How Computer Use Functions as an Aspect of Literacy Development : A Qualitative Description of a Second-grade Classroom (open access)

How Computer Use Functions as an Aspect of Literacy Development : A Qualitative Description of a Second-grade Classroom

In this study, the researcher investigated how computer use functions as an aspect of literacy development within a second-grade classroom. The researcher sought to gather data to help define the role that computer use plays in the literacy development of elementary school students by concentrating on how computers are actually used in the classroom being studied, and by looking for relationships revealed by students' and teacher's beliefs about computer use in the classroom.
Date: December 1993
Creator: Kostelnik, Joyce L.
System: The UNT Digital Library
Hospitalized School-Age Children: Psychosocial Issues and Use of a Live, Closed-Circuit Television Program (open access)

Hospitalized School-Age Children: Psychosocial Issues and Use of a Live, Closed-Circuit Television Program

This descriptive study utilized semi-structured interviews and observations to examine the experiences of hospitalized school-age children, and explore the potential of a live, closed-circuit television program as a psychosocial intervention. Among findings, Phase I data from 16 subjects indicates a) concern with painful medical procedures, particularly intraveneous (IV) injections, b) a desire for more information, especially concerning medical equipment, c) a variety of responses to social issues among subjects, d) the importance of activities, and e) the central role of the hospital playroom. Phase II data indicates that live, closed-circuit television can provide ambulatory and room-bound children opportunities for making choices, social interaction, participation, and information on their environment. Conclusions and implications are included.
Date: August 1993
Creator: Ravert, Russell D. (Russell Douglas)
System: The UNT Digital Library
Language Behaviors and Social Strategies of English as Second Language and English as Primary Language Preschool Children During Computer Assisted Instruction Experiences (open access)

Language Behaviors and Social Strategies of English as Second Language and English as Primary Language Preschool Children During Computer Assisted Instruction Experiences

This study describes the language behaviors and social strategies of English as Second Language (ESL) and English as Primary Language (EPL) pre-kindergarten students during cooperative Computer Assisted Instruction (CAI) experiences. Thirty-three pre-kindergarten subjects ages four to five years, were videotaped at two personal computers during self-selected center time. The sources of data for this descriptive study were a parent computer survey, videotapes, a subject interview derived from the Young Children's Computer Inventory, and written records.
Date: August 1993
Creator: Emerson, Stacia B. (Stacia Brewster)
System: The UNT Digital Library
Self-Assessment of Literacy Growth in Young Children (open access)

Self-Assessment of Literacy Growth in Young Children

In this study, 78 kindergarten and first-grade children were interviewed about their writing to identify indicators of self-assessment. Writing samples for each participant were saved over a three month period, then compared and discussed by the child. Results indicated that these young children did engage in self:-assessment behaviors. The classroom teachers were asked to place the participants in their classes along a writing continuum known as a Writing Band. Graphs were presented to show the writing levels of the children by classroom. In addition, each classroom was surveyed to document events which promote literacy development within the framework of an integrated curriculum. Writing samples for each child were collected and kept in a portfolio. Participants were interviewed regarding the contents of the portfolio. Children in two of the kindergarten classes were interviewed using 5 samples collected over a 2 1/2 month time period, and all other participants were interviewed using 6 writing samples collected over a 3 month period. Findings indicated that not only did these young children recognize growth in their writing, but they also assessed that growth based on outward, physical features of their writing. The writing ability of each child at the beginning of the study did …
Date: August 1993
Creator: Miels, Jill C.
System: The UNT Digital Library
The Effect of Creative Dramatics Activities on the Story Retellings of Kindergartners (open access)

The Effect of Creative Dramatics Activities on the Story Retellings of Kindergartners

The study was designed to determine the effect a dramatic play activity had on the content of a story retelling of kindergarten students. Approximately 35 students were randomly sampled to form experimental and control groups. Both groups engaged in a read aloud activity, followed by brief discussion, and an independent illustration of the story. The experimental group participated in a creative reenactment of the story prior to the illustration activity. Students in both groups then retold the story to the researcher. Retellings were transcribed and scored for: Story Retelling Analysis score (Morrow, 1988); percentage of characters recalled; percentage of plot episodes recalled; and the presence of story language, inferential statements, and a distinct beginning, middle, and end. Anecdotal data are described narratively.
Date: May 1993
Creator: Weidner, Deborah Fowler
System: The UNT Digital Library
A Quasi-Experimental Study of 5th-Graders' Use of Selected Self-Directing Perceptions and Learning Strategies (open access)

