Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Texas at Austin, 2007. / Vita. Includes bibliographical references.

Thesis (Ph.D.)--University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, 2006. / Source: Dissertation Abstracts International, Volume: 67-11, Section: A, page: 4095. Adviser: Lizanne DeStefano. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 260-273) Available on microfilm from Pro Quest Information and Learning.

Thesis (M.A.)--West Virginia University, 2007. / Title from document title page. Document formatted into pages; contains v, 52 p. Includes abstract. Includes bibliographical references (p. 45-49).

Thesis (Ph. D.)--Ohio State University, 2007. / Title from first page of PDF file. Includes bibliographical references (p. 179-187).

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Missouri-Columbia, 2000. / Typescript. Vita. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 98-107). Also available on the Internet.

<p> Preschool teachers must overcome the pressure to become more academic in lieu of a whole child development curriculum approach in order to preserve developmentally appropriate practices and shape well-adjusted future citizens of society. In order to achieve this, it is important to give a voice to preschool teachers to better understand their struggle and to find effective resolutions. This is only possible through a qualitative case study that employs observations, interviews, and a focus group with an inductive analysis approach to the data. The development of the whole child will only be attainable through national policies that are supported by sound research and ongoing teacher training that is aligned with that research. When theory and practice are aligned, it provides more opportunities for teachers, parents, and the rest of the community to advocate for the same goals, which ultimately benefits children.</p>

<p> This causal-comparative research study identified the individual adult education philosophical orientations and teaching style preferences of early childhood education faculty members. It also examined the relationship between the educational philosophies, teaching style preferences, and the following demographics: gender, age, academic rank, years of teaching experience, and terminal degree. In addition, this study examined the relationship between theory and practice based on the Principle of Congruity. The concept of adult education philosophical orientations was identified and measured by Zinn&rsquo;s (2007) Philosophy of Adult Education Inventory (PAEI); the concept of teaching styles was identified and measured by Conti&rsquo;s (1982) Principles of Adult Learning Scale (PALS); and the Principle of Congruity was identified by Katz (1977). The target population included all higher education faculty members teaching in early childhood teacher preparation programs in college and university settings located in the Northern New England states of Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, and Vermont during the 2015 Winter/Spring semester. Purposive sampling was employed and a total of 45 faculty members completed the online survey. The majority (55.6%) of faculty members reported their primary educational philosophy of adult education was progressive, followed by 17.8% identifying with the behavioral orientation. The results also indicated that 62% of the faculty members had an adult educational philosophy that was congruent with their respective teaching style and of the sample (<i>N</i>=45), 57.8% faculty members identified with a learner-centered preference and 42.2% faculty members identified with the teacher-centered approach. Further, the results indicated that 22 (49%) faculty members identified their educational philosophy (progressive, humanistic, and radical/critical) and teaching style preference (learner-centered) were congruent with the Principle of Congruity. Data was analyzed using the Pearson correlation coefficient and ANOVA. Findings suggested there were statistically significant relationships between several of the adult educational philosophies and the overall teaching style; between several philosophical orientations and various factors of the teaching style; as well as between two demographics (age and terminal degree) and various philosophical orientations and teaching style factors. Lastly, the research hypothesis could not be supported and the null hypothesis was retained because no statistically significant relationships were suggested between the progressive and humanistic higher education faculty members and the liberal, behavioral, and radical/critical faculty members in preferences of teaching style.</p>

<p> The sexualization of girls is an ongoing issue that has garnered much attention in recent years, with one contributing factor, media, becoming an ever-increasing part of children&rsquo;s lives. This study explored four questions: How do mothers and teachers perceive the media&rsquo;s influence on young girls&rsquo; identity development? To what extent do these caregivers engage young girls in analyzing media messages? What observed behaviors of 4-year old girls indicate media&rsquo;s influence? and What are caregivers interpretations and responses to these behaviors? Analyzing the perceptions of mothers and female teachers of 4-year old girls contributes to a better understanding of how girls are influenced, both by caregivers&rsquo; actions and by media consumed. </p><p> Twelve mothers and female early childhood teachers from three South Florida preschools were interviewed to better understand how girls are influenced by media, and to gain a more holistic perspective of the potential impact of media on young girls&rsquo; behaviors and their emerging understanding of what it means to be a girl today. The findings indicate that mothers and female teachers perceive media to be influential in the lives of girls, both in terms of general child development and young girls&rsquo; gender identity development. The participants are observing behaviors in their 4-year old girls that indicate media&rsquo;s influence; these behaviors include sexualized dancing, attitude and language changes, and requests for sexualized clothing and beauty products. Although these mothers and teachers do not yet help girls analyze media messages, they do, however, engage in significant guidance as they interpret and respond to the observed behaviors. These findings reflect a need for media literacy education for parents and teachers, as well as comprehensive sexualization awareness and prevention education for children, parents, and teachers.</p><p>

<p> In the last two decades, research has increasingly demonstrated that public investment in high-quality early care and education, particularly when focused on low-income children, pays off in terms of improved outcomes for young learners in academic achievement and overall well-being (Heckman, 2011). Now, a growing evidence base within the early childhood field also demonstrates that socioeconomic status (SES) diversity in early learning settings improves kindergarten readiness and social-emotional development for all children (Reid, 2012). </p><p> To contribute to the early childhood field&rsquo;s efforts to better understand how parent choice and program leadership foster SES diversity within community early learning programs, this in-depth case study examined two high-quality SES-diverse community early education program sites operating in Baltimore City. Interviews were conducted with program executive-level and site-level leaders, staff, and a purposeful sample of parents of varying income levels. A parent focus group was also conducted. In addition, program-level leadership of early learning community programs in Baltimore City with a Maryland quality rating of two or more stars were surveyed. </p><p> Key findings of this study include, 1) Despite their shared belief in its implicit value, parents across the income continuum aren&rsquo;t explicitly seeking out enrollment in socioeconomically diverse early care and learning programs; 2) Within the two selected socioeconomically diverse program sites, program recruitment and engagement approaches are neither explicit or refined enough to appeal universally to parents across varying economic backgrounds; and 3) Both parents and leaders also may struggle against their own class-based social identities and deeply internalized value systems, including perceived superiority and privilege, in in enacting either the program choice or transformational leadership that drives the development socioeconomically diverse settings. Finally, this study informs leadership actions policymakers may take to promote the development and sustainability of socioeconomically diverse high-quality early learning programs.</p><p>

<p> The purpose of this study is to determine if the use of visual tools such as a printed hand on a stick is an effective strategy in changing or eliminating undesired behavior in the classroom, particularly whole group discussions. The setting was a general education Kindergarten classroom, in a public school, of typical size and makeup. The aim of the project was to co-observe the behavior of how students answer or share information in whole group situations. The sample group consisted of students that had previously displayed difficulty in following the rules of group discussions. The findings of the study are meant to be shared with teachers in the effectiveness of using this type of strategy as a means of changing an undesired behavior in the general education classroom during class discussions. The data was collected by recording lessons at various times of the day, first without using the visual tool and then with using the visual tool. Based on observations in the recordings, data was derived noting how many times a student raised his/her hand with or without acknowledgement. Based on the data, it is safe to conclude that a considerable change in the undesired behavior was not evident. </p><p>