The number of preschool children displaying externalizing emotional and behavioral difficulties is constantly increasing. At the same time, these children often lack social and emotional skills as well. Even though more and more children display this noticeable behavior and preschool teachers are constantly reporting being overwhelmed with these children’s behavior in preschool, a high number of children do not receive any support or intervention. Play provides appropriate means to support children’s social and emotional development as play has a significant importance in young children’s development. The aim of this systematic literature review is to get a better understanding through previous research on which play interventions have been found to facilitate the social-emotional development in preschool children with externalizing emotional and behavioral difficulties. Six studies with six different play-oriented interventions have been identified through this review. The results show that all interventions had either positive outcomes on the social-emotional development or show a decrease in emotional or behavioral difficulties. The factors which have been found as facilitating to these outcomes were use of play, intervention setting, awareness of others, involvement of licensed professionals, a safe environment and culturally and ethnically representative toys. This review provides a comprehensive overview on effective play-based interventions in preschool setting. However, further research is needed to examine individual environmental, familial and participation factors as well as specific training for preschool teachers. / Die Zahl der Kindergarten Kinder mit externalisierenden sozial und emotionalen Verhaltensauffälligkeiten steigt permanent an. Gleichzeitig zeigen diese Kinder oft ein Defizit in sozialen und emotionalen Kompetenzen. Obwohl die Anzahl der Kinder mit diesen Verhaltensauffälligkeiten immer weiter ansteigt und auch Erzieher/Innen immer wieder darauf hinweisen, dass sie mit dem Verhalten der Kinder überfordert sind, erhalten viele Kinder keine Förderung. Spiel bietet einen angemessenen Ansatz, um Kinder in ihren sozial-emotionalen Kompetenzen zu unterstützen. Es ist bewiesen, dass Spiel eine signifikant positive Auswirkung auf die sozial-emotionale Entwicklung von Kindern hat. Das Ziel dieser systematischen Literaturanalyse ist es ein besseres Verständnis über bereits bestehende spielorientiere Förderangebote und deren Auswirkung auf die sozial-emotionale Entwicklung von Kindergarten Kindern mit externalisierenden sozial-emotionalen Verhaltensauffälligkeiten zu erhalten. Sechs Studien mit sechs unterschiedlichen spielorientierten Förderangeboten wurden während der Analyse identifiziert. Die Ergebnisse zeigen, dass alle Förderangebote entweder positive Auswirkungen auf die sozial-emotionale Entwicklung hatten oder sozial-emotionale Verhaltensauffälligkeiten reduziert wurden. Fördernde Faktoren auf die Auswirkungen der Angebote waren die Anwendung von Spiel, der Rahmen, in der das Angebot stattgefunden hat, das Bewusstsein der Anwesenheit anderer, die Einbindung von geschulten Fachleuten, eine sichere Umgebung und die Anwendung von kulturell und ethnisch repräsentativem Spielzeug. Diese Analyse gibt einen umfassenden Überblick von spielorientierten Förderangeboten, die im Kindergarten umsetzbar sind. Es besteht jedoch ein Bedarf an weiterer Forschung, die individuelle Aspekte aus der Umwelt, der Familie und der Teilhabe der Kinder berücksichtigt. Außerdem ist es von Bedeutung, dass Erzieher/Innen die Möglichkeit für eine bessere Schulung bekommen, um mit den Verhaltensauffälligkeiten der Kinder besser umgehen zu können.

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Theory of mind involves the ability to take another person’s perspective in thought, emotions and intentions.  There is today a lack of instruments to assess children’s development of Theory of Mind (ToM) in Swedish. ToM is considered by many scientists to be the basis for development of pragmatic competence. The relationship between these two abilities is complex and not fully resolved. Both abilities are important components for the development of social skills.     The purpose of this study was to compare 4 and 5-year olds ToM-ability measured with a Swedish version of Wellman and Liu’s ToM-scale, Sally Anne and Social Emotional Test with estimated pragmatic competence measured with the Children’s Communication Checklist (CCC). To make this possible the study also aims to translate and evaluate a Swedish version of Wellman and Liu’s ToM-scale. In the study 39 children in the age of 4 and 5 years old participated (20 4-year olds and 19 5-year olds).     The present study can point to the relationship between the ToM1 ability false belief and pragmatic abilities, as well as different abilities related to pragmatics (conversational rapport, use of discourse context and prosody). Correlation between prosody and other measures of ToM1 abilities was also observed. The result can be linked to previous research on the relationship between pragmatics and ToM. ToM and pragmatic are two abilities that are linked to each other. But as the result is not entirely conclusive, they may also shed more light to the complexity of these abilities and their relationship.      The result of the evaluation of Wellman and Liu’s ToM-scale shows that most of the children got a result pattern that agreed with the hypothesis of a gradual acquisition of ToM-abilties. However, Swedish 4 year olds did to a greater extent passed questions in a pattern that was not compatible with the gradual acquisition claim than American children did in a previous study. One reason for this result may be cultural differences. More research is needed on a larger selection of subjects and a wider range of age groups before any conclusions can be drawn. However, the translated scale can be used in a qualitative way, to examine which aspects of a ToM a child comprehends.

