This study examined the effects of a computer CD-ROM storybook program on 73 Head Start children in Logan, Utah. A variation on the two-group pretest/posttest design was used to determine if there was any increase in emergent literacy skills after spending an average of 15 minutes per day for an average of 12 days on the computer. Previous research suggests that a child's home environment is integral to the preschool child 's emergent literacy development. A parent questionnaire designed for assessing information regarding the child 's I iterate environment at home was administered. Mean scores indicated that those children scoring highest on an aggregate score of four questions from the parental questionnaire also scored highest on three assessments of emergent literacy, supporting previous research that children who have been read to at home are more prepared to learn reading in the classroom. Posttest scores indicated an increase in scores for the experimental group over the not-well-read-to control group on all three assessments. Two of the three measures indicated statistically significant differences from the well-read-to control group (p = < .05). One of the most interesting findings, however, was that the experimental group's assessment scores increased over the not-well-read-to control group, but did not exceed the well-read-to control group's scores, further supporting the evidence discussed above that children who are read to in the home have an advantage over those children who are not. From these results, it was determined that computers cannot take the place of effective instruction in the home; however, when used appropriately in the classroom, the results of this study suggest that it is useful to integrate computers in the preschool classroom to augment the emergent literacy instruction already taking place.

The effect of compensatory education was studied as it influences school readiness in preschool children . The research was conducted in the Logan and Providence areas of Cache County, Utah, with 44 children who had completed the kindergarten year of school. Twenty-two of the children had participated in the compensatory educational experience of Head Start prior to their kindergarten experience. It was found that there was not a significant difference between the Head Start children and their neighbors in terms of their performance on the Boehm Test of Basic Concepts. Therefore, in terms of school preparedness, the Head Start children seem to be equal to their peers in basic concept knowledge as they enter the first grade. The findings also indicate that additional studies will be needed to determine if the Head Start children in this study have maintained an ability level comparable to their nearest-neighbor peers.

This study examined the effects of a parent-implemented intervention on preschool children's development of letter-naming and phonological awareness skills. Six parent-child dyads with children enrolled in a Head Start Program in West Central Florida were selected to participate in the study. A multiple baseline across participants design was used to evaluate the impact of an intervention package that included activities focusing on: (1) using mnemonics to learn letter names and (2) developing phonological awareness of the onsets of words through parent questioning and feedback. Phonological awareness development was measured using the Dynamic Indicators of Basic Early Literacy Skills First Sound Fluency (DIBELS-FSF) and letter-naming ability was measured using the DIBELS Letter Knowledge (DIBELS-LK) probes. Results showed that five of the six students responded favorably to the intervention, increasing their growth rate on at least one of the two measures. The final child showed little change in trends across the phases. Additionally, data was collected regarding intervention integrity of intervention implementation as well as social validity, or the acceptance and usefulness, of the intervention. Intervention integrity data revealed that the majority of parents completed the intervention with high levels of fidelity, although variability across parents was noted. Social validity data indicated that the parents found the program helpful and effective. Implications for research and practice are discussed.

This study utilized a qualitative approach to explore how Healthy Start home visiting services affect participants' parenting and lives in general. The purpose of this study was to explore both the intended and unintended outcomes of Healthy Start, using the theory of transformative learning. This theory postulates that through education individuals examine their thoughts, beliefs, and behaviors. This self-examination results in changes in self-perception that can impact lives in many unexpected ways. Through interviews with 20 families, who had participated in Healthy Start for at least 6 months, families reported both anticipated and unanticipated changes in their lives. It was found that Healthy Start influences a variety of positive outcomes for families. Previous quantitative findings were supported. According to the parents interviewed, Healthy Start is achieving its intended outcomes and goals. Parents reported greater ability to access health care services, improvements in their home learning environment, and improved interactions with their child. Parents also indicated increased knowledge of child development and community resources. Findings also provided support for the occurrence of transformative learning. Interviewed parents indicated that their involvement with Healthy Start impacted more than just their parenting. Through a supportive relationship and goal setting, the participants were able to reach beyond basic parent education. The interviews suggest that the mechanism for transformative learning lies in the supportive, non-threatening relationship that develops between parent and home visitor. This supportive relationship, in addition to guided goals setting, enhances a parent's feelings of self-efficacy and increases their ability to make life changes and persist in the face of challenges. Parents reported improved relationships with others, increased feelings of confidence, and the ability to accomplish otherwise unattainable things. / Graduation date: 2002

Parents are often advised to increase the amount of time spent with their preschool-age children because of the beneficial outcomes associated with positive parent-child interactions, and numerous programs exist to encourage and support this type of parent involvement. However, there is a paucity of information about whether and how parents manage and organize their time in a manner that facilitates parents’ interactions with children. Increasing home-based parent involvement is a federal mandate and central tenet of the Head Start program for low-income parents. One of the ways in which a local Head Start program encourages parent involvement is to offer weekly educational activities to families designed to be completed at home by parents and their children. The purpose of this study was to examine how a group of Head Start managed and organized their time in a manner that facilitated completion of these activities and the way in which other aspects of the home environment affected these efforts. Parents in this study (N =22) were diverse in terms of ethnicity, parenting status (grandmothers, grandfathers, mothers, fathers), employment status, marital status, and education. The constant-comparison method was used to analyze comments obtained during focus groups. Parents primarily discussed time management and organization in two ways: techniques and tools that helped them manage and organize time and the obstacles they faced in doing so. Parents also discussed alteration of the physical environment conducive to completing the activity, the benefit of social support, and the ways in which they acquired and maintained their child’s engagement in the activity. Knowledge about such time management strategies may be utilized by programs hoping to increase home-based parental involvement. This study contributes to the current dearth of information that exists about low-income family time management and organization.

