Thesis (M.S.) -- Central Connecticut State University, 2009. / Thesis advisor: Philip P. Halloran. "... in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Science in Mathematics." Includes bibliographical references (leaves [19]). Also available via the World Wide Web.

The two principal aims of this study were: (a) to evaluate the effectiveness of existing pre-primary education for Indian children and (b) to determine the relative effectiveness of three current school readiness programmes. Random samples of pupils, with varying preschool backgrounds, were drawn from Class i children attending selected Indian primary schools in the Greater Durban area. Information relating to the four groups formed in this way are given below: Sample A: pupils who had attended registered private pre-primary schools (N = 50); Sample B: pupils who had attended departmental bridging module classes (N = 40); Sample C: pupils who had attended community-run preprimary classes (N = 50) ; and Sample D: pupils who had had no formal preschool education (N = 30). To make the four groups comparable, variables such as age, sex, intelligence and socio-economic status were controlled. In keeping with the abovementioned aims the following sets of comparisons were made: (a) the performances, on a test of school readiness, of those pupils who had had some form of formal preschool education (Groups A, B and C) were compared with those who did not receive any such education (Group D); and (b) the performances, on a test of school readiness, of pupils who came from the three different types of preschool backgrounds (A, B and C) were compared with one another. Questionnaires were also completed by a sample of Class i Junior Primary teachers in the Greater Durban area (N = 35). Teachers were asked to comment and report on issues relating to pre-primary schools and classes, the extent of pupil readiness for Class i, the effectiveness of school readiness tests, and matters relating to the Class i curriculum. The purpose of this part of the study was to identify problems in subject areas related to preschool education so that appropriate remedial action could be suggested. There was consensus among Class i teachers that preschool education promotes school readiness. This was confirmed by the results of this study. Groups A, Band C which had received preschool education performed significantly better than group D which comprised pupils who had had no preschool education. The findings also indicated that the preschool programme offered by the departmental bridging module classes was more effective in promoting school readiness than the programme offered by either the registered private pre-primary schools or community-run preprimary classes. Teachers rated the programme offered by Departmental bridging module class to be the most effective for preparing children for formal education. The registered, private pre-primary schools came second, and the community-run classes, third. This rating was again confirmed by the findings of this study. When it came to rating the various subjects in the Class i curriculum in order of difficulty, the following rank-orders were obtained: English (most difficult) followed by Mathematics, Writing, Environmental Studies, Art and Music. They also identified specific short-comings among Class i pupils in each subject area. A number of recommendations are made so that the problems identified by the investigation can be addressed. These relate to pre-primary educational provision, resources and support services, the environment as a resource, teaching, testing and the curriculum. Education authorities, pre-primary teachers, parents and Junior primary teachers are urged to adopt a team approach in the solution of problems relating to young children's education. / Thesis (M.Ed.)-University of Durban-Westville, 1993.

In this research an attempt was made at establishing the value of the Reception Class programme. Bridging the gap between home and school has received a lot of attention in the past decade and although numerous suggestions have been put forward, a pattern of hit-or-miss has developed. This research aims to present a suggestion of successful entry into the formal phase of education for every child, regardless of colour, at a much lower cost for both authorities and parents. In an attempt to determine the success of the Reception Class programme, three measures were used: the First Grade Screening Test (AGS), the HSRC Test for 5-6 year olds and as a qualitative measure a questionnaire completed by the class one teachers of the school where the Reception children entered the formal phase of education in 1990. Results of these tests showed that the Reception Class programme was the most successful in achieving a high level of school readiness and on all three measures these pupils did significantly better than their peers who had attended pre-primary schools, crèches, day-care centres and those who had come straight from home. An analysis of test items showed that the Reception Class pupils had excelled in areas involving concentration and listening skills, fine muscle control and application of knowledge. The HSRC Test for 5-6 year olds showed evidence of well developed problem solving skills and a sound knowledge of mathematical language. Although the sample as such was found to be sufficient, a limitation of this study is the fact that all four the Reception Classes could not have been included in this research. / Thesis (M.Ed.)-University of Natal, Durban, 1990.

The purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of short-term Hands-On, Minds-On science process skills on the acquisition of general readiness to learn by kindergarten children.Three null hypotheses were formulated to examine differences between the scores of an experimental group of kindergarten children who had engaged in Hands-On, Minds-On science process investigation and a control group of kindergarten children who had not engaged in such investigation. The students engaged in approximately eight hours of science process investigation. Differences due to sex were examined in Hypothesis II. Differences which may be attributed to student ability as measured by the Peabody Picture Vocabulary Test were examined in Hypothesis III.A fourth factor, class effect was also examined.The research utilized a modified Posttest-Only Control Group design. The posttest was the California Achievement Test, Level 10, Form E.The participants for the study were 86 kindergarten students from four intact classes. The control group was comprised of 47 students and the experimental group a total of 39 students. These students attended a small rural school corporation with a enrollment of approximately 1,240 students.The use of the Wilk's Lambda Multivariate Tests of Significance yielded the following information at the .05 level of significance:No significant difference was found between children who had or had not engaged in Hands-On, Minds-On science process instruction. The significance of F between the two groups was .106.No significant difference was found based on sex differences of the students who participated in this study. The significance of F between males and females was .917.A significant difference was found between high and low ability students who participated in this study. The significance of F to three places, between the two groups was .000.A four-way univariate analysis of variance analogous to the multivariate analysis was performed on each component of the vector (Visual Recognition, Sound Recognition, Reading Vocabulary, Reading Comprehension, Language Expression, and Mathematics) and tested at the .05 level of significance. The results indicated that each component of the vector was significant at the .05 level with the independent variable ability.Based on the researcher's findings recommendations for further research were made. Two of the most promising were increased science time for student participation and development of a test which measures a broader spectrum of the curriculum, including science. / Department of Elementary Education

The purpose of this study was to determine the screening measures used to assess students entering kindergarten in the state of Indiana. In addition, this study sought to determine how the data from these measures are used to inform classroom reading instruction. Eighty-nine schools participated in the study and sixty-two of those schools completed the entire survey, as they were amongst the schools that assess students upon entrance into kindergarten. The survey was sent a total of four times. General findings indicated that Indiana schools assess students inconsistently upon entrance into kindergarten, with variations existing in the administration procedures of screening measures and the type of screening measure. Schools who responded to this survey generally expressed dissatisfaction with current screening measures administered and the results gathered from these measures. In addition, schools who participated in this study reported the use of data to inform classroom instruction, but not all schools specified that reading instruction was informed by the data. / Department of Elementary Education

Thesis (M. Ed.)--Kutztown University, 1988. / Source: Masters Abstracts International, Volume: 45-06, page: 2763. Typescript. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 70-79).

Thesis (M.A.)--University of Toronto, 2004. / Adviser: Carl Corter.

Thesis (Ed.D.)--University of Tulsa, 1988. / Bibliography: leaves 114-123.

Thesis (Ed. D.)--University of North Texas, August, 2008. / Title from title page display. Includes bibliographical references.

Thesis--PlanB (M.S.)--University of Wisconsin--Stout, 2000. / Includes bibliographical references.