Thesis (Ed. D.)--University of Hawaii at Manoa, 1996. / Includes bibliographical references (leaves 237-246). / Microfiche. / xvii, 246 leaves, bound ill. 29 cm

This dissertation draws on data from a six-month study of the materiality of one Kindergarten classroom undergoing curriculum reform in an urban public elementary school. Informed by a network case study approach, whereby case study methods are uncased through an Actor Network Theory lens, I question what it means to say literacy curriculum is enacted, or reformed, by acknowledging the multiplicity of actors entangled within curriculum, both human and non-human, local and distant, invited and uninvited. Furthermore, I propose ways of uncasing studies of literacy curriculum, revealing how no site—a school, a classroom, or an instructional block—is a fixed case but rather is constructed through networks of mobility streaming from many places. Through ecological surveys, images, fieldnotes, recordings and document archives, I trace the materialities of one Kindergarten classroom outward to reveal multiple dynamic networks—shifting school zones, neighborhoods, and curricular trends—that mobilize various bodies and materials into one seemingly stable public-school classroom. Networked within one morning meeting, for instance, were rotting pumpkins, pocket charts and cheese sandwiches doing the work of environmental nonprofits, DOE officials, and cafeteria staff, all entangled with the teacher and students in solving the problem of food waste at lunch. However, I also confront ethical choices made in tracing literacy curriculum as material “network effects.” Set in the nation’s most segregated school system, I address how curriculum is not only affected by networks of circulating materials, but also networks circulating students’ bodies into unequal school spaces, leading to neighborhood gentrification and changing school funding and enrollment. I conclude with what responsibilities exist for researchers advocating for a material focus to address systemic issues of injustice in schools.

The purpose of the study was to examine the effects of developmental instruction on the whole number computational abilities and mathematical attitudes of kindergarten children. Gender differences in mathematical achievement and attitudes were also explored.Ten traditional mathematics lessons were adapted by the researcher from the adopted mathematic program for the school system, Heath Mathematics, Connections, (Mangre, et al., 1992). Ten developmental mathematics lessons were created by the researcher following the guidelines of the NCTM Standards (1989) promoting the notion of a developmentally appropriate curriculum. The research designed both the Attitudinal Scale and Cognitive Abilities Test which were given both before and after the instructional treatment.The school corporation chosen as the site for the research was located in an urban area consisting of two small cities and the surrounding rural areas. The community consisted of people with diverse socioeconomic status and cultural backgrounds. The sample for the study consisted of 62 kindergarten students enrolled in four half-day classes in one elementary school. Complete data were available for 50 students. Four hypotheses were formulated and tested at the .05 level of significance.ResultsThe four hypotheses were analyzed using a 2 (method) x 2 (gender) MANOVA on the gain scores for both achievement and attitude taken together. Gain scores were obtained by subtracting the pretest score from the posttest score for both achievement and attitude.The findings of the study were:1. There was no significant difference between the whole number computational abilities of kindergarten children receiving developmental instruction and kindergarten children receiving traditional instruction.2. There was no significant difference between the whole number computational abilities of kindergarten boys and kindergarten girls receiving developmental and traditional instruction.3. There was no significant difference in the mathematical attitudes of kindergarten children receiving developmental instruction and kindergarten children receiving traditional instruction.4. There was no significant difference in the mathematical attitudes of kindergarten boys and kindergarten girls receiving developmental and traditional instruction. / Department of Elementary Education

No description available.

An analysis of the United Methodist Church kindergarten curriculum has been made in this thesis in an attempt to determine to what extent the curriculum affrims personhood, The study is limited to six years of kindergarten curriculum, fall 1967 through summer 1973. The first objective is to examine the curriculum to discover the extent of affirmation of personhood in general. The second objective is to determine significant trends or changes over a six-year period of curriculum surveyed in terms of affirmation of personhood. The third objective is the recommendation of further changes in the curriculum so that it is more affirming of personhood.

John Dewey’s Art as Experience (1934) declares art to be the “incomparable organ of instruction” on the third to last page of the book. This dissertation analyzes the place of children within the aesthetic philosophy Dewey expresses in the text and what the implications of Art as Experience could mean if applied to the art-making of children as the foundation for developing kindergarten and elementary curriculum. By exploring Dewey’s earlier writings on education and art, the dissertation develops a view of how art-making could be applied in a Deweyan pedagogy. The main influences on Dewey’s aesthetic development are explored including the frequently overlooked influence of F. Matthias Alexander. Particular emphasis is given to Dewey’s relationship with Albert Barnes and Dewey’s place in the Barnes Foundation as the Director of Education. The writings of Barnes and Dewey’s three associate directors of education are considered for their possible influence on Dewey’s aesthetic development as it applies to establishing a Deweyan philosophy of art-based education. A selection of the initial reviews of Art As Experience from 1934 and 1935 are analyzed to establish the reception of the book. The contentious arguments that Dewey and Benedetto Croce exchanged in print from the late 1940s until both men’s deaths are explored for what they reveal about Dewey’s view of intuition in art-making. A selection of contemporary writers’ views on Dewey’s aesthetics are considered as well as the conclusions of the 1989 University of Illinois Symposium on the influence of Art as Experience. The dissertation concludes by isolating twenty concepts from Art as Experience and considering their meaning as the foundation on which kindergarten and elementary curriculum could be formed. The guidelines are built upon 76 passages from Art as Experience and establish John Dewey as a dominant influence in the formation of Art Education. / text

University of Macau / Faculty of Education