Matching Items (6)
Filtering by
- All Subjects: Early Childhood Education
- Genre: Doctoral Dissertation
- Creators: Enz, Billie
- Creators: Appleton, Nicholas
- Resource Type: Text
- Status: Published
Description
This study investigated the effects of different types of play-embedded instruction on preschoolers' vocabulary learning during a vocabulary intervention known as Say-Tell-Do-Play (STDP). The goal of this study was to determine whether or not two types of play - Story Drama and a Vocabulary Matching Game - enhanced the effectiveness of the STDP strategy. To investigate this goal, the researcher implemented the STDP instructional routine for 17 children with three different picture books and their corresponding play activities and a control condition (Drawing) in a counterbalanced order. Descriptive statistics were utilized to understand the effects of these different play activities on the children's receptive and expressive vocabulary learning. Findings showed that the STDP vocabulary instructional strategy had a much larger impact on children's receptive vocabulary than on expressive vocabulary learning. The play activities did not seem to make much difference in the learning of receptive and expressive vocabulary. The results indicated that the STDP strategy is an effective way to teach receptive vocabulary. There was a lack of evidence that the different types of play significantly affected children's vocabulary learning.
ContributorsSong, Mi-Jung (Author) / Christie, James (Thesis advisor) / Enz, Billie (Committee member) / Blanchard, Jay (Committee member) / Arizona State University (Publisher)
Created2012
Description
Arizona State University's (ASU) teacher education program has been restructured several times in the last two decades to train teachers to teach children more effectively by responding to their individual needs and learning demands. One of the reasons for restructuring was to respond to new licensing requirements by the State. To serve young children's needs, the state of Arizona required individuals working with young children to obtain either early childhood licensing or endorsement by January, 2009. Responding to these new requirements, ASU now requires student teaching in a preschool setting in addition to the existing Kindergarten to third grade student teaching and internship requirements. This study addressed the question of teacher preparation and self-efficacy based on this newly restructured teaching model used in the ASU Tempe teacher education program. The following questions guided this study: 1) What effects do beginning teachers perceive that their split-student teaching experiences have on their experience as a new teacher; 2) How do beginning teachers' prior schooling, educational, and personal background influence their current teaching; and 3) What role does home, family, and collegial support play as beginning teachers start their teaching career? A qualitative case study research method was utilized in this study. Two face-to-face, in-depth individual interviews and one focus group interview with three second-year and two third-year beginning teachers were utilized to understand their experiences in the program and in their beginning years of teaching. An analysis of interview data revealed beginning teachers' student teaching experiences partially fulfilled their need of having adequate in-classroom experience before starting their teaching careers; yet they highlighted some suggestions for student teaching assignments to better prepare prospective teacher candidates in the program. Moreover, they expressed both satisfaction and dissatisfaction toward courses taken in the program. Their statements also emphasized the importance of having effective mentorship in their student teaching and first year of teaching. Support from administration, experienced colleagues, friends, and family members were also acknowledged as highly valuable as they struggled with issues in their beginning career.
ContributorsBesken Ergisi, Meral (Author) / Swadener, Beth Blue (Thesis advisor) / Enz, Billie (Committee member) / Pany, Darlene (Committee member) / Arizona State University (Publisher)
Created2010
Description
The statement that all children will learn, grow, and develop to realize their full potential referenced continuously by educators seems to have little impact on schools in numerous school districts across the country. The Early Childhood Education programs continue to dwindle down and are the first to be cut from the budget, such as the pre-school/Early Childhood programs in each school. Administrators and policymakers tend to focus on the latter years instead of the early childhood years which are from pre-natal to eight. There have been few research studies on early childhood education in regard to family unit activities. Research does say that parents who are active in their child’s learning and school activities are positively associated with learning and school outcomes. Many parents take matters into their own hands and have started to prepare their children for school readiness and are not leaving it to the school system. This topic is the focus of this research: How parents get involved and what kinds of activities they do with their children to prepare them for school life. Twenty-five questions with sub questions were compiled in a survey that was administered to a sample of parents in three schools in the Gallup McKinley County School District located in Gallup, New Mexico, a small community with a population of 21,678 and over 100 diverse cultures.
