The purpose of this study was to determine the extent to which tri-weekly evidence-based vocabulary lessons implemented throughout the regular school day would increase kindergarten students’ expressive and receptive vocabulary development, thus decreasing the vocabulary gap exhibited between low-income children and their more advantaged peers upon entering kindergarten. The participants in this study were kindergarten students at an elementary school in the Midwest. The students in the control group received their normal vocabulary instruction from the district’s adopted reading series. The experimental group students received instruction from the evidence-based direct instruction vocabulary lessons found in Judy Montgomery’s The Bridge of Vocabulary. Data was collected before and after the intervention took place using the Peabody Picture Vocabulary Test, Fourth Edition and the Expressive Vocabulary Test, Second Edition, and was analyzed using an ANOVA to compare growth. Analysis showed that students who received the vocabulary intervention made significantly greater growth in both expressive and receptive vocabulary development than students who received vocabulary instruction from the adopted reading series. More specifically, the students from poverty who received the intervention made significantly greater vocabulary development than the students from poverty who did not receive the intervention. / Department of Elementary Education

<p>This qualitative research study with 10 Chinese parents explored parental beliefs, involvement, and challenges in support of their child's English language development. Findings indicated that all participants highly valued their child's English education and emphasized the short and long-term advantages of learning English in early years. All participants expressed a strong motivation to support their child's English education. Parents were involved in the roles of a financial provider, guide, and learning-partner. Challenges to parental involvement came from both home (lack of time, English proficiency, and a suitable home English learning environment as well as financial pressure) and outside sources such as lack of governmental support, unqualified bilingual teachers, and ineffective English curriculum. The researcher recommends that English education preschool programs recruit skilled bilingual or English preschool teachers, implement an interactive, child-centered English language curriculum, and design home-school partnership programs. Policy makers must design policies to support English education preschool programs. </p>

<p> The purpose of this study was to address two research questions: After parents participated in a brief, language-focused parent-training program: (1) To what extent does the parent-training influence children&rsquo;s vocabulary development and (2) To what extent does the parent-training influence parents&rsquo; role as a language facilitator in regards to their perceptions, strategies and knowledge of language and literacy concepts.</p><p> Pre-and post-parent-training, assessment was conducted and used to measure growth within each participant group. A standardized vocabulary test was administered to the child participants and a parent questionnaire was administered to the parent participants. Data were collected and analyzed using descriptive statistics. The results from this study found that parent-training can increase children&rsquo;s vocabulary and parent&rsquo;s perceptions, knowledge and skills pertaining to their role as their child&rsquo;s language facilitator.</p><p> </p>

Infant-directed singing is a universal phenomenon that has existed and prevailed for centuries. This study explores mothers' perceptions and experiences of singing to their infants and participating in Parent-Child Mother Goose; a community-based parent support program that (among other things) supports the use of infant-directed singing as a means to enhance the mother-infant relationship. A case study approach using both qualitative and quantitative techniques for data collection was used. Five mothers were asked to complete self-administered questionnaires relating to singing to their infants as well as participating in a Parent-Child Mother Goose Program. Each mother participant also completed an interview with the researcher. A cross-case analysis of the data revealed a number of interrelated themes including: 1) experiencing bonding/connection with one's infant. 2) infant-directed singing as a means to regulate infant and maternal emotions and. 3) infant-directed singing as a means to communicate information to one's infant. The mothers also experienced benefits participating in Parent-Child Mother Goose.

This study explores, through observations and interviews. the rough and tumble play of young children in early childhood settings. The purpose of this study was to gain an understanding of how early childhood educators, parents, and young children interpret rough and tumble play. The study also identified the extent to which rough and tumble play is included or not included within early childhood settings. Participants in this study included 11 educators, 16 parents, and 16 children from four settings. Observations of the play of children and the responses of the educators to rough and tumble play were made at two settings. During 30:25 hours of observation, 110 incidents of rough and tumble play were recorded. Twenty-seven distinct rough and tumble play behaviours were exhibited during the observation period. Behaviours included components that had been identified as rough and tumble play in previous research and also additional behaviours that were not previously identified as elements of rough and tumble play. Results of the interviews of adults indicate that there is perceived value in rough and tumble play: the play needs to be supervised; the play is more acceptable at home rather than at daycare: adults are unaware of formal policies or guidelines for the play: and adults reject the notion that the play may be linked to aggressive behaviour. Results of the interviews with children indicate that adults place restrictions on the play; it is important that no one is hurt; there are gender differences: and while all the children were observed engaged in the play, 60% of the children stated that they do not engage in rough and tumble play at daycare. The results of this study will have implications for the understanding of child development. It may be that rough and tumble play evolves as children age; that children move into more, or less, complex play behaviours as they mature. This study might also have implications for early childhood education. The parents and educators conceded a lack of knowledge about rough and tumble play. This finding highlights the need for the development of teacher and parent education resources.

The author began her inquiry asking: where are the feminists in Child and Youth Care (CYC)? With the expertise of three self- identified feminist CYC practitioners, she explores their meaning making of feminist identities. Employing post structural and social constructivist lenses, punctuated by poetry, she and her consultants explore a wide range of feminist discourse including the performance, resistance and evolution of feminism, personally and professionally.

<p> This study employed pragmatic parallel mixed methods to determine the impact of TPD on early childhood teachers' pedagogical methodology and English acquisition by young children in South Korea. The data included observations from the TPD sessions and classrooms, interviews and lesson plans, as well as the pre- and post- test scores of the 42 participant children. The findings have provided valuable insights into (1) how the HIA TPD program could serve as a means of effective TPD, positive impact on the growth of teachers' English instructional practice, and young children's English learning, and (2) the benefits for children in the treatment group that was generally greater than the control group in the areas of VA, LS, and PA skills. Implications for further research on TPD and other supports for the integrated early childhood English education were discussed.</p>

Thesis (MTchLn)--University of Canterbury, 2007. / Typescript (photocopy). Includes bibliographical references (leaves 216-224). Also available via the World Wide Web.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Toronto, 2005. / Includes bibliographical references (leaves 155-166).

Thesis (Ph.D.)--University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, 2007. / Source: Dissertation Abstracts International, Volume: 68-11, Section: A, page: 4612. Adviser: Susan Noffke. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 260-269) Available on microfilm from Pro Quest Information and Learning.