AIM AND OBJECTIVES The investigation aimed to determine how the learning of the life sciences is facilitated (mediated) in special schools for blind learners and to establish how the lessons learnt from this experience could be implemented to the advantage of blind learners in the Senior Phase and Further Education and Training Band in inclusive Outcomes-based education settings. METHODOLOGY Educators and blind learners were interviewed through the use of the Qualitative Inquiry methodology as well as its techniques and strategies for data gathering. Analysis of the transcripts resulted in the development of themes/codes discussed in the research investigation. RESULTS Educators spent a good amount of time and effort with blind learners in the biology and life sciences classrooms. It appeared as if the pastoral role of the educator predominantly exceeded the teaching of biology and life sciences to these learners. Further, it became evident that the emphasis did not fall strongly enough on the achievement of the outcomes envisaged with the biology curriculum but more on the establishment of a caring and supportive classroom environment. CONCLUSIONS Biology and other life sciences subjects have much potential for the blind learners in South Africa but they are not offered at some of the schools or efficiently mediated due to educators’ reluctance, lack of knowledge and resources. Learning mediation strategies to make biology and life sciences more accessible to blind learners could be explored. / Thesis (PhD (Curriculum and Instructional Design and Development))--University of Pretoria, 2006. / Curriculum Studies / unrestricted

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The purpose of this study was to expand upon the research with high school principals and leaders of school divisions as they seek to implement the Multi-Tiered Systems of Support (MTSS) framework. Though a significant number of studies have been conducted at the elementary and middle school levels, research at the high school level has lagged (Choi et al., 2019). This study consisted of a survey sent to 251 principals in the Commonwealth of Virginia. The survey return rate was 17%, with a fully completed survey return rate of 10%. The survey consisted of a principal self-assessment of the MTSS framework and of the four elements necessary for the implementation of MTSS: collaborative culture, Response to Intervention (RtI), Positive Behavior Intervention and Supports (PBIS), and social-emotional learning (SEL). The self-assessment section of the survey was followed by a series of Likert scale statements addressing collaborative culture, RtI, PBIS, and SEL. These statements went into specific detail to create a deeper reflection on the school culture by principals. The statements were divided into two parts. The first part addressed potential obstacles within the school culture and the second addressed potential principal actions. The first phase of analysis consisted of a two-tailed t test to compare the mean of the MTSS framework self-assessment to the means of the self-assessments for collaborative culture, RtI, PBIS, and SEL. The second phase was a series of two-tailed t tests to compare the means of collaborative culture, RtI, PBIS, and SEL to the means of the Likert scale statements. The p-value for all but one two-tailed t test performed in the study exceeded the accepted 0.05. The one exception was the mean of the principal self-assessment for SEL compared to the mean of the Likert statements for SEL at 0.03 and N = 25. Beyond conducting the mean analysis, Likert scale ratings for each statement were examined to identify trends and outliers. The implications of the results are that the data from the survey or similar surveys can be useful to principals and leaders of other school divisions to inform professional development, prioritize resources, and implement strategies to improve student performance in both academic and social-emotional learning. / Doctor of Education / Multi-Tiered Systems of Support (MTSS) was part of the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) in 2015. Originally focused on literacy, MTSS has evolved into a framework designed to eliminate achievement gaps in academics and in social-emotional learning (SEL) for students. This study was designed to add to the research as it applies to the implementation of MTSS at the high school level. The research at the elementary level, and to a lesser degree at the middle school level, is much more robust than at the high school level. The survey used in this study was based on a literature review that showed there are four elements necessary for the implementation of MTSS: collaborative culture, Response to Intervention (RtI), Positive Behavior Intervention and Supports (PBIS), and SEL. The survey was sent to high school principals in the Commonwealth of Virginia and consisted of five sections. The first section was a principal self-assessment of the readiness of the culture of their school to support the MTSS framework, as well as for collaborative culture, RtI, PBIS, and SEL. The following four sections of the survey included a series of Likert scale statements for each element of implementation (i.e., collaborative culture, RtI, PBIS, and SEL) that addressed obstacles to implementation as well as principal actions to overcome those obstacles. A two-tailed t test was performed to determine whether any of the comparisons of the means were statistically significant. Only one t test, the mean comparison of SEL self-assessment to the mean of the Likert scale statements, was statistically significant with a p-value of 0.03, with the mean of the self-assessment rating higher than the mean of the Likert scale statements. The analysis of the Likert scale statements did show trends and outliers for specific statements for all four elements necessary for the implementation of the MTSS framework (i.e., collaborative culture, RtI, PBIS, and SEL). The data collected along with the literature review, adds to the research on MTSS for high school principals and school division leaders. The data point to implications for principals and leaders of school divisions in terms of professional development, allocation of resources, and areas of focus for closing academic and social-emotional gaps for students.

