No description available.

No description available.

No description available.

Background: One in every nine school-age children in Ontario has special needs (SN) as a result of developmental disorders, however, the distribution of SN is unequal among schools. This prompted a group level exploration of the developmental health outcomes of typically developing children in schools with SN children. Methods: This study uses data from the Early Development Instrument (EDI; kindergarten measure of child development), administered in Ontario between 2010-2012, and neighbourhood-level socioeconomic status (SES) from the 2006 Canadian Census to examine associations between school SN prevalence and typically developing children’s development. Relationships between school SN prevalence and developmental health in those schools were explored in Grade 3 using Education, Quality and Accountability Office (EQAO) tests. Findings: Kindergarten multivariable regression model showed that school SN prevalence was associated with school level kindergarten vulnerability rates after controlling for SES and demographic factors. However, school SN prevalence was not a significant predictor of school performance in Grade 3 reading, writing and math test scores. Our exploration revealed that school kindergarten vulnerability rate, which was itself associated with the school prevalence of children with SN, was a stronger predictor of school Grade 3 academic outcomes than school SN prevalence after controlling for demographic and SES factors. Conclusions: This study provides a snapshot of population level inequalities in child health outcomes by demonstrating associations between school SN prevalence and kindergarten vulnerability, and kindergarten vulnerability and Grade 3 achievement. These findings further emphasize the importance of adequate early intervention programs in schools, and appropriate resource allocation for the health outcomes of typically developing children. / Thesis / Master of Health Sciences (MSc)

Educational reforms have created a climate of accountability and high academic pressure that has resulted in a pushing down of the curriculum into early childhood education. Once a prominent pedagogical feature, play is disappearing from kindergarten. The following is a doctoral dissertation that studied administrator, teacher, and parent perceptions of play and its role within the kindergarten curriculum at a Catholic elementary school in the Los Angeles Archdiocese. Using a qualitative case study method, the study noted how play was utilized in transitional kindergarten and traditional kindergarten classrooms at the school site. Interviews, classroom observations, and document review of school publications contributed to the following findings: play was used as a reward for classroom management, adults did not commonly see the connection between play and learning, and academic achievement was valued over play. These findings were placed in the larger context of kindergarten, play, and curriculum by using a theoretical framework built on Early Child Education theories and Epstein’s (2011) Parental Involvement framework. This case study highlighted factors that influenced curriculum design and implementation in kindergarten. It contributes to the effort to inform parents, teachers, administrators, and policy makers of the importance of defending play within kindergarten in light of social pressures that favor a didactic kindergarten setting.

A study was made to determine the views of elementary principals regarding criteria for a quality kindergarten program and to plan a staff development program based upon the data collected. The study was limited to elementary principals in the eight Texas counties of Education Service Center Region 10 with kindergartens on their campuses during the 1973-1974 school year. Principals who had kindergartens on their campuses before the 1973-1974 school year did not perform better on the questionnaire than the principals with kindergartens for the first time during the 1973-1974 school year. Comparisons of individual and composite item scores showed similar responses from both groups, the only exception being on an item pertaining to the appropriateness of wheeled toys on the elementary playground. There was a difference of approximately 15 percent in favor of the more experienced group. Principals who had completed early childhood education courses scored slightly higher than principals who had not completed such courses. An increase in the number of semester hours completed did not appear to improve performance on the questionnaire.

With the growing English for speakers of other languages (ESOL) population in the United States, English instruction is becoming vitally important in schools. Despite this growing need, many schools are eliminating ESOL support services that promote English learning, and some schools are eliminating ESOL support services in primary grades. The purpose of this quantitative study was to determine whether providing ESOL support in kindergarten improved students' reading level, vocabulary, and reading comprehension. Vygotsky's social learning theory and theory of proximal development provided the theoretical framework of the study. The research questions concerned differences in comprehension scores, vocabulary scores, and reading levels between students who were provided ESOL support services (n = 55) and those who were not (n = 51). A quasi-experimental pre/posttest control group design was used. Due to violations in homogeneity of variance and normality, the Kruskall-Wallis test, the nonparametric equivalent of the 1-way ANOVA, was conducted. Results indicated no statistically significant differences between the groups. Recommendations include replicating the study with a larger sample size to increase statistical power. This study may promote positive social change, as leaders in the local school district may use the findings and recommendations to make decisions on future services and continued evaluations to contribute toward ESOL student achievement.

Almost from birth, children are immersed in a technologically rich world yet they often enter preschools that offer little to no use of technology. Preschool learning is tied to more traditional forms of reading and writing; this may be inconsistent with the ways children are learning at home and will learn in elementary school. Despite growing interest in creating learning environments that better mirror the technological experiences of the home, there is a significant gap in current research about how learning is affected in preschool environments designed with multiple forms of technology. This qualitative single case study was designed to explore children's preferred uses of technology for learning in a Montessori preschool. The study was supported by the New London Group's theory of multiliteracies and the model of the Montessori method. Data were collected using pre and post teacher interviews, observations, and student generated video and audio recordings of learning activities. Data were coded to form preliminary categories, and open coding was used to generate themes. The findings revealed that children preferred to use technology to express ideas, to write stories, and to visually document and share their learning experiences with others. When technology was made readily available for learning, children became confident, independent, and responsible users. The inclusion of technology also increased learning and encouraged children to socially interact through new media. Implications for social change include the implementation of learning tools that are more closely aligned with those used in future schooling which may result in higher achievement.

published_or_final_version / Japanese Studies / Doctoral / Doctor of Philosophy

published_or_final_version / Education / Master / Master of Education