The History of Kindergarten: From Germany to the United States

This paper examines the history of kindergarten from Froebel (1967a) to the current issues that pertain to kindergarten. The purpose of this paper is to call attention to the reason why kindergarten was first established and to demonstrate why it is important to revert to kindergarten as an aid for socialization.

The effects of an individualized clinical reading program on kindergarten and beginning grade one at -risk students: A longitudinal study

This was a longitudinal study that investigated the effects of an early intervention program which was implemented at the beginning of formal reading instruction and used individual clinical instruction with at-risk students. A total of 37 private school students were divided into three cognitive ability groups and evaluated over a three year period using the reading comprehension and study skills sections of the Stanford Achievement Tests (1982) administered annually. At-risk students were matched with a normal peer group for gender, cognitive ability, and time at school. Results showed there were no significant differences in the reading comprehension scores for program and non-program students. However, the at-risk group showed significantly lower scores on the study skills section at the end of grade three. These results indicate that early reading intervention for at-risk students promotes compensation and helps develop processes for adequate reading comprehension but these students continue to have weaker linguistic abilities. ^

The effects of trained teachers' integration of dialogic reading discourse on Hispanic English Language Learners' literacy skills in kindergarten

This quasi-experimental Analysis of Covariance (ANCOVA) study explored whether the vocabulary and reading comprehension mean scores of Hispanic Kindergarten ELs whose teachers were trained to utilize Dialogic Reading (DR) discourse were higher than the mean scores of Hispanic ELs in kindergarten whose teachers were not trained to utilize DR discourse strategies. Sixty-three self-identified Hispanic, English Language Kindergarten students and four teachers participated in the study. The teachers were randomly assigned to either the experimental group (DR trained) or control group by drawing names from a hat. Student assignment to experimental versus comparison group was based on the teacher's assignment to either the experimental or comparison group. Thirty-one were assigned to the control group and 32 to the experimental group. The teachers were instructed to read the story to a group of six students (maximum) at a time, utilizing the DR discourse strategies they had been trained to implement. Subjects were read a story each week during the 8-week duration of the study. Teachers in the experimental group collaboratively selected 10 words each week from the Read Together Talk Together (RTTT) instructional stories that were utilized for vocabulary instruction. A test of homogeneity was conducted to evaluate whether the variance among the dependent variables was the same across the groups. An Analyses of Covariance (ANCOVA) was applied to analyze students' vocabulary and comprehension mean scores in the experimental group and the comparison group. The results of the study demonstrated a significant increase in the vocabulary and reading comprehension mean scores for the students whose teachers had been trained in DR discourse strategies. When comparing the two groups, the results revealed a statistically significant difference (p < 0.05). In conclusion, this study was conducted to explore how DR discourse may be an effective technique to teach literacy skills. The findings of this study showed that vocabulary knowledge and reading comprehension of Hispanic ELs were positively affected by the teachers' inclusion of dialogue during storybook reading. Its outcomes accentuated the need for teachers to provide assistance to ELs as they develop vocabulary knowledge and reading comprehension skills.

Using Music to Teach Reading Fluency with Kindergarten Students

Using Music to Teach Reading Fluency with Kindergarten Students

Hands-On Activities and Engagement in Kindergarten Students

The purpose of this action research study is to investigate the effectiveness of implementing hands-on activities for increasing the engagement of kindergarten students. Participants will be the teacher/researcher’s 18 kindergarten students in a charter school. It is hypothesized that hands-on activities will increase students’ engagement in the class.

An Investigation of the Features and Effectiveness of the Full-Day Early Learning Kindergarten Program in Ontario

This dissertation includes two studies. Study 1 is a qualitative case study that describes enactment of the main components of a high fidelity Full-Day Early Learning Kindergarten (FDELK) classroom, specifically play-based learning and teacher-ECE collaboration. Study 2 is a quantitative analysis that investigates how effectively the FDELK program promotes school readiness skills, namely self-regulation, literacy, and numeracy, in Kindergarteners. To describe the main components of an FDELK classroom in Study 1, a sub-sample of four high fidelity case study schools were selected from a larger case study sample. Interview data from these schools’ administrators, educators, parents, and community stakeholders were used to describe how the main components of the FDELK program enabled educators to meet the individual needs of students and promote students’ SR development. In Study 2, hierarchical regression analyses of 32,207 students’ self-regulation, literacy, and numeracy outcomes using 2012 Ontario Early Development Instrument (EDI) data revealed essentially no benefit for students participating in the FDELK program when compared to peers in Half-Day or Alternate-Day Kindergarten programs. Being older and female predicted more positive SR and literacy outcomes. Age and gender accounted for limited variance in numeracy outcomes. Results from both studies suggest that the Ontario Ministry of Education should take steps to improve the quality of the FDELK program by incorporating evidence-based guidelines and goals for play, reducing Kindergarten class sizes to more effectively scaffold learning, and revising curriculum expectations to include a greater focus on SR, literacy, and numeracy skills.

Sprachförderung im Alltag: Umsetzung in Kindergarten, Kita und Spielgruppe. Videobasierte Fallanalysen

Hohe Erwartungen werden gegenwärtig an verschiedene Initiativen zur Sprachförderung in der frühkindlichen Bildung gestellt. Wirkungsanalysen verweisen auf die Bedeutung der Sprachförderung als Querschnittsaufgabe und damit auf die Sprachförderkompetenz der Fachkräfte, Kinder in ihrem Spracherwerb adaptiv zu unterstützen. Die hier diskutierte Interventionsstudie umfasst eine Weiterbildung für frühpädagogische Fachkräfte aus Spielgruppe, Kita und Kindergarten in Deutschland und der Schweiz, die fünf ausgewählte Strategien der Sprachförderung im Alltag thematisiert. Es werden die Strategien und ihre Umsetzung durch die Fachkräfte anhand von Fallstudien auf der Basis der Videoanalyse aufgezeigt. (DIPF/Orig.)