ContributorsSmith, Henrietta J (Author) / Appleton, Nicholas (Thesis advisor) / Spencer, Dee A (Committee member) / Begay, Jonnye K (Committee member) / Arizona State University (Publisher)
Created2016
Description
This study examines the skills, strategies, and routines used by National Board Certified Teachers in order to teach vocabulary to kindergarten students. The research focused, specifically, on the strategies teachers used during shared reading activities to help children gain a better understanding of vocabulary, while also ensuring that students were meeting the academic standards. All of the participants were National Board Certified and taught in kindergarten classrooms around the Phoenix, AZ area and three of the teachers taught in Title I schools. They participated in two formal interviews that were voice recorded, as well as one week of classroom observations. During the interviews the teachers shared their experiences related to National Board Certification, their beliefs about teaching and more specifically about teaching vocabulary, and the best methods for teaching students vocabulary. They also discussed ways they use the academic standards from Common Core in their classroom, and shared if they think the standards are aligned with the National Board Professional Teaching Standards. Upon examination of the interviews and observation field notes, several themes emerged. 1) The process of National Board Certification impacted their teaching practice and increased self-reflection. 2) Vocabulary is taught throughout the school day, across all content areas, using both direct and indirect instruction. 3) All of the teachers use shared reading activities as one method of teaching vocabulary words to their students. 4) Teachers find value in academic standards and National Board Professional Teaching Standards; however, they do not all agree that the two types of standards support one another.
ContributorsNichols, Laura Cary (Author) / Nakagawa, Kathryn (Thesis advisor) / Enz, Billie (Committee member) / Surbeck, Elaine (Committee member) / Arizona State University (Publisher)
Created2016
Description
This small case study reviewed research literature and Arizona standards and assessments utilized in the early learning continuum, with a focus on holistic development, specifically in the areas of social-emotional development and approaches to learning skill development. This conversation has become especially prevalent in the state of Arizona in light of initiatives around school readiness, and policy changes reflected within the state. Much has yet to be determined concerning how the systems approach works in Arizona local education agencies, specifically the depth, consistency, and approach in which nonacademic areas of social-emotional development and approaches to learning skills are addressed in the Arizona standards, local practices and classrooms, and preschool and kindergarten assessments. The study included a content analysis, conducted as a word count, of standards and assessments, as well as a small case study of including high academic achieving district (including semi-structured interviews and classroom observations). Through the data analysis, it was affirmed a culture of learning, reflecting social-emotional development and approaches to learning skill development was created within this Local Education Agency. Three categories (environment, individual, and decision making) emerged as a way to describe this culture through a theoretical perspective of sociocultural theory. The study offers an opportunity for discussion of social-emotional development and approaches to learning skill development, connecting to a high academically achieving district, and makes recommendations for policy, practice and further research.
ContributorsZbyszinski, Lauren (Author) / Swadener, Beth Blue (Thesis advisor) / Enz, Billie (Committee member) / Nakagawa, Kathy (Committee member) / Arizona State University (Publisher)
Created2015
Description
This study investigated the limitations of Navajo language teaching in Navajo Head Start immersion centers. The research questions asked what did Head Start teachers perceive as barriers to Navajo children successfully learning the Navajo language, what skills and knowledge did Head Start teachers have that were relevant to teach Head Start children the Navajo language, what Head Start teachers perceived as their strengths and weaknesses of the language immersion program, and what program and instructional qualities promoted and restricted the success of the language program? Two males and six females who resided in the western part of the Navajo Nation wee interviewed as to their teaching experiences. All of the interviewees were between the ages of late 40's to mid-60's and all spoke Navajo fluently. They had been employed with Head Start for more than 10 years. They came from families who had strong beliefs in the Navajo culture and language, and believed all teachers should take Navajo language and culture classes to teach in Head Start. The interviews revealed the participants use their traditional language and culture skills to teach Navajo, but they had limited knowledge as how to use the curriculum provided by Division of Dine Education. The English curriculum was accessible and easy to follow, but did not adhered to President Hale's Executive Order to perpetuate the language. It was recommended that Head Start administrators and support staff review the Navajo language policies and regulations, train teachers how to write a lesson plan that was simple and teacher friendly, revamp the curriculums, and train teachers how to critique, analyze and develop lessons from the Navajo Curriculum. In addition, administrators, should monitor and provide technical assistance to ensure teachers are implementing Navajo language instruction according to Navajo Standards and monitoring each child's progress according to developmental domains and assessment.
ContributorsClauschee, Jefferson (Author) / Appleton, Nicholas (Thesis advisor) / Spencer, Dee (Committee member) / Duplissis, Mark (Committee member) / Arizona State University (Publisher)
Created2015