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An Investigation of Kindergarten Teachers’ Attitudes, Knowledge, and Reported Practices Regarding Teacher Leadership in the State of Kuwait
Title
An Investigation of Kindergarten Teachers’ Attitudes, Knowledge, and Reported Practices Regarding Teacher Leadership in the State of Kuwait.
Creator
Aleisa, Bashayer, Bogotch, Ira, Barakat, Maysaa, Florida Atlantic University, College of Education, Department of Educational Leadership and Research Methodology
Abstract/Description
This study aimed to investigate the attitudes, knowledge, and practices of Kuwaiti kindergarten teachers regarding their leadership roles in the classroom and schools within the State of Kuwait. This study was conducted using a mixed methods research design whereby both quantitative and qualitative data were collected and analyzed simultaneously. The qualitative sample included 56 kindergarten teachers and twelve heads of departments selected from 12 kindergarten schools from all six school...
Show moreThis study aimed to investigate the attitudes, knowledge, and practices of Kuwaiti kindergarten teachers regarding their leadership roles in the classroom and schools within the State of Kuwait. This study was conducted using a mixed methods research design whereby both quantitative and qualitative data were collected and analyzed simultaneously. The qualitative sample included 56 kindergarten teachers and twelve heads of departments selected from 12 kindergarten schools from all six school districts in the State of Kuwait. The quantitative sample included 560 volunteer participants who completed a survey that measures teachers’ values, practices, and their perspectives on school culture regarding teacher leadership. ANOVA was used to analyze the differences among school district location, years of teaching experience, and teacher’s education level. The findings suggested that there were no statistically significant correlations among teachers’ beliefs regarding teacher leadership and school location, years of experience, and education level. Also, there were no statistically significant correlations between teacher leadership practices and school location, years of experience, and education level. There were significant correlations between school climate conducive to teacher leadership and years of experience, without school location and education level. Moreover, the concept of teacher leadership was ambiguous in Kuwaiti kindergarten schools. There were some indications of opportunity for teacher leadership roles, but those roles were not considered effective by participants. Teacher participants believe that their roles are restricted, and this perspective was supported in part by the heads of department. Teachers enumerated some hindrances to teacher leadership, such as instability of ministry supervisors’ decisions; top-down, unilateral decision-making; and school administrations’ tight control of teachers’ roles to the level of organizing and running classrooms. Broader implementation of Kuwaiti school restructuring efforts employing a distributed leadership model among formal and informal leadership roles and positions is recommended to help improve quality of education, the teaching profession, and school reform. In the end, the most significant benefit would be gained by students.
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Date Issued
2018
PURL
http://purl.flvc.org/fau/fd/FA00013167
Subject Headings
Kindergarten teachers, Kuwait, Educational leadership
Format
Document (PDF)
EVALUATION OF THE MICROCOMPUTER AS A FACILITATOR OF INDIRECT LEARNING FOR THE KINDERGARTEN CHILD
Title
AN EVALUATION OF THE MICROCOMPUTER AS A FACILITATOR OF INDIRECT LEARNING FOR THE KINDERGARTEN CHILD.
Creator
VON STEIN, JANET HIGGINBOTHAM, Florida Atlantic University
Abstract/Description
Purpose of the Study. The purpose of this study was to determine if the microcomputer is a facilitator of indirect learning for the kindergarten child. Procedures. To evaluate the ability of the microcomputer to act as a facilitator of learning for the kindergarten child, a research study was conducted at Pine Crest School in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. Seventy children in the kindergarten program participated in some way in the program. The pilot group aided in testing the programs and...
