "Table 5.1 Percentage of different types of discourses by actors (1960, 65,70,75,80- June, 2000)" --- p.111 / Chapter 5.2.1 --- Overall trend from 1960 to June2000 --- p.111 / "Figure 5.1 Number of News Items Concerning Preschool Education and Services in Ming Pao and Singtao Daily (1960,65,70,75,80-Jun, 2000)" --- p.113 / Chapter 5.2.3 --- Classification by discourse --- p.113 / Chapter 5.2.3.1 --- On formalization --- p.114 / "Table 5.2 a Percentage of form of discourses by Government (1960,65,70,75,80-Jun, 2000)" --- p.114 / "Table 5.2b Percentage of form of discourses by Professionals (1960,65,70,75,80-Jun, 2000)" --- p.115 / "Table 5.2 c Percentage of form of discourses by Pressure Groups (1960,65,70,75,80-Jun, 2000)" --- p.115 / "Table 5.2d Percentage of form of discourses by Media/ Public Opinion (1960,65,70,75,80-Jun, 2000)" --- p.116 / Table 5.3 The implementation of measures recommended in the White Paper (1982/83-84/85) --- p.117 / "Table 5.4 Percentage of discourses on formalization by actors (1960，65,70,75,80-Jun, 2000)" --- p.118 / Chapter 5.2.3.2 --- On modern ideological claims --- p.119 / "Table 5.5 Frequencies and percentage of modern ideological claims by actors (1960- June, 2000) (%)" --- p.122 / Chapter 5.2.3.3 --- On conventional conceptions on preschool education --- p.125 / Chapter 5.3 --- From other sources of data --- p.126 / Table 5.6 Comparison of news items by professionals and pressure groupsin selected years --- p.127 / Chapter 5.3.1 --- The Professionals --- p.130 / Chapter 5.3.1.1 --- Professional groups and individual professionals --- p.130 / Chapter 5.3.1.2 --- The practitioners --- p.136 / Chapter 5.3.2 --- Pressure groups --- p.139 / Chapter 5.3.3 --- Media and the Public --- p.140 / Chapter 5.4 --- Dynamics of different actors --- p.141 / Chapter Chapter 6： --- Conclusion --- p.145 / Chapter 6.1 --- The Institutionalization of Preschool Education and Services in Hong Kong with Child-centered Ideology as Cultural Model --- p.145 / Chapter 6.1.1 --- Dynamic Forces of the Actors --- p.150 / Table 6.1 Summary of the official reports from 1980 to2000 --- p.150 / Chapter 6.2 --- The Significance of Institutional Culture in Legitimating an Institution --- p.158 / Chapter 6.3 --- Limitations and Further Studies --- p.160 / Reference / Appendix

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