A Quasi-Experimental Study of 5th-Graders' Use of Selected Self-Directing Perceptions and Learning Strategies

A major change being advocated in education is that of making students more self-directing; that is, helping them become more responsible for their own learning. The focus of this investigation was on fifth grade students' use of self-directed learning strategies and self-directed perceptual skills. An experimental study was conducted using the nested design for analyzing data obtained from the Guglielmino Self-Directed Learning Readiness Scale, the Zimmerman and Martinez-Pons1 Self-Regulated Learning Interview Schedule, and the Bradley-Lane Self-Directing Perceptual Scale. One hundred fifty-two fifth graders were involved in the eight week study along with their six teachers. Both students and teachers were immersed in a module of training that included emphasis upon self-directing behaviors and learning strategies. Two striking findings emerged; namely, (a) in comparing the average number of learning strategies acquired after treatment, the experimental group (low, middle, and high IQ levels) scored 40%, 50% and 29% higher respectively, than did the control group; (b) in comparing the fifth grade students use of learning strategies it was found that most students nearly doubled the number of learning strategies they had previously acquired. Thus, it was concluded that children who do not have actual teaching of information or data concerning learning strategies …
Date: December 1992
Creator: Lane, Pam S.
System: The UNT Digital Library
A Study of Korean Kindergarten Teachers' Concerns (open access)

A Study of Korean Kindergarten Teachers' Concerns

The problem of this study was to identify some concerns of Korean kindergarten teachers at different points in their careers, based on the conceptual framework of Katz's (1972, 1977, 1985) theory of preschool teacher development. This study also described the variations in these concerns on the basis of some teacher characteristics including teaching experience, certification, educational background, inservice training, and teaching assignment. The subjects for this study were 174 volunteers who were Korean kindergarten teachers in Seoul, Korea. The concerns of the teachers were expressed through the Kindergarten Teacher Concerns Questionnaire, consisting of two parts: (a) background information, and (b) the Kindergarten Teacher Concern Rating Scale (KTCRS), consisting of a list of 54 items developed by Tsai (1990), reflecting the four areas of concerns—Survival, Consolidation, Renewal, and Maturity—formulated by Katz. A Likert type 5-point scale indicating the degree of concerns was used in the questionnaire as the scoring system. The following conclusions were drawn from this study: 1. The concerns of the Korean kindergarten teachers were developmental in nature in terms of preoccupation with a specific area of concerns at different points in the teachers' careers. This result tended to follow a sequence of stages as posited by Katz (1972, …
Date: December 1992
Creator: Park, Guen K.
System: The UNT Digital Library
Usage of Whole-Language Instruction in Elementary-School Classrooms: a Case Study (open access)

Usage of Whole-Language Instruction in Elementary-School Classrooms: a Case Study

This qualitative research study examined the usage of whole-language instruction in the classrooms of four self-professed whole-language teachers. Data were collected from the following sources: classroom observations; interviews with the teachers and their principals; and a study of lesson plans, student work, textbooks, and curriculum guides. The following conclusions were drawn from the study. The teachers' pre-existing philosophical views regarding language instruction influenced the effectiveness with which they implemented whole-language instruction more than any other single factor. These philosophical bases also determined, to a large extent, the kinds of whole-language practices and strategies the teachers used in their instruction. The skills-oriented teachers most often stated that they used whole-language instruction in order to review or reinforce skills. The more holistic teachers most often stressed language development, language appreciation, and self expression. The data collected in this study led to the conclusion that teachers must become knowledgeable of whole-language principles and make a personal commitment to the whole-language philosophy in order to develop integrated, coherent whole-language instructional programs. The data also led the researcher to conclude that assessment of whole-language instruction was an area of ambiguity and uncertainty for the teachers involved in the study. The following recommendations were made from …
Date: August 1992
Creator: Miller, Frank J. (Franklin Joe), 1943-
System: The UNT Digital Library
Comparison of Childrearing Attitudes Between Church-Related Korean American Immigrant Parents and Korean Parents (open access)

Comparison of Childrearing Attitudes Between Church-Related Korean American Immigrant Parents and Korean Parents

The purposes of this study were to compare the childrearing attitudes of church-related Korean American immigrant parents and Korean parents as measured by the Parent As A Teacher Inventory (PAAT), and to identify relationships between the PAAT childrearing subsets and demographic variables including sex of child, sex of parent, education of parent, family income level, maternal employment, accessibility to the child, language of parent, and length of residence in America.
Date: May 1992
Creator: Choi, Jong Eun
System: The UNT Digital Library
Teachers' Perceptions of Computer Use in Elementary and Secondary Classrooms in Thailand (open access)

