Twenty-seven 4- and 5-year-old children from two daycare programs participated in a study designed to assess the effect of picture book reading on children's vocabulary acquisition. All children were pre- and post-tested on the Reading Recognition subtest of the Peabody Individual Achievement Test, the Expressive One Word Picture Vocabulary Test (EOWPVT), and the Peabody Picture Vocabulary Test-Revised (PPVT-R). Following Whitehurst et al.'s (1988) approach, children in the experimental group were read picture books utilizing the hear-say method (asking children questions) for 4 weeks. Those in the control group were read picture-books without being questioned. Three 2 x 8 x 2 Split-Plot Hierarchical ANOVAs were conducted to evaluate group and squad effects and to control for reader effects. They revealed no significant differences between the experimental and control groups. Possible reasons for the absence of experimental effects were discussed.

Identifying potential reinforcers is an integral part to many behavior modification plans. The purpose of this study was to compare and contrast two methods of stimulus preference assessment (paired stimulus computer and a traditional paired stimulus with tangible and symbolic items) using typically developing preschool children. The participants were four 3-5 year old children recruited from a childcare facility in Stockton, CA. Both methods of stimulus preference assessment were administered to them and reinforcer assessments were conducted. Kendall Rank Correlations between the two methods were low. Both methods produced hierarchies of preference. Both methods produced a reinforcement effect and the difference between the magnitude of reinforcement for the computer and the traditional method was only statistically significant with one child (favoring the computer). The computer method was significantly more time efficient than the traditional method.

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The aim of the thesis is to present the concept of supervision in educational context as a tool for supporting preschool educators in their professional development, to map supervision implementation in nursery schools and examine teachers' views on supervision. The theoretical part first introduces the concept of supervision with regard to the term definition, its functions, aims, purpose, process and its participants. The following section of theory deals with the topic of supervision in educational environment, specific demands placed on teaching profession and presents supervision as an effective tool for teachers' professional growth and their mental health support. The empirical part presents qualitative research focused on teachers' experiences with supervision in three nursery schools and based on grounded theory principles. The results show that supervision implementation in nursery schools primarily depends on their financial and organisational capabilities which determine their ability to utilize supervision's potential. Research also shows that preschool educators perceive supervision as help, providing them with new perspectives, and as a means of sharing in a safe environment. Feeling of safety and trust in particular is according to the teachers a key component of a successful...

This study investigated the effects of two computerized reading programs, Headsprout and Lexia, on the early reading skills of Kindergarten students. The Kindergarteners included typically developing students, as well as students at-risk for reading problems, behavior problems, and both reading and behavior problems. Risk status was determined through the use of the Systematic Screening for Behavior Disorders (SSBD) and the Dynamic Indicators of Basic Early Literacy Skills (DIBELS). A treatment comparison design was used, whereby 42 students in one school received computerized supplemental reading instruction via the Headsprout program, while 44 students in another school served as the comparison group and used the computerized reading program, Lexia. Both schools used the computerized programs as supplements to the Scott Foresman reading curriculum. Data were collected on early literacy skill development using the DIBELS and the Group Reading Assessment and Diagnostic Evaluation (GRADE). The social validity of the Headsprout program was assessed through a survey administered to the teachers. Overall, the group receiving the Headsprout intervention outperformed the group receiving the Lexia intervention on all dependent measures, and statistical significance was found for two of the outcome measures. Limitations of the study, implications for educators, and suggestions for future research are also discussed.

The purpose of this study was to examine the gender images presented to second grade students in three randomly selected second grade California state approved reading series which are currently used in the California Public Schools. Through content analysis, this study examined the following gender role variables as depicted by female and male characters in 94 stories: visibility, roles portrayed, tools/artifacts used, occupations, level of dependency, socio-economic standing, problem-solving strategies and context, and emotions and their contests. In order to establish reliability of the examiner's content analysis, every seventh story was analyzed across these variables by a panel of four independent raters. All data collected were subjected to either a chi-square analysis or summarized in frequency distributions to determine significance. The following conclusions were drawn from the results of this study: (a) male characters outnumbered female characters, (b) female characters were underrepresented in leadership positions, (c) both genders were equally depicted as followers, (d) stereotypic depictions continued in the realm of tool/implement use, (e) both females and males were shown as needing, asking for, and getting help, (f) females and males were depicted stereotypically in the work world, (g) there was improvement in depicting both genders as socio-economic equals, (h) females were shown as competent problem solvers, but in much smaller numbers than male characters, and (i) both genders were depicted as possessing and showing emotions such as fear, worry, and anger. In order to limit the impact on children exposed to such gender images, the following recommendations were made: (a) that mental health professionals consider the importance of learned gender stereotypes when dealing with child and adults clients, especially when the referring concerns deal with depression in females and aggression in males, (b) school counselors and psychologists should provide children with more balanced gender role models, (c) school boards should make the adoption of gender neutral textbooks district level policy, (d) textbook adoption committees should be provided with sensitization to gender stereotyping, (e) parents and teachers should furnish children with alternative non-stereotypic models, and (f) parents should review textbooks for gender stereotypes and to inform their school districts of the unacceptability of such materials.

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