Thesis, PlanB (M.S.)--University of Wisconsin--Stout, 2005. / Includes bibliographical references.

Thesis, PlanB (M.S.)--University of Wisconsin--Stout, 2005. / Includes bibliographical references.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Texas at Austin, 2005. / Supervisors: Aletha Huston and Elizabeth Vandewater. Vita. Includes bibliographical references. Also available from UMI.

<p> A large body of research has established the existence of a gap in vocabulary knowledge that occurs largely along socioeconomic lines, is evident prior to age two, and continues to widen as children age. Because research has shown that early vocabulary knowledge supports present and later text comprehension, interventions for supporting preschoolers&rsquo; vocabulary development are being explored through research and in classrooms.</p><p> The present study sought to build upon prior research to explore the impact of two intervention conditions, <i>rich instruction</i> + <i> more rich instruction</i> (RI) and <i>rich instruction</i> + <i>play</i> (+P), on preschoolers&rsquo; knowledge of targeted Tier 2 vocabulary words selected from read-alouds of children&rsquo;s literature. The study included 28 preschool students in two full-day, state-funded classrooms, mean age=4.32. A within-subjects design was used to allow all students to experience both conditions by randomly assigning target words to each condition.</p><p> Findings suggest that participation in both the <i>rich instruction </i> + <i>more rich instruction</i> (RI) and <i>rich instruction </i> +<i>play</i> (+P) conditions increased preschoolers&rsquo; learning of targeted Tier 2 vocabulary words. Furthermore, students demonstrated deeper word learning in the +P condition as compared to the RI condition. There is some evidence to suggest that preschoolers may have been more engaged in the classroom activities in the +P condition than when they were in the RI condition. Implications for choosing target words for preschool students are also discussed.</p><p>

<p>Preschool children hold immense writing potential that is rarely realized in traditional classrooms. This mixed-methods, quasi-experimental study focused on how best to teach these emergent writers. By comparing the effects of interactive writing, writing workshop, and traditional instruction, the study provided a clearer picture of how these instructional approaches influence students? writing achievement and processes. The quantitative results of the study pointed to the effectiveness of both writing workshop and interactive writing for improving students? foundational writing skills. The qualitative results supported these findings and highlighted how students differed in the extent they identified as authors and played in their writing. Based on these findings, both writing workshop and interactive writing might be effectively applied in preschool classrooms by empowering emergent writers and providing opportunities to write.

Thesis (M.S.)--University of North Texas, Aug., 2009. / Title from title page display. Includes bibliographical references.

Thesis (M.A.)--Marshall University, 2001. / Title from document title page. Document formatted into pages; contains 25 p. Includes bibliographical references (p. 17-18).

Thesis (M.S.)--Florida State University, 2003. / Advisor: Ron Mullis, Florida State University, College of Human Sciences, Dept. of Family and Child Sciences. Title and description from dissertation home page (viewed Mar. 15, 2004). Includes bibliographical references.

Thesis (Ed. D.)--UCLA, 20089. / Vita. Description based on print version record. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 345-378).

The purpose of this study was to examine children's play and language when a variety of unfamiliar multicultural pretend foods and cooking utensils not typically found in dramatic play centers were introduced. The study was conducted in a laboratory preschool setting with three multiage heterogeneous groups of children over a period of 7 weeks.Three methods of data collection were employed: (a) videotapes of children in the dramatic play center, (b) a notebook of observations made by the teachers when the researcher was not present, and (c) interviews with 18 children. The children who chose to play in the dramatic play center were videotaped daily during indoor play time for 1 week prior to the introduction of new materials. The new multicultural pretend foods and cooking utensils were introduced during the second week of the study. The children were then videotaped daily for 2 more weeks and then once each week for the next 4 weeks.The data collected from the videotapes and teacher notes were used to develop coding categories. Categories of children's play were: (a) time spent playing with unfamiliar materials, (b) conventional use of materials, and (c) unconventional use of materials. Categories of children's language were: (a) labeling, (b) other conversation in dramatic play, (c) questions, and (d) conversation about the materials outside of the dramatic play center.The data were interpreted to discover how children interacted with and talked about the multicultural pretend foods and cooking utensils. It was concluded that children interacted with the unfamiliar multicultural pretend foods and cooking utensils in much the same manner as familiar materials. Labeling items or being able to put words with the foods and cooking utensils appeared to be important to the children. Children used unfamiliar materials unconventionally more often than they used familiar materials unconventionally. Furthermore, children did not see a relationship between the items in the dramatic play center and materials in other parts of the preschool. / Department of Elementary Education