ethanporcaro/eric-fulltext-meta huggingface dataset:
Effects of a Full-Day Preschool Program on 4-Year-Old Children
Author: Herry, Yves
Date: 2007-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Foreign Countries,Preschool Children,Preschool Education,Preschool Teachers,School Schedules,Child Development,Correlation,Measures (Individuals),Language Acquisition,Academic Achievement,Prosocial Behavior,Behavior Problems,Psychomotor Skills,Parents,Parent Attitudes,Satisfaction,Language of Instruction,Cognitive Development,Social Development,Emotional Development,Quasiexperimental Design,Comparative Analysis,Participant Characteristics,Statistical Analysis,Control Groups,Experimental Groups

This study explored the effects of a full-day preschool program on 4-year-old children. The study compared the development of a group of children (N = 403) who attended the preschool program on a half-day basis during the 1999-2000 school year (the last year the half-day program was in place) with the development of a group of children (N = 418) who attended the program on a full-day basis during the 2000-2001 school year (the inaugural year of the full-day program). The instruments used in this study assessed language, academic learning, prosocial behavior, conduct problems, and motor skills, as well as the degree to which parents were satisfied with their children's preschool programs. The results suggest that the full-day preschool program had a positive effect on children's language and academic learning as well as on parental satisfaction with the programming but that the full-day program did not affect prosocial behavior and conduct problems.
Mothers' Representations of the Role of Parents and Preschools in Promoting Children's Development
Author: Petrie, Jessica Taisey
Date: 2006-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Preschool Children,Preschool Education,Preschool Teachers,Parent Role,Child Development,Qualitative Research,Mothers,Parent Attitudes,Self Efficacy,Working Class,Middle Class,Comparative Analysis,Interviews,Learning Activities,Interpersonal Competence,Discipline,Parent Teacher Cooperation,Parent Participation,Socioeconomic Influences,Parent Surveys,Measures (Individuals),Demography,Expectation,Longitudinal Studies

This qualitative study investigated mothers' views about their role in their children's education and their expectations of their child's preschool. A particular focus of the study was to contrast the views of mothers with differing degrees of parenting self-efficacy and to contrast the perceptions of working-class and middle-class mothers. In-depth interviews were conducted with eight working-class and eight middle-class mothers of preschool-age children. Most mothers were engaged in home learning activities that promoted academic skills. More working-class mothers than middle-class mothers reported they would not pressure their child to learn academic skills at home. Overall, the mothers viewed preschool primarily as a place for their child to gain social skills, and they put less emphasis on the academic aspects of preschool. While most of the mothers expressed their sense of challenge in providing effective discipline, only the mothers with lower efficacy expected the preschool to provide structure and discipline for their child. Working-class mothers reported more often interacting with the teachers informally in the classroom and in the context of community events organized by the preschool than middle-class mothers. Working-class mothers with low efficacy used the preschool staff as a source of support and advice in their parenting, as well as a source of social interaction, whereas the middle-class mothers relied on other sources of support. Overall, these findings suggest new ways of conceptualizing parent involvement in particular socioeconomic niches.
Students Learn about Documentation throughout Their Teacher Education Program
Author: Edwards, Carolyn Pope
Date: 2007-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Documentation,Teacher Education Programs,Cooperative Learning,Inquiry,Early Childhood Education,Interdisciplinary Approach,Observation,College Faculty,Communities of Practice,Shared Resources and Services,Guides,Outcomes of Education

Study groups and learning circles can offer a systematic way for early childhood teachers to interact about their work and create a culture of professional development. This paper describes how faculty systematically followed a collaborative co-inquiry process in order to improve a new early childhood interdisciplinary teacher preparation program. The team met on a regular basis throughout one academic year, with the stated objective of infusing observation/documentation knowledge and skills in a coherent and systematic way throughout the students' program of studies. The group created a template of the &quot;cycle of inquiry,&quot; which could apply to all courses, and analyzed the documentation process along a series of &quot;skill dimensions&quot;: (1) &quot;level&quot; that students are expected to achieve (awareness, application, refinement/integration); (2) &quot;focus&quot; of the students' observations (who, what, where, when, how); (3) width of the &quot;lens&quot; of observation (e.g., focused narrowly on one dimension of behavior or widely on a whole classroom environment); (4) &quot;intended audience&quot; of the completed documentation (e.g., children, parents, professional colleagues); and (5) &quot;finished product&quot; of documentation (e.g., project panel, memory book, slide presentation). The co-inquiry process allowed the faculty to improve the ways that the program helps students move from an awareness level toward a practitioner level in using observation and documentation. The students' reflections and finished work suggest how they learned to promote children's learning, partner with parents, and come to think of themselves as &quot;professionals&quot; in their field.
Tantrums and Anxiety in Early Childhood: A Pilot Study
Author: Mireault, Gina
Date: 2007-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Early Childhood Education,Child Behavior,Behavior Problems,Pilot Projects,Emotional Response,Anxiety,Check Lists,Depression (Psychology),Child Development,Social Development,Emotional Development,Intervention,Child Rearing,Questionnaires,Likert Scales,Parenting Styles,Preschool Children

