This study aimed to explore the influence of Early Head Start teachers' educational experiences and psychological well-being on their perceptions of parent-teacher relationship qualities. Through the use of an exploratory analytical approach, this study examined the impact of 134 Early Head Start teachers' educational and professional development…

The purpose of this qualitative descriptive study was to explore how parents and teachers described their perceptions of parent engagement strategies (Epstein's six types of involvement) in pre-kindergarten classrooms to support the social-emotional competence (SEC) of pre-kindergarten students. Fifteen participants located in a Southeastern U.S.…

Technology has been brought into the educational milieu changing the way teachers and parents communicate. It allows teachers and parents to communicate conveniently while also facilitating the sharing of a variety of media (i.e., photos or video). Photos paint a visual picture of learning in the classroom, allowing families a glimpse into their…

Preschool children are expelled from early childhood education programs up to three times the expulsion rate of elementary and secondary students, and researchers have expressed concerns about this trend. The purpose of this qualitative study was to explore educators' perspectives on behavioral supports to address preschool students' challenging…

Although young children from low-income families may (or may not) have fewer quality literacy experiences at home before attending preschool or kindergarten, instruction from an exemplary teacher matters most for emergent comprehension development. This single, intrinsic case study describes how one exemplary teacher's interactions with her…

This study examined parents' and teachers' social constructions of disability, school readiness, and the transition to kindergarten process for children with disabilities who participated in a self-contained preschool special education (SPED) class, called a special day class (SDC). The 12 participants included parents of children with…

The focus of this dissertation centers around the beliefs that early education teachers hold regarding the role digital technology plays in the learning and development of young children and how those beliefs are implemented in the classroom. Although there is some previous research on this topic not enough is known about digital technology…

As the prevalence of autism spectrum disorder (ASD) increases every year, so has the literature on early identification and early interventions (EI) that can result in better outcomes for children with ASD. There has been a focus on core deficits that are impaired in ASD and that appear to prevent other areas of development from flourishing,…

Emergent bilinguals account for a quarter of the approximately 70 million children under age 18 in the US (Esterline & Batalova, 2022). The question of how to serve these children best in educational settings has been contested. A substantial body of research has documented effective practices to promote bilingual development in dual language…

The purpose of this study was to explore Cypriot preschool teachers' and parents' perceptions and attitudes toward the value and contribution of the developed educational assessment instrument for the early identification and intervention for students at risk to present learning disabilities. In this research study, a qualitative research was used…

Preschool social education has become an increasingly important area of research and practice in mainland China with the social domain being recognized as an independent preschool curricular domain since 2001. Little is known, however, about the specific teaching practices that Chinese preschool teachers are using to promote children's…

Preschool children with language delays often struggle to learn new concepts. Proven strategies such as modeling, prompting, reinforcing responses, direct teaching, and hands-on experience matter to young children with language delays. Also important are social interactions and shared experiences with more knowledgeable persons. Within a cultural…

The present study examined teacher attitudes, teacher preparation/training, teacher experience, and school support and their relationship to reported family involvement behaviors, using the Epstein framework as a six part definition for family involvement. Participants included 283 teachers in 20 different special education preschool programs…

This integrated methods study used a sequential explanatory design to explore the culturally relevant teaching beliefs of successful emergent literacy Head Start teachers of urban African American boys living in poverty. The study utilized emergent literacy gain scores as a measure of success, a survey of culturally relevant teaching beliefs to…