Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Texas at Austin, 2006. / Vita. Includes bibliographical references.

Thesis (Ph.D.)--Indiana University, Dept. of Language Education, 2006. / Source: Dissertation Abstracts International, Volume: 67-04, Section: A, page: 1192. Advisers: Larry Mikulecky; Jerome Harste. "Title from dissertation home page (viewed March 22, 2007)."

Thesis (Ph.D.)--Lehigh University, 2009. / Adviser: George J. DuPaul.

<p> Recent initiatives aimed at improving the quality of Head Start programs have included an increased focus on the instructional strategies of Head Start teachers. One factor that researchers have associated with higher quality classroom instruction and increased child achievement in the K-12 grades is teachers' sense of self-efficacy (Berman &amp; McLaughlin,1978; Ghaith &amp; Yaghi, 1997; Guo, Piasta, Justice &amp; Kaderavek, 2010; Justice, Mashburn, Hamre &amp; Pianta, 2008; Nie et al., 2013). Thus far, research on early childhood teacher self-efficacy has almost exclusively relied upon survey and other types of quantitative data to answer questions about this important construct.</p><p> This study of Head Start teacher self-efficacy builds upon this body of research by utilizing a multiple case study to explore Maine Head Start teacher self-efficacy. This qualitative study examined the ways in which self-efficacy is developed and influenced by the context in which teaching occurs. Interviews with Head Start teachers and educational leaders as well as onsite observations were conducted to examine teachers' delivery of instructional support and their belief in their ability to do so in ways that benefit children.</p><p> Findings from this study indicate that elements of the teaching environment such as time for planning and reflection, relationships with colleagues, and the amount of time with children can and do influence teachers' provision of instructional supports. In addition the study found that teachers embed instructional supports within a cycle of intentional teaching that includes formative assessment data used to plan for, modify, and individualize instructional supports for children. Formative assessment data also confirmed the benefits of instructional support strategies for the teachers in this study and acted as evidence of mastery that sustained teachers' instructional self-efficacy. </p><p> These findings offer important information for educational leaders and other professionals who wish to optimize the conditions under which Head Start teachers provide effective instructional supports and build instructional self-efficacy. Information from this study can also be used to inform the types of policies and practices that best support teachers in their instructional support of children.</p>

<p> Korean American students seem to excel in academics as soon as they enter formal schooling. How are Korean American parents preparing their children for kindergarten? This qualitative research case study's foundational theory is based on Sue and Okazaki's (1990) concept of relative functionalism, which proposes that "cultural practices ... maximize skills in gaining education" (p. 913). Five Korean American parents (one father, four mothers) were interviewed and discussed topics that could help answer the study's research questions: (a) how do Korean American parents perceive what school readiness means? and (b) how do Korean Americans decide what activities to engage their children in when preparing them for kindergarten?</p><p> As there exists no published research that documents the activities Korean American parents engage their children in with intentions of preparing them for formal schooling, literature in this study focused on the history of Korean American culture's valuation of education, relevant circumstances of Koreans living in the U.S., their childrearing priorities, and the effects of acculturation on Korean American educational values.</p><p> Themed findings include overall parental expectations of their children's academic goals, the perceived definition of school readiness, primary caregivers, and priorities for children's competencies. The fact that the Korean American culture is grounded in the philosophy of Confucianism, which includes the expectation that children should uphold family honor and the belief that success is achieved through effort, may help to explain why this study's participants placed high importance on their children's social&ndash;emotional competencies and on behaving "well."</p><p> As the primary caretaker in the family, Korean American mothers base their decisions regarding their children's activities on feedback received from friends from church, as well as from the broader local Korean community. Significant findings include that participants reported starting their children in academic training when they were as young as two years old, and that children are being raised as bilinguals in dualistic cultures. If shared with educational practitioners, this research could help to better support the home&ndash;school relationship with Korean American parents. Parents of non-Korean American students may also use Korean American educational practices to better support their own children to become more school ready prior to entering kindergarten, as well as throughout their educational careers.</p>

<p> This study examined the effects of a self-regulation strategy, self-talk, on the improvement of executive function. Executive functions are a set of cognitive processes that underlie goal-directed behavior. These processes guide, direct, and manage thinking, emotional responses, and behavior. High executive function has been correlated with academic achievement. Early childhood teachers play an important role in helping young children learn to regulate thinking and behavior. This mixed-design experimental study demonstrated the ease of including self-talk in the daily curriculum through the use of children's literature. The 53 participants were third-graders in an elementary school setting. The Teacher Form of the Delis Rating of Executive Function (D-REF) measured executive function as pre- and posttest for the control and experimental groups. A 2 x 2 split-plot ANOVA calculated the effects of the group assigned and executive function. Students in the experimental group were interviewed following the intervention to obtain student perceptions of self-talk and its impact on learning. Results indicated that students in the self-talk classes showed significant improvement in executive function skills. The findings offer useful insight to the benefits of self-talk in the elementary school setting.</p>