Show morePurpose of the Study. The purpose of this study was to determine if the microcomputer is a facilitator of indirect learning for the kindergarten child. Procedures. To evaluate the ability of the microcomputer to act as a facilitator of learning for the kindergarten child, a research study was conducted at Pine Crest School in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. Seventy children in the kindergarten program participated in some way in the program. The pilot group aided in testing the programs and verifying the product. The other children were divided by the Table of Random Numbers into the control group, which followed a traditional program for learning to count shapes and pattern shapes, and the experimental group, which used the microcomputer talking program for learning to count shapes and patterning shapes. For research purposes, the same teacher directed both programs. All the children were pre-tested in the areas of shapes counting and shapes patterning using the observational method. At this point the students became a part of either the control or experimental groups. When the lessons were complete in the experimental and control groups, the kindergarteners were post-tested by the observational method. At the end of the research period, an analysis of covariance was used to determine if there was a significant difference between the control and experimental groups. Findings of the Study. There was no significant difference between the scores of those students in the control and experimental groups. It should be noted that there was a "ceiling effect" on the shapes counting test. The pre-test indicated that this group of kindergarteners had a good prior knowledge of counting for their developmental age. Conclusions. It can be concluded that the microcomputer was as beneficial a learning tool as small group instruction in this study. According to the Review of Literature, emerging properties of the microcomputer show interesting prospects for computer programming. Young children can benefit from the patterns of logical thinking which computer programming fosters. Recommendations. In future research, concentration should be emphasized in appropriate computer programming language for young children and the most beneficial combination of computer assisted learning and computer programming.
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Date Issued
1982
PURL
http://purl.flvc.org/fcla/dt/11795
Subject Headings
Kindergarten, Computer-assisted instruction
Format
Document (PDF)
EFFECTS OF SELECTED ENVIRONMENTAL FACTORS ON THE PRODUCTIVITY OF STUDENTS IN KINDERGARTEN AS MEASURED BY THE CLYMER BARRETT PRE-READING BATTERY
Title
THE EFFECTS OF SELECTED ENVIRONMENTAL FACTORS ON THE PRODUCTIVITY OF STUDENTS IN KINDERGARTEN AS MEASURED BY THE CLYMER BARRETT PRE-READING BATTERY.
Creator
HILL, GEORGE ROBERT., Florida Atlantic University, MacKenzie, Donald G.
Abstract/Description
The Problem. The purpose of this study was to determine whether or not an eye-pleasing, carpeted, well-lighted, thermally controlled physical environment would have a positive impact upon the productivity of kindergarten children at Fairlawn Elementary School during the 1978-79 academic year. Summary. As each kindergarten child entered school at Fairlawn Elementary the child was randomly assigned, while considering race and sex constraints, to one of the two following physical environments:...
Show moreThe Problem. The purpose of this study was to determine whether or not an eye-pleasing, carpeted, well-lighted, thermally controlled physical environment would have a positive impact upon the productivity of kindergarten children at Fairlawn Elementary School during the 1978-79 academic year. Summary. As each kindergarten child entered school at Fairlawn Elementary the child was randomly assigned, while considering race and sex constraints, to one of the two following physical environments: Traditional environment--three classrooms constructed in 1949 in which the physical environment consists of asphalt tile floors, incandescent lighting, no means for control of the thermal environment other than heating, a color scheme consisting of brown and tan, and with an area of 739 square feet per classroom or 30 square feet per child. Non-traditional environment--four classrooms constructed in 1974 in which the physical environment consists of wall-to-wall carpeting, indirect fluorescent lighting, a system through which the thermal environment is controlled and maintained at 72(DEGREES)F (+ or - 2(DEGREES)F) and between 40 per cent and 60 percent relative humidity, a color scheme of blue, green, and yellow, and with an area of 1,225 square feet per classroom or 49 square feet per child. The productivity of the kindergarten students assigned to the two environments was determined by analyzing the pre-test and post test scores on the Clymer Barrett Pre-Reading Battery. The pre-test was administered in September of 1978 and the post test was administered in May of 1979. A review of the literature showed that many factors contributed to the productivity of students. Among the many factors was the physical environment of the classroom. Procedure. The null hypothesis that was tested was stated: H(DEGREES): There is no significant difference between the productivity of students in a traditional classroom environment and those in a non-traditional classroom environment. In testing the hypothesis dealing with productivity of students, an analysis of variance was utilized. An additional analysis was completed to determine if the difference was due to individual teacher difference or due to the physical environmental condition of the classroom. The design used for this experiment was a one-factor hierarchial design analysis of variance. Conclusions. (1) There was a significant difference at the .10 level of confidence between those students in the traditional environment and those students in the non-traditional environment. The obtained difference was not significant, however, at the .05 level of confidence. (2) There was no significant difference at the .10 level of confidence among the individual teachers within the two environments studied in terms of the mean gain per classroom.
