Browsing by Subject "Early Childhood"

Now showing 1 - 8 of 8
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    Building Quality Early Childhood Assessment: What Really Matters?
    (2017-08) Bailey, Ann
    Abstract This research explored the knowledge, skills, and strategies early childhood teachers possess related to implementing curriculum and authentic assessment. Research suggests that early educators rate their knowledge of curriculum and authentic assessment and their implementation of both as excellent. Despite these self-reported, high levels of knowledge, researchers have established that early childhood authentic assessment is implemented inconsistently and often incorrectly. The purpose of this research was to determine what specific curriculum and authentic assessment skills and strategies have the greatest chance of improving the consistent implementation of early childhood authentic assessment. Qualitative and quantitative methods were employed to answer two research questions: (1) What curriculum and assessment skills and strategies influence the successful implementation of assessment within an early childhood educational environment; and (2) What components of the assessment cycle (i.e., observation/data collection; data analysis; data interpretation; hypothesis development; modification/ implementation of individualized instruction based on the assessment data; reporting) are perceived as having a greater likelihood of improving instruction and outcomes for young children? To answer these questions, interviews were conducted with 13 Head Start lead teachers across three different Head Start programs in Minnesota. Twelve of the teachers interviewed chose to participate in one of three different focus groups. The teachers who participated in the focus groups also completed a 19-item, Likert-scale authentic assessment rating scale on the extent to which they used specific authentic assessment skills. The interview and focus group data were analyzed using constant comparative analysis, which aided in identifying themes across the data. Sample means were calculated for each of the 19 items on the authentic assessment rating scale. A total of thirteen themes were identified; nine related to research question one, and four related to research question two stated above. The results of the analysis demonstrate that teachers rated their knowledge of curricula and authentic assessment as high, but also reported that their knowledge of early learning and K-12 standards was lacking. Teachers acknowledged that the professional development they receive from their employer had a greater impact on their assessment practices than information they received in their college classes. All teachers mentioned using small groups to implement the curriculum and individualize instruction. Time and competing priorities are reportedly the greatest barriers to implementing authentic assessment with fidelity. The teachers identified on-site coaching, greater sharing among peers, and additional classroom personnel as the supports most desired. All teachers identified high quality observation as the most important authentic assessment strategy. Teachers differed in the methods by which they collect observational data (e.g., checklists, notebooks, iPads, sticky notes, etc.), but all agreed that observations were the most important. Using the authentic assessment data to individualize instruction was also identified as important to the assessment process. Teachers acknowledged that they rarely, if ever, engaged parents in collecting authentic assessment data. They do, however, regularly share and discuss assessment results. Finally, teachers noted that despite conducting formal authentic assessment three times per school year, they also conduct informal assessments every day and make “in the moment” instructional decisions based on the information they observe during instruction. This research adds to the literature by identifying the specific strategies and skills early childhood providers use when conducting authentic assessment. This information can be used to focus professional development efforts, especially for those providers new to the field. Further research is needed on the assessment skills and strategies used by those in other early care and educational environments to expand these findings.
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    Constructions of equitable notions of quality in Early Childhood Care and Development from two communities in the Philippines: local practices of bayanihan and dagyaw.