An experimental comparison was made of the effects of teacher participation, teacher probing behavior, and nonparticipation by teachers during the sociodramatic play sessions of three groups of Head Start preschool students (twelve subjects). A combination of the multiple baseline and multielement single-subject designs was employed to study the effects of teacher participation in sociodramatic play on the amount of language production exhibited by Head Start students. A Placheck method was utilized to record student language production at the end of each 10-second interval throughout each 10-minute session. Thirty play sessions were observed and recorded by both the researcher and a videocamera. Students were selected by their teachers, and all play sessions took place within the children's own classroom. Subjects included six males and six females.The study was divided into three phases. The Baseline phase included the alternation of the conditions of teacher participation and nonparticipation. At the end of this phase, teachers were trained in the use of probes, or questions to which the answer is not known by the teacher. During the Probe phase, teachers participated in play sessions daily and utilized frequent probes. During the Multielement Manipulation phase, the conditions of teacher participation alone and teacher participation emphasizing the use of probes were randomly alternated. Graphic representations of subject performance data were used to portray intersubject and intrasubject variability.Results indicated that rates of student language production increased for 10 out of 12 students (83%) when exposed to the condition of teacher probing during the Probe phase of the study. When the effects of teacher participation and teacher participation emphasizing probing were compared, it was found that 11 out of 12 students (92%) exhibited higher rates of language production during the condition of teacher probing.It was concluded that the use of teacher participation in the sociodramatic play of Head Start students, particularly with an emphasis on probing behavior, proved to be most beneficial in enhancing the amount of language production of the students. The findings of the present study lend support to the concept that teacher participation in the sociodramatic play of low-income preschool children can result in increased student language development.

Head Start, an early intervention program administered by the Administration for Children and Families of the Department of Health and Human Services, offers children of low-income families comprehensive services in an effort to even the playing field with their more advantaged peers upon entering kindergarten. Despite the many areas that Head Start addresses, evaluative efforts continuously focus primarily on cognitive gains as a result of Head Start as an intervention. This study examined the potential long-term effects of the health component of Head Start. More specifically, the study investigated whether Head Start impacts a family?s ability to make positive changes in the home in the way of preventive health measures with regard to childhood obesity, immunizations, and dental health, three important areas of childhood health. Participants in the research study included children enrolled in Head Start between 2004 and 2006, and children on the waiting list within the same time. Followup interviews were conducted with families in both groups that inquired about health behaviors specifically related to childhood obesity, immunizations, and dental health. The Head Start (HS) Group and Waiting List Control (WLC) Group were compared to determine if Head Start made a difference in a family?s probability of engaging in more proactive health measures. Responses of the HS Group were also compared with responses from their initial health assessment upon enrolling in Head Start to determine if they demonstrate positive changes. Results did not support hypotheses, and in many instances the WLC Group demonstrated better proactive health measures than the HS Group. Because of operational difficulties, there is limited inference about the impact of the Head Start program. Possible contributors to the results include a small sample size due to the mobility of the target population and overrepresentation of Hispanic children in the study. Limited differences observed between the HS and WLC groups confirms the importance of further investigating the long-term impact of Head Start in areas other than cognitive gains.

There is an achievement gap occurring between ethnic minority children, mostly from low-income homes, and European American children in the United States. The gap between these children is present at school entry. Many children are not prepared for the minimal standards needed to succeed in school and, as a result, the gap widens throughout schooling. School readiness is an important attribute for future success among all children. There are many efforts to close this school readiness gap through early intervention. Head Start is an example of an early intervention program offering educational and social services to low-income families in an effort to promote school readiness among children at-risk for school failure. Early intervention programs, policy, and research acknowledge that advocating parent involvement and empowerment is the foundation for improving children's ability to be successful in school. The purpose of this study was to examine the association between parent variables and school outcomes. Specifically, the focus was to study how parent expectations and parent involvement in home learning and enrichment activities affect the school readiness of children enrolled in Head Start. The study examined how these parent variables were related to children's school readiness, and differences between ethnic groups, gender groups, and level of risk. The study tested a model whereby the effect of parent expectations on school readiness is mediated by parent involvement. The sample consisted of 77 caregivers, primarily mothers or mother figures, and their children who were enrolled in a Head Start preschool program. The caregivers were given experimental measures in addition to questionnaires adapted from standardized measures to assess parent behaviors. Standardized measures were administered to children to assess school readiness. Demographic information and level of risk were gathered using existing data collected during the enrollment process. Results indicated that high parent expectations directly relate to increased school readiness scores. Parent expectations also had a positive direct relationship to parent involvement. However, results did not support that parent involvement in home learning activities served as a mediator of the relationship between parent expectations and school readiness variables. In addition, the analysis of ethnicity, gender, and risk level suggested these variables had no moderation effects on the parent expectations and school readiness relationship or the comprehensive model. Study implications for parent behaviors and school readiness are discussed.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Missouri-Columbia, 2001. / Typescript. Vita. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 196-199). Also available on the Internet.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Missouri-Columbia, 2001. / Typescript. Vita. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 196-199). Also available on the Internet.