Browsing by Subject "Early childhood"

Now showing 1 - 6 of 6
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    Developing a teacher rating scale of preschool student behavior for use in an RTI decision-making framework
    (2014-06) Schmitt, Braden Anne
    The purpose of the present study was to evaluate a newly-developed measure of preschool learning-related behaviors, designed for the purpose of enhancing identification of the most appropriate tier of intervention for early literacy instruction, in part as a function of behavior characteristics of the student. Reliability and validity evidence were collected and evaluated. This included examination of internal consistency, test-retest reliability, and interrater reliability. Validity evaluation included the collection of criterion-related validity evidence, convergent and discriminant validity evidence, and an evaluation of the capacity of the measure to add value to a decision-making framework within a model of preschool Response to Intervention (RTI). The measure showed strong reliability and promising evidence regarding its capacity use teacher ratings of preschool learning-related behaviors to help identify the most appropriate tier of early literacy intervention. The limitations of the present study and implications for future research are discussed.
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    Early Childhood Nature Curriculum for the Formal Preschool Classroom
    (2010) Bierbrauer, Andrea Joy
    Children who are close to nature tend to relate to it as a source of wonder, joy, and awe; their spirits are nurtured by nature and they discover through it "sources of human sensibility.” These outdoor interactions enhance learning and the quality of life over the span of ones lifetime (Wilson,1992). Research indicates that children must develop a sense of respect and care for the natural world during early grades or be at risk of never developing such attitudes (Davis, 1998, Louv, 2008; & Wilson, 1992). This early childhood nature curriculum project provides twelve monthly lessons and newsletters to the preschool teachers at Happy Time Day Care Center of Duluth, Minnesota. Each lesson focuses on nature awareness and appreciation with both indoor and outdoor natural experiences that meet Minnesota's Early Learning Standards, NAEYC Early Childhood Program Standards, and the National Education Science Standards.
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    The Effects of Animal-Assisted Activities on the Social and Emotional Development of Young Children with Characteristics of Emotional Behavioral Disorders
    (2011) Schmid, Elaine K
    As emotional behavioral disorders become more prevalent throughout the school-age population, intervention during the early childhood ages is becoming key. Considering that social emotional delays are risk factors for emotional behavioral disorders and the evidence of social-emotional health in the early years leading to emotional well-being in adolescent and adult years, there is a significant need for social and emotional health in early childhood. Animal-assisted activities are ways to teach concepts such as selfawareness, self-regulation, social engagement, emotional understanding, and empathy to children in primary school. In this case study, four 6 and 7 year old children participated in animal-assisted activities with domestic farm animals. Child self-reports (Bryant Index of Empathy), parent-reports (Griffeth Empathy Measure), and behavioral observations (Preschool and Kindergarten Behavior Scales) were all used to measure the change in empathy, social interaction, and social cooperation over the five sessions. Over the course of five one-hour sessions with farm animals, children showed an increase in empathy, social interaction, and social cooperation. This case study demonstrates the impact that animal-assisted activities can have on young children. Future research should investigate the impact of animal-assisted activities on larger, more diverse groups of young children.
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    Essays on Child Care Subsidies
    (2019-07) Moschini, Emily
    This dissertation consists of three chapters. In the first chapter, I review the literature on child care subsidies, discussing three main strands to which I contribute: general equilibrium models of skill investment, estimations of skill accumulation technologies, and evaluations of child care subsidy programs. In the second chapter, I lay out a model of child care subsidies in an environment where one- and two-parent families form endogenously and then altruistically invest in their children's skill, using both their own time and time purchased on the market in the form of child care. I compare welfare gains under three possible designs for a child care subsidy, which differ in the pool of those entitled to receive the subsidy (the eligible). In the third chapter of my dissertation, I go into detail on the estimation of the skill accumulation technologies used by one- and two-parent families to invest in their children. In this section I describe my main data source (the Early Childhood Longitudinal Study, Birth Cohort), the econometric methods used and point estimates, the implications of my findings for my results, and how my findings compare with those outstanding in the literature.
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    Executive function measures in early childhood screening: Concurrent and predictive validity
    (2017-06) Kalstabakken, Amanda
    Recently, evidence has emerged suggesting that executive function (EF) in early childhood is related to multiple aspects of school success, including learning, academic achievement, and social functioning. Despite this evidence, little or no research has focused on the value of EF assessment in routine early childhood assessments. The present study, with the collaboration of a large and diverse urban school district, examined the concurrent and predictive validity of EF assessment in the context of screening. Analyses focused on a sample of 461 children ages 3 to 5 years old who were assessed on three EF tasks in addition to routine screening. EF measures included two computerized NIH Toolbox measures, the Flanker and Dimensional Change Card Sort (DCCS) tasks, with developmental extensions (Dext) that lower the floor of these measures, and Peg Tapping. Routine screening included well-validated developmental readiness and behavioral measures. Results of multivariate analyses indicated that Flanker-Dext and DCCS-Dext worked well to lower the floor of the Toolbox EF measures and that the three EF tasks showed the expected convergent validity. Structural equation models indicated that a latent variable based on the three EF scores was highly related to performance on the developmental screener and moderately and negatively related to other screening measures, including parent-report of child social-emotional problems and screener-observed behavior problems. EF was a significant predictor of academic skills at the beginning of kindergarten and predicted growth across the school year. EF did not provide unique predictive value for predicting academic outcomes over and above other screening measures in use by this district. In contrast, EF both contributed unique predictive value for kindergarten behavior and also was the only measure administered during screening that continued to have unique predictive value for first-grade behavior (over kindergarten behavior). These findings indicate that EF is important for school success, can be assessed by brief and easy-to-learn measures during screening, and may be an important target for intervention in early childhood.
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    Experiences of mothers whose young children engage in challenging behaviors
    (2008-11) Goldsmith, Sherilyn Bone
    The purpose of this hermeneutic phenomenological research study was to understand the experiences of mothers whose young children engage in challenging behaviors. Challenging behaviors are commonly thought of by professionals as a child’s personal conduct that results in injury to self or others, and/or causes damage to the physical environment, and/or interferes with the acquisition of new skills, and/or socially isolates the child (Doss & Reichle, 1991). Challenging behaviors are considered to be appropriate up until about the age of 3, unless the frequency, intensity, and duration of the behavior exceeds what is developmentally appropriate for a younger child (Needlman et al., 1991; Rapp & Hutchinson, 1987). Many studies cite a correlation between the early onset of challenging behaviors, later deviancy, and criminal behavior, and several studies have documented an increase in the prevalence of challenging behaviors in young children. Given the documented correlation between challenging behaviors and later deviant behaviors, the increasing reported prevalence of these behaviors in U.S. samples, the frequently cited etiology of the behaviors as maternal and parenting issues, and the involvement of parents in parent education as an intervention strategy, it seems appropriate to have a better understanding of parents’ experiences of parenting their young children who engage in challenging behaviors. In this phenomenological study, 10 mothers were interviewed about their experiences of parenting their young children who first engaged in challenging behaviors between the age of 2 and 5 years. Some of the eight themes found revealed that parents are tireless advocates for their children but don’t always know what to do, parents want their concerns to be heard by medical and education professionals, parents don’t cause their children’s challenging behaviors, v parents feel isolated, and all parents of young children who engage in challenging behaviors may not have similar experiences. These findings are discussed in relationship to other research on young children who engage in challenging behaviors, and mothers’ experiences of parenting them. Based on the consistencies and discrepancies between the existing literature and the mothers’ reports in the present study, recommendations include the need for more research to better understand this population of parents, and more training for the professionals who work with them and their children.