Teachers' Perceptions of Computer Use in Elementary and Secondary Classrooms in Thailand

The purpose of this study was to create a base of descriptive information about computer applications in the elementary and secondary classrooms of Thailand. To accomplish this task, two forms of questionnaires were developed and administered to a randomly selected sample of 527 school teachers and 94 college instructors throughout the Northeastern area of Thailand. Data were analyzed using a chi-square test, a £-test, and a one-way analysis of variance procedure.
Date: May 1992
Creator: Loipha, Suladda
System: The UNT Digital Library
A Case Study of the Effects of an Adlerian Parent Education Program on Parent Attitudes and Child Rearing Techniques (open access)

A Case Study of the Effects of an Adlerian Parent Education Program on Parent Attitudes and Child Rearing Techniques

The effects of an Adlerian-based parent education program on parents' attitudes toward their children's behavior and techniques used in child rearing were examined in this study. Parents in one primary elementary school were invited by letter to participate in a parent education program.
Date: December 1991
Creator: Urban, Toni Ann
System: The UNT Digital Library
Linking Parent Relationships with Intimacy in a Selected Group of Young Adult University Students (open access)

Linking Parent Relationships with Intimacy in a Selected Group of Young Adult University Students

Literature suggests positive relationships with caregivers during childhood facilitate intimacy in young adulthood. The three hypotheses in this inquiry related to the students' relationship between parental intimacy and friend intimacy, gender differences in intimacy, and the perceived acceptance of parents. Subjects were 322 male and female university students, aged 17 through 25 years. Most were single, white, and middle class. During class the Children's Report of Parental Behavior, the Miller Social Intimacy Scale, and a demographic sheet were administered. ANOVA revealed that relationships between parental intimacy and friend intimacy were not significant. Females reported greater intimacy with friends than males. For both sexes, correlations between recalled parental intimacy and acceptance were higher for mothers than fathers.
Date: August 1991
Creator: Roland, Sandra Dodson
System: The UNT Digital Library
A Comparison of the Reading and Writing Performance of Children in a Whole Language Pre-First-Grade Class and a Modified Traditional First-Grade Class (open access)

A Comparison of the Reading and Writing Performance of Children in a Whole Language Pre-First-Grade Class and a Modified Traditional First-Grade Class

This study examined differences in literacy development between five students attending whole language pre-first-grade classes and five students eligible for pre-first-grade classes but attending modified traditional first-grade classes. Differences between whole language pre-first-grade classes and modified traditional first-grade classes in use of literacy materials, teaching procedures, and amount of time spent on literacy were also examined. The procedures involved testing the subjects on reading and writing skills, observations of the pre-first-grade and first-grade classes, and analysis of subjects' writing samples.
Date: December 1990
Creator: Davis, Ruth A. (Ruth Ann), 1946-
System: The UNT Digital Library
Texas Educational Reform: a Study of the Effects of Mandated Testing in Texas (open access)

Texas Educational Reform: a Study of the Effects of Mandated Testing in Texas

The problem of the study was to examine the effects of Texas legislated basic skills testing as the effects relate to teachers, administrators, and local school districts. Questionnaires consisting of thirty questions were mailed to a stratified random sample of 120 educators from all twenty Regional Service Centers in Texas. Both teachers and administrators were included in the sample. Factual information and personal opinions were solicited to determine how educators and local school districts have been responding to the testing reform directives. Responses of educational groups and demographic types were compared using the chi-square test and presented in descriptive and tabular form.. Nine findings, nine conclusions, and six recommendations resulted from the study.
Date: December 1990
Creator: Gray, Ruth Ann
System: The UNT Digital Library
The Use of Learning Styles in Teaching Social Studies in 7th and 8th Grade: A Case Study (open access)

The Use of Learning Styles in Teaching Social Studies in 7th and 8th Grade: A Case Study

