Problem behaviors early in the preschool year have been negatively linked to a variety of school readiness outcomes, including language, literacy and mathematics, both at the end of preschool and later on as children transition to elementary school. In order to inform preschool intervention efforts, the current study extends this research by examining the unique influence of internalizing and externalizing behaviors on children's growth in academic skills throughout the preschool year. Additionally, in order to identify mechanisms that may explain the associations between problem behaviors and academic growth, the potential mediating role of specific learning behaviors-competence motivation, attention/persistence and attitude toward learning-were examined. A sample of 275 four-year-old children enrolled in a large, urban Head Start program in the Southeast United States participated in the study. Teachers completed ecologically valid measures of children-s problem behaviors at the beginning of the year and children's learning behaviors mid-year. Data on children's academic achievement were collected at three time points (fall, winter and spring) by independent direct assessors. A series of latent growth models were conducted to examine children's growth in listening comprehension, alphabet knowledge, vocabulary, and mathematics across the preschool year. Results indicated that children made significant progress in all academic domains. Internalizing and externalizing behaviors were negatively associated with baseline academic scores, yet positively associated with rates of growth in some academic domains over time. Furthermore, children's attention skills and persistence were found to be important mediators of growth in alphabet knowledge and mathematics. Implications for early childhood research and practice are discussed.

Tanken med detta arbete är att ta reda på förskolebarns kunskaper om taluppfattning med fokus på antal. Studien genomfördes i en förskola i Mellansverige med 15 barn från 3-5 år för att se skillnaden i taluppfattning mellan dessa åldersgrupper men även mellan jämnåriga. Vidare ville jag genom observation ta reda på vilka aktiviteter som görs i förskolan för att kunna utveckla barnens förståelse och tänkandet inom taluppfattning. Resultatet av intervjun visar att barnen har stor förmåga och förståelse kring klassificering och sortering oavsett ålder. Men 14 av de 15 barnen förstod inte antalskonservation. Observationen visar att klassificering och sortering ingår i aktiviteter som barnen brukar göra varje dag medan antalskonservation inte uppmärksammas. Denna studie hjälper förskollärare att ta reda på barnens taluppfattning för att utifrån det anpassa aktiviteter efter barnens förmåga och göra lärandet intressant och lustfyllt.

This dissertation investigates the ways in which pre-k teachers understood the math content that they were to teach and their math instruction. To investigate this, a qualitative case study examining five pre-k teachers was conducted. Data sources included observation field notes, teacher interviews, and documents such as state and district pre-k guidelines. The findings from this dissertation suggest that pre-k teachers’ knowledge entails both knowledge of subject matter and pedagogical content knowledge. In addition, this study identified what these pre-k teachers knew about math and teaching/learning math as well as what they still needed to know to provide high quality and effective math instruction. Chapter 1 introduces my research question and important terms, such as mathematical knowledge for teaching (MKT). Chapter 2 synthesizes relevant literature in the area of effective math instruction, theoretical framework of teachers’ mathematical knowledge for teaching and early mathematics education. The literature review seeks to highlight the importance of early childhood teachers’ deep understanding of mathematical content and of their math instruction. Chapter 3 forwards the specific conceptual framework for this study while detailing the methodology that guided this investigation including data gathering and analysis. Chapter 4 presents the findings from this research. It examines pre-k teachers’ understanding of mathematical content that they are to teach and their knowledge of how to teach mathematics. Chapter 5 addresses the significance of these two major findings. First, I discuss the four types of mathematical knowledge and skills that these pre-k teachers possess. I also compare and contrast them with the teacher knowledge examined in the literature. Then, by examining research literature on early math education, I suggest what mathematical knowledge and skills they still need to attain to offer high-quality and effective math instruction. This dissertation concludes with a discussion of implication for teachers, teacher educators, and suggestions for future research. / text