The purpose of this study was to examine a novel campus-based multi-tier systems of support (MTSS) framework. The framework included a standard-response protocol approach to response to intervention (RTI), integrated with a reversed process to professional learning communities, to support learning for students who were struggling to learn. Using a causal-comparative research design, a secondary analysis of quantitative data from one Title I school of approximately 500 students during the 2016-2018 school years was conducted to determine the level of impact MTSS had on reading achievement. Independent and paired samples t-tests were used to analyze iStation indicators of progress reading scores, resulting in statistically significant results. Kindergarten through 5th grade students' reading scores were significantly higher after one year of MTSS intervention than students who did not receive MTSS. One year of MTSS intervention had a statistically significant impact on both early and intermediate readers. Early readers, who began below grade level, performed significantly higher in reading achievement after just one year of MTSS as well. Intermediate readers, who began on or above grade level did not perform significantly higher in reading achievement after one year of MTSS, however. Possible long-term implications for MTSS were analyzed by comparing one year to two years of MTSS intervention. A consistently significant increase in reading scores occurred, suggesting growth that took place from one year of MTSS was enhanced by an additional year of MTSS. This novel MTSS framework could be used by campus leaders as an intervention to provide equitable learning for all students and yield statistically significant results in reading achievement in one school year. Additional research examining the impact of MTSS on Tier 1 intermediate readers receiving enrichment is recommended.

Schools are increasingly expected to prevent and decrease violence, substance use, and other problem behaviors linked to academics and prepare students to be contributing members of society. One approach with proven success in promoting positive outcomes related to a broad range of student behaviors and personal characteristics is social-emotional learning, also known as positive youth development or social-emotional and character development (SECD) programs. Currently, little is known about the relationship between SECD and these outcomes in low-income, urban, minority populations. The present studies (a) examine key methodological design issues in conducting a cluster-randomized trial with such populations, and (b) assess whether an intervention designed to promote SECD was effective in improving the SECD developmental status of children from this population. Data for this study come from the Chicago cluster-randomized controlled trial (CRCT) of Positive Action (PA). The trial was longitudinal at the school level with a place-focused intent-to-treat design at the student level. This CRCT collected data on children in grades 3 through 8, for a total of 6 years and 8 data collection points. Manuscript #1 focuses on the design, sample, planned analyses, and a latent class analysis (LCA) of mobility patterns. Specifically, the setting and recruitment of schools is described, as well as the process by which schools were matched into pairs and randomized into PA or control, including the list of criteria for school eligibility and variables used for matching. Additionally, this paper thoroughly describes the primary analyses to test for program effects using three-level growth curve models (time nested within students nested within schools), as well as several sensitivity analyses that will also be conducted when evaluating this program. Further, this manuscript discusses secondary tests of meditation and moderation, which will assist in the understanding of how the program works (mediation) and for whom (moderation). Finally, this paper also provides several descriptive statistics and characteristics of the students and teachers in this sample. In terms of baseline equivalency, PA and control schools did not significantly differ on matching variables before or during the trial. Minimal differences were found on baseline reports from students, teachers, and parents; half of these differences favored PA students and half favored control students. Manuscript #2 focuses on the intervention effects on the student-, teacher-, and parent-reported social-emotional outcomes assessed during the Chicago CRCT, following the analytic procedures outlined in the first paper and focusing on the effectiveness of PA on social-emotional outcomes. Results indicate that PA had a significant effect on student self-reports of prosocial interactions, honesty, self-development, self-control, respect for parents and teachers, empathy, altruism, positive actions/feelings, negative moral center, and aggressive problem solving. Additionally, it was found that PA had marginal effects on teacher-reported responsibility. Minimal differences by gender were found; no differences by mobility status were found. Together, these two papers involved a sample of students in a high-risk setting; generating improvements can be particularly difficult in urban areas. The empirical evidence of effectiveness of a SECD program in a high-risk population, as demonstrated in the present study, should serve as a call to action for policymakers and school officials who are increasingly challenged to positively impact not only academic achievement, but also behavior and character development. / Graduation date: 2012