This qualitative case study examined the extent to which learning styles were used by teachers in four seventh and eighth grade social studies classrooms in a large suburban north Texas junior high school. The conclusions were as follows: 1) The environment on the junior high level did not afford the flexibility found in the elementary classroom. The changing of students, teachers, and the multi-purpose use of rooms did not afford flexibility of light, temperature, sound, and design preference. 2) The physical and the psychological categories had elements within each category that overlapped. A right brain activity closely aligned to a tactile/kinesthetic activity. A parallel between physical-mobility and psychological-global was noted, as well as a pattern between the global and the tactile/kinesthetic projects. 3) The split lunch period created problems for the global, kinesthetic, impulsive students. The academic environment was interrupted for a thirty minute period; students had to re-acclimate to a more analytic environment after lunch. 4) Each teacher alternated between primary style and secondary and tertiary styles. This mediation ability enabled each teacher to use all styles in lessons the researcher observed. 5) Abstract random and concrete random teachers did more group and team teaching than concrete sequential and …
Date: August 1990
Creator: Woodring, Betty Gregory
System: The UNT Digital Library
A Study of the Relationship between Field-Independent and Field-Dependent Cognitive Styles and Social Behaviors during Free-Play of Preschool Children (open access)

A Study of the Relationship between Field-Independent and Field-Dependent Cognitive Styles and Social Behaviors during Free-Play of Preschool Children

The problem of this study was to discover the relationship between field-independent and field-dependent cognitive styles and social behaviors during free-play of preschool children in a school setting. This study also compared the field-independent and field-dependent cognitive styles and social behaviors during free-play between age-groups and sex-groups. Thirty-six children from a university child development laboratory were subjects. They were selected from a 3-year-old classroom and a 4-year-old classroom. The research instrument, the Preschool Embedded Figures Test, was utilized to measure field-independent and field-dependent cognitive styles. The children's social behaviors were observed during free-play for four consecutive weeks. The nine categories of social behavior were solitary, parallel, and group play; .unoccupied, onlooker, transitional, and aggressive behaviors; and conversations with teachers and conversations with peers. Correlations between field-independent and field-dependent cognitive styles and social behaviors indicated that field-independence/field-dependence was related to social orientations in preschool children and also related to the choice of play activity. Field-dependent children tended to engage in conversations with teachers more often than field-independent children. Four-year-old children who were field-independent tended to spend more time in solitary play than 4-year-old children who were field-dependent. Four-year-old boys who were field-independent tended to play more often in the manipulative learning …
Date: August 1989
Creator: Jun, Ye-Hwa
System: The UNT Digital Library
The Developmental Appropriateness of the English Language Arts Essential Elements for Kindergarten (open access)

The Developmental Appropriateness of the English Language Arts Essential Elements for Kindergarten

The developmental appropriateness of the English language arts essential elements for kindergarten children in the State of Texas was evaluated by surveying the opinions of thirty-six kindergarten teachers in one school district. A questionnaire was developed using the essential elements so that respondents could record a yes or no opinion and supply additional comments on each essential element. Ninety-seven percent of the teachers responded. The results indicated rates of agreement for developmental appropriateness by the teachers surveyed to be 100% for language, 95% for listening, 94% for speaking and reading and 81% for writing.
Date: December 1988
Creator: Anderson, Susan R. (Susan Rogers)
System: The UNT Digital Library
An Exploratory Study of the Relationship Between Curiosity and Print Awareness of Four-Year-Old Children (open access)

An Exploratory Study of the Relationship Between Curiosity and Print Awareness of Four-Year-Old Children

This study has five chapters, organized in the following manner: (1) Chapter I contains the introduction, statement of the problem, purpose of the study, questions, significance of the study, and definition of terms; (2) Chapter II is a review of the literature; (3) Chapter III is a description of subjects and tests and procedures for treating the data; (4) Chapter IV contains the statistical technique of the analysis and the findings related to the questions, and (5) Chapter V consists of the summary, findings, conclusions, and recommendations. The problem of the study was to explore the relationship between curiosity and print awareness among four-year-old children. Subjects participating in the study were 71 four-year-old children from six licensed child care and preschool settings located in different geographical sections of a north central Texas city. The study included thirty-four girls and thirty-seven boys. Instruments used to collect the data were Kreitler, Zigler, and Kreitler's battery of curiosity tasks and Goodman's Signs of the Environment and Book Handling Knowledge tasks. Canonical I correlation analyses do not yield a significant relationship between variables of curiosity and print awareness. An alternate Pearson Product Moment correlation yielded some specific pairwise correlations between certain curiosity variables and …
Date: December 1988
Creator: Estrada, Anita
System: The UNT Digital Library
The Effects of Cognitive Styles on Summarization of Expository Text (open access)