    (2010-06) Williams, Rhiannon Delyth
    As attention and investment in early-childhood care and development (ECCD) has increased in the majority world, aid organizations, governments, and non-governmental organizations (NGOs) have emphasized creating quality early-childhood environments for children, their families, and the broader community. More specifically, the aim is to support children's health, education, and well-being while building capacity among multiple local actors within communities. Critiques of expert-driven constructions of ECCD community quality in the majority world center around the fact that these notions often reflect little of the social, economic, or historical experiences of the communities in which they are implemented, and also do little to preserve the "inherent assets, such as mother tongue and positive cultural practices" (Ball, 2005, p.4) of these locales (Ball & Pence, 2006; Cleghorn & Prochner, 2010; Penn, 2005). Furthermore, these interventions rarely engage in authentic dialogue with the very individuals they are hoping to engage in social and economic improvement (Dahlberg, Moss, & Pence, 1999; Cleghorn and Prochner, 2010). Therefore, this dissertation presents research findings and an analysis of local constructions of quality in two Filipino communities. This dissertation resides within a critical constructivist paradigm and uses a theoretical framework based on anthropology and social-justice literature to best understand specific locally constructed knowledge and processes regarding childhood and quality ECCD. Aligning with the study's constructivist paradigm, a qualitative methodology, including focus groups and interviews with a collaborative, ethnographic focus, was chosen. The main tool used in the focus groups was called StoryTech, which considers the indirect and contextual nature of the concept of quality, allowing a critical, in-depth look at what multiple stakeholders view and believe quality looks like in their own ECCD contexts. Stakeholder groups that were invited to participate in the research were day-care parents, teachers, community members, and barangay officials. This method required stakeholder groups to discuss visions of their quality ECCD community. Data were analyzed and interpreted across each stakeholder group using an anthropological and social-justice perspective. Individuals within each stakeholder group were asked to envision what a quality ECCD community would look like in five years, 2012, and several themes emerge in the analysis of these ideal visions. From the findings within the community dimension many stakeholders see a collaborative notion of quality that embodies local practices of bayanihan or dagyaw. Underlying these local practices are values of collaboration, embracing others, listening, seeking out discourses to connect bridges across the ECCD sector, and finding innovative solutions to problems. Similarly, from the findings in the daycare classroom and professional development dimensions stakeholders' ideal visions incorporate supporting and facilitating the development of a good professional citizen. Overall this study demonstrated that conceptions of quality ECCD are to some extent locally determined. In conclusion, while in this dissertation I am not suggesting ways in which cultural projects such as ECCD democratic communities can evolve, flourish, and sustain themselves (these areas need further research), I present and discuss locally constructed visions of processes and practices that have emerged from the research and the literature on inclusive practices, which support an ideal quality ECCD community.
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    Early Childhood Development Services in Cedar-Riverside: Landscape Analysis and Strategic Action Plan
    (Hubert H. Humphrey School of Public Affairs, 2013-05-17) Santori, Matthew; Wagner, Maureen
    In January 2013, the Cedar Riverside Neighborhood Revitalization Program (CRNRP) partnered with Cedar-Humphrey Action for Neighborhood Collaborative Engagement (CHANCE) at the University of Minnesota’s Humphrey School of Public Affairs to explore the challenges and opportunities related to early childhood development in the Cedar-Riverside neighborhood. This Executive Summary will supplement a final report to be complete in May 2013, and is meant to summarize the most significant and compelling information resulting from an extensive review of relevant literature and resources related to early childhood development, three focus groups with parents in the neighborhood, and indepth interviews with residents, community leaders, and child development service practitioners. In reflection of the challenges and opportunities identified in this study, recommendations are provided which outline potential future efforts for the community to work together to ensure that all children in the neighborhood have the opportunity and support to learn, grow, and succeed during their most important years.
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    Executive Function and Early Numeracy in Preschoolers: Can Training Help?
    (2016-11) Prager, Emily
    Math literacy, or lack thereof, is a major issue in our society. Research on mathematics proficiency has begun to support a more conceptual approach to mathematics understanding. Based on this thinking a growing body of literature supports a relation between executive functions (EF) and mathematics ability in both older and younger children. With the majority of research supporting a relation between mathematics and EF we are lead to the question, can training help improve one or both of these skills? The current study addresses this question in young children by looking at the differential impact of various training programs. Three and 4-year-old typically-developing children (N = 104) were randomly assigned to one of four conditions: EF training, number training, EF + number training or an active control condition and participated in three training sessions as well as pre and post test sessions measuring their EF and math abilities. Results indicated a significant positive effect of training with EF training leading to improvements in EF skills and number training and EF + number training showing improvements in math abilities. Interestingly, the EF training also led to improvements in children’s specific counting abilities and number training resulted in improvements in EF skills. These results provide support for a bidirectional relation between EF and math skills, where training in one area can lead to improvements in the other.