Tantrums, or emotional reactions that are out of proportion to a situation, appear to be a common childhood phenomenon--yet have drawn little research attention. This pilot study describes tantrum precipitants; their frequency, intensity, and duration; and parental responses in a small community sample (N = 33) of 3- to 5-year-olds. Tantrum intensity and duration were positively correlated with parent ratings of child anxiety/depression on the Achenbach Child Behavior Checklist. Further research is needed to replicate these findings and expand upon our understanding of the role of tantrums in social and emotional development, particularly with regard to age- and gender-based tantrum behavior. The role of anxiety in oppositional behavior may be significant for intervention and child-rearing practices.
Changing Classroom Practice to Include the Project Approach
Author: Clark, Ann­-Marie
Date: 2006-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Active Learning,Student Projects,Educational Benefits,Teacher Role,Barriers,Educational Change,Educational Research,Learning Processes,Conventional Instruction,Teacher Education,Early Childhood Education

Project work involves content, products, and processes. Teacher educators may notice that those new to project work adopt ideas and practices related to content and products more readily than they adopt ideas and practices related to the processes embedded in good project work. To fully implement the Project Approach, teachers need to develop an understanding of the underlying dynamics of the processes of project work. The first part of this article defines projects, provides a brief history of the Project Approach, and discusses some benefits of the approach. It then goes on to discuss challenges to implementing the Project Approach, the teacher's role in project work, and processes of the Project Approach. The first part of the article describes how teachers begin to experience a change in their practices as they come to better comprehend the underlying dynamics of the processes that constitute good project work. The second part of the article points to some of the research on teacher learning that may account for the difficulties with this change.
The Effects of Outcomes-Driven Authentic Assessment on Classroom Quality
Author: Hallam, Rena
Date: 2007-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Performance Based Assessment,Preschool Children,Preschool Education,Preschool Teachers,Federal Programs,Disadvantaged Youth,Program Effectiveness,Intervention,Student Evaluation,Portfolios (Background Materials),Lesson Plans,Pilot Projects,Observation,Language Acquisition,Literacy,Teacher Characteristics,Measures (Individuals),Pretests Posttests,Educational Quality

Twenty-six Head Start preschool classrooms participated in a yearlong intervention designed to link the Head Start Child Outcomes Framework with authentic assessment practices. Teachers in intervention and pilot classrooms implemented an assessment approach that incorporated the use of a curriculum-based assessment tool, the development of portfolios aligned with the mandated Head Start Child Outcomes, and the integration of this child assessment information into individual and classroom instructional planning. During the intervention period, comparison classrooms continued to use the assessment approach adopted by the local Head Start program, which included the use of a standardized assessment tool and the use of an agency-developed lesson plan form. Intervention and pilot classrooms demonstrated significant improvements on some dimensions of classroom quality as measured by the Early Language and Literacy Classroom Observation (ELLCO) toolkit, whereas comparison classrooms exhibited no change in classroom quality. Implications for practice are discussed.
Identifying Key Early Literacy and School Readiness Issues: Exploring a Strategy for Assessing Community Needs
Author: Weigel, Daniel J.
Date: 2006-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Emergent Literacy,School Readiness,Evaluation Methods,Young Children,Questionnaires,Community Needs,Delphi Technique,Needs Assessment,Surveys,Childhood Needs,Intervention,Early Intervention,Early Childhood Education

Much effort has been expended in developing intervention programs to help improve the early literacy and school readiness skills of young children. This article presents the results of a needs assessment project aimed at identifying priorities for community intervention programs aimed at ensuring that young children enter school ready to learn. A panel of 30 carefully selected early childhood panelists completed 4 rounds of questionnaires designed to develop a prioritized list of key community needs and programs. The panelists identified 39 broad issues and prioritized these in terms of critical importance. Participants also identified key existing assets and needed community efforts to address the highest rated priorities. Several implications for educational intervention and service provision can be drawn from this project. The article may provide a blueprint for others wishing to identify key community needs related to important early childhood issues.
Narrating and Reading Folktales and Picture Books: Storytelling Techniques and Approaches with Preschool Children
Author: Natsiopoulou, Triantafillia
Date: 2006-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Foreign Countries,Preschool Children,Story Telling,Picture Books,Folk Culture,Reading Instruction,Teaching Methods,Parent Participation,Reading Aloud to Others,Narration,Parent Background,Educational Attainment,Student Centered Learning,Parent Student Relationship,Coding,Statistical Analysis