<p> Early numeracy skills are a critical component of daily preschool instruction, according to the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics (NCTM; 2002); however, there is variability in how mathematics-driven instruction is implemented in the preschool classroom (Graham, Nash, &amp; Paul, 1997; Brown, Malfese, &amp; Molfese, 2008). Research indicates that children from low income backgrounds who qualify for Head Start programs do not make comparable growth in early numeracy skill development when compared to children from higher SES levels (Puma, et. al., 2012). The objective of this dissertation was to evaluate a selected mathematics curriculum utilized by the Happy Faces Head Start1 program, after program data indicated that children&rsquo;s mathematics achievement was below established targets (Happy Faces Head Start, 2012). Results indicated that the curriculum, <i>Mathematics: A Creative Curriculum Approach, </i> which was implemented in rural Head Start classrooms did not show significant gains in math skills compared to children in the control group. </p>

Despite the more than 300 questions teachers ask on a daily basis, research indicates that teachers in elementary, secondary and post-secondary classrooms do not understand the power and potential of questions to advance student reasoning. It has been found that when teachers are taught to ask higher-level, open-ended, instructional questions, opportunities for student reasoning increases. However, there has been little research on the use of questions to advance reasoning in early childhood education. This research sought to determine the generalizability of available research on teacher questioning and reasoning to early childhood settings. Further, this research examined the effectiveness of a workshop developed by the researcher to teach teachers about the power and potential of questions. A quantitative examination of early childhood teachers' questioning techniques revealed that early childhood teachers' questioning techniques are similar to that of teachers in other settings. They were found to ask primarily lower-level, closed-ended and diagnostic questions. After participation in a workshop developed to improve the teachers' questioning techniques, the participants were found to ask more of the types of questions that advance reasoning.

This study expands prior research demonstrating a relationship between electronic piano keyboard instruction and increased spatial ability in preschoolers (Rauscher, F. et al., 1993, 1994, 1997). Spatial ability was assessed after active music instruction using Orff xylophones, active singing instruction, or a passive listener-oriented approach. Kindergartners (N = 68) from 3 intact classrooms, stratified for gender, were randomly assigned to 3 groups: (1) xylophone (n = 28), (2) singing (n = 26), and (3) passive music (n = 14). The lessons for active groups 1 and 2 were identical except for the variable of xylophone instruction. Children learned the same songs, movements, unpitched instrument accompaniments, and read the same simple iconic musical notation. However, during part of the lesson group 1 used xylophones as accompaniments and to sight-read iconic notation, while group 2 (singing) continued to use unpitched instruments as accompaniments and Kodaly hand-signals to sight-read the same iconic notation. Passive group 3 did no singing, playing, moving, or music reading but listened to and talked about music. The instructor taught bi-weekly 30-minute music classes for 4 months; IQ's were measured using 5 subtests (Performance Scale) of the Weschler Primary and Preschool Intelligence Scale - Revised (WPPSI - R) (1989) by a school psychometrist. To control for WPPSI - R practice effects, half of group 1 (n = 14) and group 2 (n = 14) were pre-tested while half of group 1 ( n = 14) and group 2 (n = 12), and all of group 3 (n = 14) were not pre-tested. All were post-tested six months later. There were no practice effects. To compare groups raw scores were used as there were no significant age differences among groups. No significant differences were found. However, consistent with other studies a trend (p < .06) towards enhanced performance on the xylophone group's Object Assembly (OA) subtest was found when compared with the passive music group. A similar trend (p < .06) was found on Block Design, the subtest that most highly correlates with OA. A ceiling effect may have constrained growth due to music instruction as 21% of the xylophone group's OA scores were perfect or near perfect.

This study examines the behavior and actions of one music and movement teacher, coupled with a look at one little boy's participation and reactions. It focuses on the following questions: What music and movement activities create opportunities for social, motor, cognitive, and language development? In what ways would a child having difficulty in the classroom respond to the teacher and activities in a music and movement enrichment program? What teacher qualities make a positive impact on the child's behavior and development? The study showed that the music and movement activities promoted positive experiences for the subject. It also found that the skillfulness of the teacher was one of the most important factors in the successful music and movement program. The study led to several recommendations including the following: ECE teachers need support, education, and resources; classes should be small; and young children need to music and movement to maximize development.