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    Nutrition in Early Childhood Makes a Difference
    (University of Minnesota Extension, 2018) Caskey, Mary; Kunkel, Kelly; Krentz, Mary; Schroeder, Mary
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    Roots and Seeds: Sewing Healthy Development for Young Native American Children
    (2018-10) Blyly-Strauss, Mina
    Native American children have frequently been overlooked in early childhood development and education literature, though they are part of demographic with some of the highest levels of documented educational and health disparities. The roots of disparities often occur early in life, so this study sought to address the gap in early childhood literature by investigating the phenomenon of raising healthy young Native American children. Using a phenomenological approach, this study addressed two questions: 1. What does it mean to raise culturally whole Native American children, birth through five years of age, in an urban context? 2. How do these important Native American skills and knowledge areas align with items on a federally-approved tool for monitoring young children’s development? Ten Native American caregivers from tribally diverse backgrounds (skewed more heavily Ojibwe) were interviewed, with each interview lasting from one to four hours. Close to 300 pages of transcripts were typed up. Wholistic, line-by-line, comparison, and relational levels of analysis identified themes answering the first question. Comparison was then made between participant comments from the line-by-line analysis and items on the Survey of Well-being of Young Children. Native American children were found to develop within four intersecting planes of existence—Child and Adult, Past and Present, Physical and Spiritual, and Native and Non-Native. A model of this developmental context is proposed, with five thematic examples—Historical and Ongoing Trauma, Cyclical Nature of Parenting, Passing on Living Culture, Healthy Educational Environments, and Healthy Spaces to Grow and Develop. When compared to items on the developmental screening tool, Native American caregivers had most overlap with items for a healthy home environment and motor and communication milestones. Distinct differences were noted between caregiver discussion and screening tool items in the social emotional domain. Further research on this area is needed with both a broader sample as well as to do validation work on developmental screening tools. It is important that practitioners, researchers, and policy makers keep in mind the great diversity of experiences of Native peoples and take time to get to know any individuals they work with to learn about their unique story.
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    A study of current interventions and professional development interests of teachers of early childhood special education for children with autism spectrum disorders.
    (2010-06) Balbo, Maria L.
    Although research-based interventions for young students with Autism Spectrum Disorders exist and are supported in the literature, early intervention teachers in public schools often lack knowledge and training in the adoption and proper use of these effective-intervention interventions. The purpose of this study was to investigate current interventions and professional development interests of early childhood special education teachers of children with Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD) in Minnesota. This study employed a descriptive methodology utilizing an online, web-based survey to gather information from four separate groups representing all regions in the state: early childhood special education teachers, early childhood special education coordinators, special education directors, and regional autism consultants. Results indicate that research-based interventions for young children with Autism Spectrum Disorder are implemented at a low level of frequency across the state. The top rated past learning methods that had supported early childhood special education teachers in their knowledge of research-based interventions were identified as: experience in the classroom with other ASD students, experience with other children with disabilities, and workshops/inservices. The top rated future learning methods to advance knowledge of ASD interventions were: learning with other colleagues, workshops/inservices, and mentoring by autism teachers. Leading barriers found to prevent early intervention teachers in accessing training in the area of Autism Spectrum Disorders were found to be: inability to take time away from the classroom, cost of training, and shortage of training funds. Keywords: early intervention, Autism Spectrum Disorders, research-based interventions, research-based interventions, professional development.
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    Supporting the Early Childhood Workforce: Identifying and Filling Gaps in Reflective Supervision/Consultation Training
    (2021-03) Reese, Meredith H. T.; Meuwissen, Alyssa; Ottman, Deborah D.; mreese@umn.edu; ; University of Minnesota Center for Early Education and Development
    A nationwide survey of reflective supervision/consultation (RS/C) providers conducted in 2018, found that 25% of respondents perceive a lack of access to training as a primary barrier to improving and maintaining their RS/C skills. Some of the themes that RS/C providers felt were missing from their RS/C training included specifics about providing RS/C, group supervision, self-regulation as a provider, and diversity informed RS/C. The Reflective Practice Center recently released a set of self-study modules to provide training opportunities on specialized RS/C topics, which cover the previously mentioned themes as well as additional topics. The modules cover information pertinent to RS/C providers, recipients, and decision-makers. The new modules have been well received, with 86 individuals enrolling in the first three months of their being available. This poster presents the early evaluation findings based on feedback from the first 24 participants to complete a module. Preliminary results indicate positive reactions to the training material across participants from a variety of different roles in the field of early childhood. The vast majority found the content of the modules to be high-quality, applicable to their work, and reported it either strengthened their current knowledge, or offered new ways to think about a given subject.