The focus of this study is on foundation phase and early childhood teachers’ professional identity formation. This study is about six beginning teachers in their first year of teaching early mathematics, science and technology (MST) in different schools and grade levels. Early childhood settings and primary schools in South Africa have a diverse learner body that increasingly demands of beginning early childhood and foundation phase teachers to continually strive to adapt their teaching and young children’s learning to the different learning environments for effective implementation of the curriculum. A learning identity framework was used to generate and analyse data. The learning identity framework is premised on the assumption that identity and learning are closely linked and that both are influenced by factors internal and external to the individual. Specifically, the study sought to answer the research question of how beginning first year early childhood and foundation phase teachers form, sustain or change their professional teacher identity in the teaching of mathematics, science and technology (MST) in the early years and in different school settings. The study used a phenomenological approach and case study method to explain the professional teacher identity formation process and to illuminate what factors influence this process. The study researched how teacher identities can be narratively constructed on the basis of the lived experiences of the six teachers in different school contexts. Data was generated from different sources for the purpose of triangulation which included visual and written narratives, observations and interviews (open and semi-structured). The analysis and results were based on categories of descriptions of themes. The findings indicate that identity formation is an ongoing process of integration of teachers’ personal and professional histories and initial teacher education and training, alongside issues of school culture and institutional (in-school) support. Those key factors emerge as strong determinants of the kinds and the relative stability or otherwise of professional identities which the six teachers develop in the first year of MST teaching, and thus the kind of reform minded teachers they become. / Thesis (PhD)--University of Pretoria, 2012. / Science, Mathematics and Technology Education / unrestricted

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Aufgrund der Vorhersagekraft früher mathematischer Kompetenzen für spätere Schulleistungen beschäftigt sich die Forschung mit der Identifikation möglicher Einflussfaktoren der mathematischen Kompetenzentwicklung von Kindern vor Schuleintritt. Da der Großteil der drei- bis sechsjährigen Kinder in Deutschland eine Kindertagesstätte besucht, ist in diesem Zusammenhang die pädagogische Qualität frühkindlicher Bildungseinrichtungen in den Fokus gerückt. Einen wichtigen Aspekt dieser Qualität stellen frühpädagogische Fachkräfte dar. Sie werden als Interaktionspartner:innen von Kindern als potenzieller Einflussfaktor hinsichtlich deren mathematischer Kompetenzentwicklung betrachtet. Im Rahmen der Forschung zur professionellen Kompetenz frühpädagogischer Fachkräfte in Mathematik setzt man sich mit der Frage auseinander, welche Merkmale eine kompetente Fachkraft auszeichnen und inwiefern diese die mathematische Kompetenzentwicklung von Kindern beeinflussen. Während in den letzten Jahren vermehrt die Entwicklung sowie das Zusammenspiel einzelner Facetten professioneller Kompetenz frühpädagogischer Fachkräfte untersucht worden sind, werden Kinder bislang kaum in wissenschaftliche Studien einbezogen. Die vorliegende Dissertation schließt diese Forschungslücke und untersucht die Vorhersagekraft der Kompetenzfacetten Dispositionen und Performanz im Hinblick auf die mathematische Kompetenzentwicklung von Kindern. Damit dies möglich ist, wird im Rahmen der vorliegenden Arbeit ein Beobachtungsinstrument zum Erfassen der Performanz frühpädagogischer Fachkräfte entwickelt. Die Ergebnisse zeigen, dass sich die Performanz mithilfe des entwickelten Beobachtungsinstruments zuverlässig erfassen lässt. Weiterhin sagt die Performanz die mathematische Kompetenzentwicklung von Kindern voraus, während dies für die erhobenen Dispositionen nicht gilt. Für den nationalen Forschungsraum handelt es sich hierbei um die ersten beziehungsweise einige der wenigen evidenzbasierten Forschungsergebnisse. / Due to the predictive power of early mathematical skills for later academic achievement, research has been addressing the identification of potential factors influencing children's mathematical development prior to school entry. Since the majority of three- to six-year-old children in Germany attends pre¬schools, the pedagogical quality of early childhood and care institutions has come into focus. One important aspect of pedagogical quality are early childhood educators. They are regarded as a potential influencing factor for children’s mathematical development. Therefore, research on professional competence of early childhood educators in mathematics delves into identifying the characteristics which distinguish competent early childhood educators and how these characteristics may potentially influence children’s mathematical development. While the development and interplay between different facets of professional competence have been a major concern of research in recent years, children have hardly been included in scientific studies. This dissertation closes this research gap and examines the predictive power of dispositions and performance, both which are facets of professional competence, for children’s mathematical development. In order to achieve this, an observation instrument assessing early childhood educators’ performance has been developed. The results show that early childhood teachers’ performance can be measured reliably using the developed observation instrument. Furthermore, performance predicts children’s mathematical development while this is not the case for early childhood teachers’ dispositions. Within the national research context, these results are among the first evidence-based research findings that outline the relationship between distinct facets of early child¬hood educators’ professional competence and children’s mathematical development.