The Effects of Cognitive Styles on Summarization of Expository Text

The study investigated the relationship among three cognitive styles and summarization abilities. Both summarization products and processes were examined. Summarizing products were scored and a canonical correlation analysis was performed to determine their relationship with three cognitive styles. Summarizing processes were examined by videotaping students as they provided think aloud protocols. Their processes were recorded on composing style sheets and analyzed qualitatively. Subjects were sixth-grade students in self-contained classes in a suburban school district. Summarizing products were collected over a two week period in the fall. Summarizing processes were collected over an eight week period in the spring of the same school year. The results of the summarizing products analysis suggest that cognitive styles are related to summarization abilities. Two canonical correlations among the two variable sets were statistically significant at the .05 level of significance (.33 and .29). The results further suggest that students who are field independent, reflective, and flexible in their attentional style may be more adept at organizing their ideas and using written mechanics while summarizing. Students who are impulsive and constricted in attentional style may exhibit strength in expressing their ideas while summarizing. Results of the summarizing processes analysis suggest that students of one cognitive …
Date: August 1988
Creator: Mast, Cynda Overton
System: The UNT Digital Library
Home Literacy Environment and Experiences: A Description of Asian American Homes and Recommended Intervention (open access)

Home Literacy Environment and Experiences: A Description of Asian American Homes and Recommended Intervention

The purpose of this study was to describe the home literacy environments and literacy experiences of a select group of Asian American children, and to recommend an intervention program based on the findings. The target population was the families which sent their children to a Saturday Asian language and culture school while sending them to public schools during the week, because of their expressed interest in literacy and the probability of their being the group to most likely benefit from intervention. The Home Literacy Environment and Literacy Experiences survey was initially sent out and results tallied and quantified. Upon placing the returned surveys into groups of "high," "middle," and "low" home literacy environment and literacy experiences, a sample of five "high" and five "low" families was selected for further study. Home visits, interviews, field notes, collection of artifacts and other methods of data collection provided a clearer picture of the state of the home literacy environment and literacy experiences of the families studied. Families rated as having "high" home literacy environment and experiences were found to have a larger number of literacy-related materials and higher frequency of literacy-related activities. Bilingualism and education were perceived as being important. The families also …
Date: August 1988
Creator: Lewis, Junko Yokota
System: The UNT Digital Library
The Relationship of Parent Involvement in Head Start to Family Characteristics, Parent Behaviors and Attitudes, and Preschool Inventory Scores (open access)

The Relationship of Parent Involvement in Head Start to Family Characteristics, Parent Behaviors and Attitudes, and Preschool Inventory Scores

The purpose of this study was to examine the relationship between family characteristics and parent involvement in Head Start, and the differences between parents who participated in Head Start parent involvement activities and parents who did not participate, as to their behaviors and attitudes concerning education, their children, their communities, and their children's academic achievement. This study analyzed existing data collected for a national parent involvement study. The sample consisted of 2,051 parent-child pairs (1,443 Head Start and 606 non-Head Start). Findings indicated a significant relationship between numerous family characteristics and parent involvement in Head Start, with variables related to a higher level of education of the mother or primary caregiver being the most dominant. Significant differences were found between the parents who participated in Head Start activities and parents who did not participate. The involved parents felt more strongly about teachers needing knowledge of their children's families, parents having knowledge worthy of sharing with their children's teachers, and parents wanting advice or input from their children's teachers. They reported a higher frequency of behaviors such as talking, reading, and playing with their children, trying to teach their children basic concepts, and having materials available for their children's use. Involved …
Date: May 1988
Creator: Pyle, Nancy Storey
System: The UNT Digital Library
Long-Term Effects of Quality Preschool for Disadvantaged Children (open access)

Long-Term Effects of Quality Preschool for Disadvantaged Children

The eleven studies which comprise the Consortium for Longitudinal Studies were described in order to determine long-term effects of preschool education on disadvantaged children. Research methods and results of the studies were evaluated and compared. An historical overview details the sociopolitical milieu from the time the eleven studies began in the 1960s to the present. Theories which impacted the preschool movement in the 1960s were also discussed, particularly those which concern the development of intelligence, the importance of early education and environmental impact on the development of intelligence. Demographic data were used to describe disadvantaged children's needs for quality early intervention programs. The results of the eleven Consortium studies indicate positive long-term effects for disadvantaged children enrolled in quality preschool programs.
Date: December 1987
Creator: Petrik, Rebecca D. (Rebecca Diane)
System: The UNT Digital Library