This study examines primary grade retention as it is utilized in one suburban school district as an intervention for low achievement. Since as early as the late 1800's, educators have been struggling with the solution for students who do not demonstrate readiness for grade promotion. Grade retention is one of the practices that has been utilized in an effort to give students added time to prepare for the next grade level. This researcher collected and analyzed data on the experiences of a sample of six kindergarten, first, and second grade students who are repeating their respective grade level. The data for this qualitative study have been presented through classroom observations, parent and teacher interviews, and document review. The patterns that resulted from the data collection and analysis have provided insight into the factors that influence a student's experience with grade retention. This study explored the influential components of a primary grade retention program with recommendations for practical application in the field and future research in this area. / Educational Administration

This study was an investigation of public elementary school students' affective changes through English Activities of international understanding lessons at Japanese public elementary school. The learners' expected affective changes were regarded as International Posture, Self-esteem, Collective Self-esteem, and Interest in Foreign Affairs based on theoretical perspectives and the goals specified by Ministry of Education. / CITE/Language Arts

Quality teacher-child and teacher-parent relationships may function to protect young high-risk children from developing poor social and academic outcomes. The current study uses Bronfenbrenner's bioecological theory to conceptualize the relationships between risk, teacher-child and teacher-parent relationship quality, and children's social and academic competence. The objectives of the study were to: a)investigate whether teacher-child and teacher-parent relationship quality moderates the effects of maternal education on children's social and academic competence, and b) examine the associations among child characteristics and teacher-child and teacher-parent relationship quality. Data were collected from 805 Head Start children, their parents, and their classroom teachers. When controlling for children's gender and age, maternal education significantly predicted children's academic outcomes, and teacher-child and teacher-parent relationship quality significantly predicted children's social and academic competence. When controlling for child gender and age, teacher-child closeness and teacher-child conflict moderated the relationship between maternal education and children's letter naming. Child gender was associated with teacher-child closeness and conflict, and child age was associated with teacher-parent relationship quality. Overall, the findings suggest that teacher-child relationship quality may function as both a risk and a protective factor in the development of young high-risk children's outcomes. The results have important implications for research, policy, and practice in promoting school readiness in Head Start children. / School Psychology

In comparison to school age special education practices, preschool special education practices have received far less attention in the research community. Each year in the United States, over 250,000 preschool age children are determined to exhibit developmental delay. It is unknown how many of them exhibit developmental delay in the area of social emotional functioning and what is the educational placement in which they received special education services. In this study, a national sample of school psychologists (n=119) who practice in early childhood settings was surveyed with regard to their assessment and educational placement practices. Results indicated that more school psychologists chose the regular education setting as opposed to separate classroom for placement of children with social and developmental delays. However, when placement options were grouped by settings it became evident that overall more preschoolers with social and emotional delays receive services in non-inclusive settings. Assessment factors as opposed to program factors were most influential on placement decisions. Observation in the educational setting was found to be the primary assessment tool in both assessment of social emotional competencies and in contributing to placement decisions. School psychologists reported annual monitoring of placement decisions and no correlation between the frequency of monitoring and the psychologists' perceived quality and efficacy of programming was found. Possible explanations and the associated implications of the study's findings are discussed. / School Psychology

Contingent praise is widely recognized as a universal, practical, and highly effective classroom management tool. While previous research has examined the effectiveness of performance feedback to increase teachers’ use of contingent praise in the classroom and to observe its effects on students’ behavior, no research exists on the effects of increased ratios of praise-to-behavior correction statements by paraprofessionals in the classrooms of preschoolers diagnosed with autism spectrum disorders (ASD). This research was conducted in an urban, specialized pre-school program, for young students with developmental disabilities. The researcher implemented a performance feedback protocol, measuring two paraprofessionals’ ability to achieve a target 1:1, followed by a 4:1 ratio of praise-to-behavior correction statements. Students’ on-task, off-task, and disruptive behaviors were also measured. Results demonstrated that: (a) performance feedback was an effective and well received tool for in / Applied Behavioral Analysis