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Date Issued
1980
PURL
http://purl.flvc.org/fcla/dt/11758
Subject Headings
Kindergarten--Environmental aspects, Kindergarten facilities--Environmental aspects--Florida
Format
Document (PDF)
An Examination of Literacy Based Beha
Title
An Examination of Literacy Based Beha.
Creator
Hall Pistorio, Kalynn, Brady, Michael P., Florida Atlantic University, College of Education, Department of Exceptional Student Education
Abstract/Description
Preparing young children for kindergarten is an important task. There are many skills that need to be learned. Simple everyday school and daily living tasks are kindergarten readiness skills that need to be taught. Many preschool students struggle to learn these skills unless taught directly. There are a sufficient number of interventions that have been used to teach various skills to students, but few have been identified as evidenced-based practices for teaching skills to at-risk preschool...
Show morePreparing young children for kindergarten is an important task. There are many skills that need to be learned. Simple everyday school and daily living tasks are kindergarten readiness skills that need to be taught. Many preschool students struggle to learn these skills unless taught directly. There are a sufficient number of interventions that have been used to teach various skills to students, but few have been identified as evidenced-based practices for teaching skills to at-risk preschool students in the classroom. Literacy based behavioral interventions (LBBI) (Bucholz, Brady, Duffy, Scott, & Kontosh, 2008) are a class of intervention that have been found to be effective to teach a variety of skills. This type of intervention consists of a combination of sequenced visuals and words to either teach a new skill and/or increase or decrease a behavior. Several studies have shown that a storybook LBBI is an effective intervention for teaching new skills including daily living skills, but to date only one study has looked at the effects of a storybook LBBI with preschool children who are at-risk (Hall, Brady, & Morris, 2017). This study expanded the storybook LBBI literature by exploring the effect of small group-delivered storybook LBBIs on preschool students who were at-risk and struggling to learn basic kindergarten readiness skills. Using a multiple baseline design across skills, this study examined the effectiveness of using LBBIs delivered in a small group to teach kindergarten readiness skills and the children’s ability to maintain and generalize these skills. Four preschool students were taught three skills including cutting with scissors, using liquid glue, and matching. Data were collected on the steps correct and independent on the task analysis for each skill. The results found an increase in skill acquisition with students learning the new skills and maintaining those skills after the removal of the LBBI. Students were also able to generalize these new skills to novel materials. Implications for research and practice are discussed.
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Date Issued
2018
PURL
http://purl.flvc.org/fau/fd/FA00013066
Subject Headings
Preschool children--Education., Teaching young children., Kindergarten., Literacy.
Format
Document (PDF)
The Effect of Participation in the Ready to Learn Program on Kindergarten Students’ Pro-social behavior, Self-regulation, Reading Performance, and Teachers’ Perception of Classroom Climate
Title
The Effect of Participation in the Ready to Learn Program on Kindergarten Students’ Pro-social behavior, Self-regulation, Reading Performance, and Teachers’ Perception of Classroom Climate.
Creator
Kuba, Summer Perhay, Villares, Elizabeth, Florida Atlantic University, College of Education, Department of Counselor Education
Abstract/Description
The purpose of the current study was to investigate the difference in pro-social behavior, self-regulation, overall reading performance, Lexile levels, and teachers’ perception of classroom climate of kindergarten students who received the Ready to Learn (RTL; Brigman, Lane, & Lane, 2008) classroom guidance program (treatment group: n = 173) and kindergarten students who did not receive the intervention (comparison group: n = 124). The study followed a quasi-experimental, comparison group...