This article examines the approaches to storytelling used by Greek parents with their preschool children. The first part of the article discusses the types of stories chosen and the reading approaches employed by the parents. The second part examines the extratextual interactions between parents and children related to content during storytelling. One hundred twelve stories were chosen by parents and told to their preschool children in one-­to-­one settings in their homes. These sessions were recorded by students and later analyzed. The families chose the stories, and no recommendation was made to parents about the type of story or approach they would use to tell the story. The stories were classified as &quot;narration,&quot; which involved telling stories to children without using books, or &quot;story reading,&quot; which involved reading books. Results indicate that the way in which a story was told and the characteristics of the extratextual interactions between parents and children depended on a parent's educational status. Almost all parents with a higher educational background employed story reading, whereas parents with a lower educational background mostly preferred narration. The quantity and quality of verbal exchanges between adults and children during storytelling were also affected by the approach used and the educational status of the parents. Reading stories motivated more verbal exchanges than narrating stories. Extratextual interactions during storytelling were more common among parents with a higher educational background than among parents with a lower educational background; however, of the total number of extratextual interactions, only a small percentage were categorized as high-level abstraction (bridging, elaboration, and predicting). Most extratextual interactions were described as low-­level abstraction (children's feedback, asking for label, intervention for drawing attention, and clarifying), regardless of the approach employed by the parents or their educational status. Results suggest that for the Greek families involved in this research, storytelling is a child­-centered activity that meets the entertainment needs of the child.
Nurturing Social Experience in Three Early Childhood Special Education Classrooms
Author: Recchia, Susan L.
Date: 2006-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Preschool Children,Preschool Education,Preschool Teachers,Social Behavior,Qualitative Research,Special Education,Special Education Teachers,Teacher Student Relationship,Interpersonal Relationship,Conflict Resolution,Teacher Role,Teacher Characteristics,Student Characteristics,Class Activities,Observation,Classroom Techniques

This study explored the ways in which early childhood special education teachers supported children's social behavior within the context of their preschool classrooms. Data collected for six children through naturalistic classroom observations were coded and analyzed for emergent themes within a qualitative framework. Findings revealed a variety of strategies and behaviors used by early childhood special education teachers and their assistants to respond socially to the children in their classrooms. The data were grouped into five overarching themes: (1) teachers' adaptations to support positive social experiences, (2) positive emotional connections between teachers and students, (3) negative interactions between teachers and students, (4) teachers' promotion of positive social engagement with peers, and (5) teachers' help with conflict resolution. These data present multiple lenses through which to view children's and teachers' social experiences in the classroom, providing the potential for a richer understanding of both what is observed as well as how it actually transpires. The complexity of individual differences and classroom dynamics are discussed, with recommendations for practice and future research.
On the Development of a Computer Based Diagnostic Assessment Tool to Help in Teaching and Learning Process
Author: Ahmad, Afaq
Date: 2010-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Computer Assisted Testing,Teaching Methods,Learning Processes,Error Patterns,Computer Simulation,Remedial Instruction,Diagnostic Tests,Computer Software,Arithmetic,Electronic Learning,Learning Problems,Learning Experience

This paper presents a computer based diagnostic tool developed to facilitate the learning process. The developed tool is capable of generating possible error syndromes associated with the answers received. The developed tool simulates the error pattern of the test results and then accordingly models the action plan to help in children's learning process. The built-in tests are designed in such a way to consider the procedural, factual and conceptual knowledge of the learning topic. The tool considers aspects related to both, the learner and the instructor. It generates a diagnostic report to be utilized by the instructor. Moreover, the report suggests remedial advices to enhance process of the learning in cases when the learner experiences severe learning difficulties.
Defining Innovation: Using Soft Systems Methodology to Approach the Complexity of Innovation in Educational Technology
Author: Cox, Glenda
Date: 2010-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Foreign Countries,Innovation,College Faculty,Educational Technology,Interviews,Systems Approach,Problem Solving

This paper explores what educational technologists in one South African Institution consider innovation to be. Ten educational technologists in various faculties across the university were interviewed and asked to define and answer questions about innovation. Their answers were coded and the results of the overlaps in coding have been assimilated into a definition. Soft systems methodology (SSM) was used as a method to make visible the complex nature of innovation in educational technology in one setting. The initial definition formed the &quot;situation definition&quot; in SSM terms. The method proved useful in producing a picture (based on rich pictures drawn by each person) and a root definition (based on CATWOE, a mnemonic that enables the interviewer to ask each participant to identify processes and role players). Participants discussed changes in processes, structures and attitudes at the institution.
From Digital Divide to Digital Equity: Learners' ICT Competence in Four Primary Schools in Cape Town, South Africa
Author: Gudmundsdottir, G. B.
Date: 2010-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Foreign Countries,Educational Technology,Technology Uses in Education,Electronic Learning,Access to Computers,Technological Literacy,Elementary School Teachers,Elementary School Students,Principals,Grade 7,Observation,Questionnaires,Gender Differences,Comparative Analysis,Language Usage,Faculty Development,Semi Structured Interviews,Qualitative Research,Statistical Analysis