The prevalence of obesity among young children has markedly increased over the past two decades, with more than one-third of American preschoolers now overweight or obese and at risk for lifelong health problems. Physical activity is a recommended obesity prevention strategy, yet preschoolers typically fail to meet recommended daily physical activity guidelines, spending just 15 minutes engaged in moderate to vigorous physical activity, compared to six sedentary hours daily. Unstructured play in settings with varied features, such as childcare center playgrounds, potentially plays a significant role in increasing the amount of time preschoolers spend in moderate-to-vigorous physical activity (MVPA). The purposes of this study were first, to compare the intensity and type of preschoolers' physical activity across four distinctly different outdoor play settings; second, to identify particular features in each play setting associated with MVPA and sedentary behavior; and, third, to identify, test, and evaluate environmental modifications to increase preschoolers' MVPA in outdoor play settings. Seventeen 3-5 year-old children participated in repeated unstructured play sessions featuring 16 min of play in each of 4 novel settings: a traditional climber, a wooded natural area, a garden, and an adventure, or "loose parts" playground. Interventions to increase physical activity were introduced to the adventure playground during the first two phases, and to all four settings during the third phase. Physical activity intensity was measured using ActiGraph GT3x+ activity monitors and contextual information concerning motor skills was obtained by trained observers using the System for Observing Play and Recreation in Communities (SOPARC), adapted to the age and environment of the study. Results show that both play setting design theme and the composition of specific play features within the setting impact the type of motor skills children perform and the amount of MVPA young children accumulate during unstructured play. Findings additionally demonstrate that simple, low-cost modifications to play settings can increase MVPA for targeted subgroups and individual children; outcomes were setting-specific. Study results may be useful to public health and medical workers, parents, educators, playground designers, community planners, and policy makers who focus on increasing preschool children's daily MVPA and decreasing childhood obesity. / Kinesiology

From great African nations like the Ancient Kemites, Akan and Gikuyu, the world witnessed the development of the most powerful social structures, governance systems, ground breaking innovations in science and technology, and systems of thought that still exist today. Hence, in looking at the low performance levels of Black students today, the question becomes, how do the descendants of those who created writing, mathematics, and science; and then in the face of episodic disruptions laid their lives on the line to read, write, and built public schools, Sabbath schools, and Historically Black Colleges and Universities, close the excellence gap between their actual performance and deeply rooted cultural expectations? The present study reviews the essential questions and proposed solutions for closing the excellence gap that have been offered by previous generations of scholars. Africana Studies methodological framing questions were used to examine the long-view experiences of African people as well as a three tier critical ethnographic research methods approach. The study revealed that Black students gained a level of excellence in the face of disruption through: (1) Collective Training, (2) Spiritual and Moral Balance, and (3) Content Mastery. The prerequisite for sustaining educational excellence was found to be in the individual roles female and male representatives play as the primary educators of Black children. Secondly, nurturing a sense of identity through a spiritual understanding of social order and moral responsibility to the collective is also a requirement. Nevertheless, what unites and emerges as the chief element is content mastery. The ability to retain and keep content through listening and reading; and present a level of mastery on that information through speaking, writing and action to solve problems, completes the reciprocal process of educational excellence. / African American Studies

Doctor of Philosophy / Curriculum and Instruction Programs / Marjorie R. Hancock / Our society is increasingly bombarded with visual imagery; therefore, it is important for educators to be knowledgeable about the elements of art and to use our knowledge to help students deepen their reading understanding. Arizpe & Styles (2003) noted that students must be prepared to work with imagery in the future at high levels of competency, yet visual literacy is seldom taught in schools. Children are surrounded with multiple forms of literacy daily and frequently the communication is in a nonverbal format. The purpose of this qualitative case study was to identify textual/visual connections and describe ways the text-illustration relationship can influence understanding for readers in the second grade. This qualitative research study took place in a Department of Defense school in Europe with six second grade students from September 14, 2009 to November 24, 2009. The six student participants were introduced to the basic elements of art—color, shape, line, texture, and value—at the onset of the study. Student participants expressed their textual, visual, and blended textual/visual understanding of four picture storybooks and four informational picture books. Data collection sources included group discussions, student verbal story retellings, student pictorial drawings and retellings, student interviews, observational field notes, teacher email correspondence, and teacher initial/final interviews. Initial analysis was based on Kiefer’s (1995) Functions of Language taxonomy, Kucer and Silva’s (1996:1999) Taxonomy of Artistic Responses and Sipe’s (2008) Categories of Reader Response. The analysis focused on participants’ textual and visual responses and the blending of textual/visual elements. The analysis revealed six emerging Categories of Textual/Visual Understanding including Personal Life Connections, Text Connections, Factual Connections, Predictive Connections, Elemental Connections, and Emotional Connections. The six categories were also reviewed for the dominant category for each student participant and how the textual/visual responses applied to both picture storybooks and informational picture books. Data analysis also revealed the second grade teacher’s perceptions of the text-illustration relationship as a part of the reading process. Student participant benefits included greater student interest and motivation, increased awareness of visual elements in picture storybooks and informational picture books, and higher level thinking expressed through textual/visual connections.

