Purposeful play has many educational benefits that support the whole child. As academic rigor continues to rise, the need for developmentally appropriate practices that support both academic and social emotional learning increases. The purpose of this quantitative study was to understand principals' perceptions of the incorporation of purposeful…

Educational robotics has been adopted to create interactive and engaging learning environments to develop computational thinking (CT) in K-12 learners. This study systematically examined 22 peer-reviewed empirical research articles on the use of educational robotics to develop CT in young learners (pre-kindergarten to 6th grade) published between…

The purpose of this qualitative study was to gain understanding of how Midwestern kindergarten teachers use developmentally appropriate play-based practices to support the standards in their classrooms. Five participants were selected based on meeting the criteria of being a kindergarten teacher in a Midwestern school district who incorporates…

"What Are Preschoolers Thinking?" dispels common misconceptions about the cognitive abilities of preschoolers and demonstrates how effective early instruction can help eradicate achievement gaps. More Judith A. Schickedanz, Molly F. Collins, and Catherine Marchant, educators and researchers with combined decades of experience in early…

The purpose of this study was to determine current kindergarten teacher understandings of early phonics instruction and how teachers are meeting readers' early phonics needs during guided reading instruction. Using Vygotsky's (1979) social constructivist theory and Ehri's (1995) connectionist theory and by focusing on age-appropriate instruction,…

We investigated the extent to which practices considered developmentally appropriate and inappropriate varied by preschool program auspice (private, public school, and Head Start). Survey data from a 2010 national sample of 2,664 teachers of 4-year-olds provided teacher reports on the frequency of seven practices (e.g., offering children choices…

Many K-12 computer science (CS) education initiatives at the local, state, and federal levels have recently started to focus on engaging the young children. Although most CS education research has focused on the secondary level, only minimal research has explored how computer science (CS) and computational thinking (CT) can be taught in elementary…

The purpose of this qualitative study was to explore preschool teachers' beliefs and practices on developmentally appropriate practices. The study sites are a mix of public and private preschools that are located in Gondar City, Ethiopia. From these study sites, six participants were purposively selected. Date data were collected through in-depth…

This study examined how and to what extent a prekindergarten teacher's perceptions of ready children and diversity--which are influenced by broader societal culture--influence their abilities and ways of incorporating children's funds of knowledge into their practice. The methodology used was based on a descriptive case study of a teacher, Linda,…

The study examined conceptualisation and implementation of play-based curriculum and pedagogy in early childhood education in preschools in Oromia Regional State. The study employed mixed research method with concurrent triangulation design. A researcher selected the samples of the study by using purposive, availability, stratified and simple…

To provide a landscape of mathematics activities children experience in U.S. preschool and kindergarten classrooms, we observed time children spent in mathematics activities (and -- as a contrast -- literacy) in 101 geographically diverse early childhood classrooms in seven U.S. states. We also observed what mathematics content, grouping…

Early childhood education is a dynamic field, constantly evolving with the introduction of new curriculums, initiatives and programs. The classroom teacher is the constant, providing essential early literacy instruction amidst all of these changes. Universal Pre-Kindergarten is a vital program that provides access to quality early childhood…

This study examines how well school groups in the Coastal Plains region of a southeastern state align with the socio-emotional strategies for four-year-olds outlined by the Key Practices in the Pyramid Model Framework (Teaching Pyramid Observation Tool-Research Edition [Manual], Baltimore, MD: Brookes, 2014). Many schools in these groups serve…

Statement of Purpose and Method of Study: This quantitative study aimed to investigate the influence of principal preparation on the leadership behaviors of elementary school principals who supervise, support, and evaluate prekindergarten teachers in Mississippi public schools. Specifically, the researcher sought to determine if statistically…

High-quality learning environments are critical to support students' learning and development. This study supported eight lead teachers of Starting Strong classrooms in four different early learning programs to try to improve teachers' knowledge, self-efficacy, and use of Developmentally Appropriate Practices (DAP) within their classrooms. Four…