Show moreThe purpose of the current study was to investigate the difference in pro-social behavior, self-regulation, overall reading performance, Lexile levels, and teachers’ perception of classroom climate of kindergarten students who received the Ready to Learn (RTL; Brigman, Lane, & Lane, 2008) classroom guidance program (treatment group: n = 173) and kindergarten students who did not receive the intervention (comparison group: n = 124). The study followed a quasi-experimental, comparison group design in which teachers completed the Child Behavior Rating Scale (CBRS) and Teacher My Class Inventory-Short Form (TMCI-SF) measures as well as collected reading data from individual students. Descriptive statistics for each of the measures, the findings from the analysis of covariance (ANCOVA) on the CBRS and TMCI-SF data, along with the multivariate analysis of covariance (MANCOVA) using the i-Ready data, and partial eta squared (ηp2) effect sizes were calculated. The ANCOVA was conducted to determine if differences existed on the participants’ pro-social behavior and self-regulation by condition. The findings revealed a statistically significant difference on the pro-social skills but did not show a statistically significant difference in self-regulation. The MANCOVA revealed statistically significant differences in overall reading performance between the treatment and comparison group; however, did not reveal statistically significant differences on the Lexile levels for the students who participated in the intervention. Finally, the ANCOVA reported a statistically significant difference in the perceived impact of the school counselor by the treatment group kindergarten as compared to the teachers in the comparison group; however, no other differences were found on the TMCI-SF scales. With these results, there is a need for further empirical research to determine the impact of the RTL program on students’ academic and SEL development.
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Date Issued
2017
PURL
http://purl.flvc.org/fau/fd/FA00004992
Subject Headings
Dissertations, Academic -- Florida Atlantic University, Kindergarten., Reading to learn., Classroom climate.
Format
Document (PDF)
effect of computer-assisted instruction on the reading skills of emergent readers
Title
The effect of computer-assisted instruction on the reading skills of emergent readers.
Creator
Barnett, Louise B., Florida Atlantic University, Crawley, Sharon J.
Abstract/Description
The purpose of this study was to examine the effect of computer-assisted instruction (CAI) on the reading skills of emergent readers in kindergarten classes at select Reading First schools in the School District of Palm Beach County, Florida. The reading software analyzed was Destination Reading (Riverdeep, 2001), used during the 2004-2005 school year. Comparisons were made between users of the program and nonusers. Comparisons were also made between English language learners who used or did...
Show moreThe purpose of this study was to examine the effect of computer-assisted instruction (CAI) on the reading skills of emergent readers in kindergarten classes at select Reading First schools in the School District of Palm Beach County, Florida. The reading software analyzed was Destination Reading (Riverdeep, 2001), used during the 2004-2005 school year. Comparisons were made between users of the program and nonusers. Comparisons were also made between English language learners who used or did not use the program, as well as Exceptional Education students who used or did not use it. Another factor analyzed was how teacher attitude toward the computer affected student reading achievement. This was established by survey responses. The measures used to compare treatment and non-treatment schools were the Dynamic Indicators of Basic Early Literacy Skills (DIBELS), which tested letter naming ability, initial sound identification, phoneme segmentation ability, and nonsense word decoding. The Word Recognition and Reading Running Record assessments from the School District of Palm Beach County Reading and Writing Assessment System Grades K-1 protocol booklet tested identification of 25 sight words and ability to read continuous text. Students using Destination Reading (Riverdeep, 2001) did not benefit significantly from use of the program compared to nonusers. Only on the letter-naming measure was there a significant advantage for all students in the sample and the English language learner group. The CAI group scored significantly lower on the initial sound fluency measure. Word Recognition and Reading Running Record assessments showed no significant results. ESE students showed no significant advantage in having had supplemental computer-assisted instruction on any measures. Factorial ANOVAs were used to compare DIBELS scores for effectiveness of the treatment, pre- and posttest comparisons, and interaction of treatment with test scores for the CAI compared with the nonuser group. T distributions were used to analyze data from the Reading Running Record and Word Recognition assessments. There were no significant differences between the CAI and comparison schools on these two measures. Teacher attitude toward computers did not affect students' acquisition of reading skills, as survey responses were in the positive range for all participants.
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Date Issued
2006
PURL
http://purl.flvc.org/fcla/dt/12189
Subject Headings
Reading (Kindergarten)--Computer-assisted instruction, Reading readiness, Media programs (Education), Internet in education
Format
Document (PDF)