This study explores factors influencing the digital divide in four schools in Cape Town, South Africa. Three of the schools are for disadvantaged learners whereas the fourth was previously for whites only. All the schools use ICT in their curriculum delivery and thereby support the emphasis of provincial educational authorities on ICT access for all learners and teachers. Seventh-grade learners (N = 290) as well as their class teachers and principals participated in the study which focused on factors inside and outside of school which affected learners' ICT competence, and hence the digital divide. Data were collected through interviews, observations and questionnaires. Learners' ICT competence was compared between and across schools in relation to gender, home access and home language in addition to support and training possibilities for the teachers. The main findings indicate that, despite substantial efforts by educational authorities to increase ICT access for learners and teachers in public schools in Cape Town, when learners' ICT competence is compared, digital equity has not been reached. In order to increase digital equity and decrease the digital divide, a renewed policy focus is needed which puts greater emphasis on addressing the severe inequalities of the learners within their school environment as well as outside of school, taking their home situation into consideration to a greater extent.
Blogging at University as a Case Study in Instructional Design: Challenges and Suggestions towards Professional Development
Author: Muwanga-Zake, J. W. F.
Date: 2010-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Foreign Countries,Information Technology,Electronic Publishing,Electronic Journals,Web Sites,Journal Writing,Higher Education,Instructional Design,Professional Development,Universities,Use Studies,Incidence,Student Journals,Action Research

Although the potentials of ICT such as blogs seem to be obvious, universities find challenges in using them pedagogically. For example, there is dissonance between blogging and pedagogy, or rather a gap between rhetoric about blog potential and blog practice, which has prompted this investigation and professional development in the use of blogs at the University of New England (UNE). Preliminary findings show fundamental implications for professional development in pedagogical uses of Information and Communication Technologies (ICT).
A Comparative Evaluation of Two Interventions for Educator Training in HIV/AIDS in South Africa
Author: Chao, Li-Wei
Date: 2010-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Foreign Countries,Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome (AIDS),Teaching Methods,Faculty Development,Interactive Video,Technology Uses in Education,Educational Technology,Teacher Surveys,Teacher Attitudes,Knowledge Level,Self Efficacy,Intervention,Attitude Change,Comparative Analysis,Conventional Instruction,Elementary Secondary Education,Workshops,Questionnaires,Statistical Analysis,Likert Scales

The purpose of this study was to compare two different methods to teach educators about HIV/AIDS. Sixty educators were selected from eight schools in KwaZulu-Natal Province, South Africa, to undergo HIV/AIDS training using an interactive CD-ROM intervention. Another sixty educators from other schools were selected to undergo a two-day Life Skills Training Programme provided by the Department of Education. The outcomes both before and after the interventions were measured by surveying the educators' knowledge and attitudes related to HIV/AIDS, as well as their self-efficacy with respect to dealing with HIV/AIDS in the classroom setting. Both interventions resulted in significant changes in knowledge and attitudes as well as in the self-efficacy with respect to ability to teach about HIV/AIDS and to deal with classroom situations involving HIV and blood. The Life Skills Training Programme proved superior in enhancing basic knowledge about HIV, and the CD-ROM was superior in teaching about HIV transmission risks.
Measuring Levels of End-Users' Acceptance and Use of Hybrid Library Services
Author: Tibenderana, Prisca
Date: 2010-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Foreign Countries,Library Services,Electronic Libraries,Information Technology,Surveys,Users (Information),Developing Nations,Computer Attitudes,Intention,Academic Libraries,Demography,Participant Characteristics,Teacher Attitudes,Construct Validity,Factor Analysis,Correlation,Predictor Variables,Models,Statistical Analysis

This study concerns the adoption of Information Communication Technology (ICT) services in libraries. The study collected 445 usable data from university library end-users using a cross-sectional survey instrument. It develops, applies and tests a research model of acceptance and use of such services based on an existing UTAUT model by Venkatesh, &quot;et al.&quot; (2003). Results show that &quot;relevance&quot; and &quot;social influence&quot; have significant effects on intentions to use e-library services. Results further show that university communities in Uganda are inclined to use electronic library services due to social demands, relevancy of services, available facilitating conditions and benefits they expect from the services. Most importantly, the Service Oriented Unified Theory of Acceptance and Use of Technology (SOUTAUT) model explains 57% of variance towards acceptance and use of e-library services.