La recherche sur les enfants de l’adoption internationale porte le plus souvent sur le rattrapage développemental, les troubles de l’attachement et la surreprésentation des enfants adoptés dans les services d’éducation spécialisée. Ces études incluent des enfants d’âge scolaire et adoptent une perspective quantitative. Peu d’auteurs se sont penchés sur les enfants d’âge préscolaire et il n’existe à notre connaissance aucune étude qualitative permettant d’explorer l’intégration de l’enfant de l’adoption internationale dans son milieu de garde. S’inscrivant dans une logique exploratoire descriptive, la présente thèse vise à donner la parole aux parents et aux éducatrices, premiers responsables de l’intégration de l’enfant au milieu de garde, afin d’obtenir des données sur leurs perceptions et leurs recommandations. Des entrevues individuelles semi-structurées sont réalisées avec 12 familles adoptantes et les 12 éducatrices des enfants. Les parents sont recrutés par l’intermédiaire des associations québécoises de parents adoptants, du journal Montréal pour enfants, d’un blogue sur l’adoption internationale et auprès de la direction d’une garderie. Une démarche d’analyse qualitative inductive, inspirée de la théorisation ancrée est employée pour analyser l’opinion des parents et de l’éducatrice d’un même enfant dans un premier temps puis dans un deuxième temps, selon leurs groupes d’appartenance respectifs. L’analyse des données relatives à l’expérience subjective d’intégrer un enfant en garderie permet de faire ressortir douze thèmes : contexte antérieur à l’arrivée de l’enfant, appréhensions des parents, premiers contacts, demandes spéciales, moments de vie en garderie, développement et spécificité de l’enfant adopté, comportements particuliers, intervention auprès de l’enfant en crise, nouvelles perspectives pour l’éducatrice et éléments de satisfaction et d’insatisfaction des parents. Une importante proportion d’éducatrices considère que l’enfant adopté de l’international ne présente aucun besoin particulier et que son intégration se vit de la même façon que pour tout autre enfant. Cette opinion n’est pas partagée par un groupe restreint d’éducatrices qui, comme les parents adoptifs, ont une expérience personnelle de l’adoption. La thèse se termine par une discussion sur les façons de contribuer à des meilleures pratiques en milieu de garde afin de favoriser l’intégration des enfants de l’adoption internationale. / Research on internationally adopted children is often directed toward catch-up after adoption, attachment security and over representation of adopted children in special needs education. These are quantitative studies which focus on school aged children. Few studies have considered preschoolers and to our knowledge no attention has been given to the daycare environment. Within an exploratory framework, the current thesis investigates the integration of adopted children in daycare through the subjective experience of parents and child care educators. Twelve adoptive families and their current child care educators were recruited through various adoptive parent associations, the Montréal pour enfants newspaper, daycare administrators and a blog on international adoption. Semi-structured individual interviews were conducted with each family and child care educator. Qualitative inductive analysis using grounded theory coding techniques was first used to uncover critical themes discussed by the parent-educator dyads and then through their respective groups. The following themes on integrating an adopted child in daycare emerged from the data: conditions prior to the arrival of the child in daycare, parent’s apprehensions, first contacts, special requests, daycare routine, adopted child development and particularities, child in crisis, new perspectives for the educator, elements of parent satisfaction and dissatisfaction. The analysis shows that most educators do not consider the adopted child to be different from the other children in the group; and thus the child’s integration does not necessitate special attention or consideration. Adoptive parents along with a small group of educators experienced with the realities of adoption do not share this view. By exploring the experiences of parents and educators of internationally adopted children in daycare, this thesis broadens our knowledge of better practices in daycare centers for integrating an internationally adopted child.

This survey-based, quantitative research investigated Early Intervention teachers' perception about Early Intervention services in Mecca Region in The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. This research focused on three dimensions of Early Intervention including attitude toward Early Intervention services, the cultural influences in the provision of services, and the recommended practices that were used by professionals. Two options were offered to subjects to complete the survey: 1) an online survey and 2) a hard copy of the survey which was distributed to teachers in Early Intervention Centers. The majority of the participants completed the online survey. Data was collected and analyzed. The results showed that the teachers in Mecca Region in Saudi Arabia did not follow recommended practices. However, they had positive attitudes about Early Intervention services and indicated that they considered the culture of the children and families when determining curriculum and services in their programs.