Stand-Punkte beziehen – multimodale Unterstützung des Erwerbs sprachlich-kognitiver Fähigkeiten im Kindergarten

Im Forschungsprojekt "Prozesse der Sprachförderung im Kindergarten – ProSpiK" werden Gespräche zwischen Lehrpersonen und Kindern gefilmt und sequenzanalytisch ausgewertet, um ihre Potenziale für den Erwerb und die Förderung bildungssprachlicher Fähigkeiten zu untersuchen. Ziel ist es, Grundlagen für eine stufengerechte (integrierte, situations- und themenorientierte) Sprachdidaktik zu erarbeiten, die Bildungsungleichheit abbauen hilft, anstatt sie zu reproduzieren. In der Nummer 3/2014 der Schweizerischen Zeitschrift für Bildungswissenschaften wurden die Anlage des Projekts und erste Auswertungsergebnisse (zum Phänomen «Wechsel von Referenzräumen») vorgestellt (Isler, Künzli, & Wiesner, 2014). Der vorliegende Beitrag befasst sich weiter vertiefend mit der Ausgestaltung von pädagogischen Gesprächen: Es wird untersucht, mit welchen kommunikativen Mitteln die Kinder beim Erwerb von Fähigkeiten des Argumentierens (Beziehen und Begründen eigener Positionen) unterstützt werden können.2 Im ersten Abschnitt geht es um die Bedeutung der Prozessqualität in der frühen Bildung und um Gespräche als Erwerbskontexte sprachlicher Fähigkeiten. Im zweiten Abschnitt werden zentrale theoretische Konzepte dargestellt, die unseren Analysen zugrunde liegen. Der dritte Abschnitt gibt einen exemplarischen Einblick in das Datenmaterial und die Auswertungsarbeiten. Im vierten Abschnitt wird anhand einer exemplarischen Analyse gezeigt, wie im Kindergarten multimodal gelernt werden kann. Abschliessend werden die Ergebnisse mit Bezug auf die Forschungsfragen des Projekts diskutiert. (DIPF/Orig.)

The implementation of tpr-games and imagery for the enhancement of a1 vocabulary in kindergarten at Francisco de Paula Santander School

Tesis (Licenciado en Lenguas Castellana, Inglés y Francés).--Universidad de La Salle. Facultad de Ciencias de La Educación. Licenciatura en Lengua Castellana, Inglés y Francés, 2014

Preliminary assessment of the numerical competencies of children from a public preschool and kindergarten in Cuenca

Existe abundante evidencia de que los niños pequeños son capaces de desarrollar un conocimiento matemático y que las destrezas aritméticas de estos niños son predictores de su desempeño académico futuro. También existe un acuerdo común de que la calidad de la educación matemática inicial tiene una importante influencia en el aprendizaje posterior de los niños. En Ecuador hay escasos estudios sobre las competencias matemáticas tempranas de los niños y sobre su enseñanza. Por ello, se inició un estudio para (1) evaluar las competencias numéricas de los niños de pre-escolar y kindergarten (primero de básica) que asisten a una escuela pública de Cuenca, con el objetivo de analizar críticamente su pensamiento y razonamiento numérico; y (2) examinar las prácticas y creencias de los profesores con relación a la enseñanza de la matemática y a las competencias matemáticas de los niños. La aplicación del Test de Conocimiento Numérico (Griffin, 2005) demostró que la mayoría de los niños participantes no habían desarrollado habilidades numéricas básicas. Adicionalmente, los profesores expresaron una fuerte creencia de que los niños pequeños no son capaces de tener un pensamiento matemático. Como consecuencia, las actividades matemáticas que realizan los niños y profesores son desarrolladas de manera insuficiente. Las implicaciones científicas y prácticas de estos resultados son discutidas.

Michael Glüer: Beziehungsqualität und kindliche Kooperations- und Bildungsbereitschaft. Eine Studie in Kindergarten und Grundschule. Wiesbaden: Springer VS 2011(484 S.) [Rezension]

Rezension von: Michael Glüer: Beziehungsqualität und kindliche Kooperations- und Bildungsbereitschaft. Eine Studie in Kindergarten und Grundschule. Wiesbaden: Springer VS 2011 (484 S.; ISBN 978-3-531-19315-1)

Promotion of literacy skills in early childhood: a follow-up study from kindergarten to grade 1

Several researchers have shown that invented spelling activities in kindergarten foster preschool children’s early literacy skills. However, few studies have assessed its impact on learning to read and write in the first year of primary school. Our goal was to analyse the impact of an invented spelling programme with kindergarteners on their literacy skills until the end of Grade 1. A follow-up study was conducted with 45 five-year-old Portuguese children attending two classes of two schools in Lisbon. The teaching effect was controlled as children from each class were randomly assigned into two groups (experimental/control) — equivalent on letter knowledge, cognitive abilities and phonological awareness. The participants were assessed in kindergarten with a pre-test, immediate post-test and delayed post-test (spelling; reading; phonemic awareness) and at the end of Grade 1 (spelling; reading). The experimental group participated in invented spelling sessions, while control children participated in storytelling activities. Data analysis revealed statistically significant differences between the two groups. The experimental group scored higher, not only in kindergarten but also in the follow-up year for all literacy measures.

READY FOR KINDERGARTEN: A TRAINING PROGRAM DESIGNED TO ENCOURAGE PARENT-CHILD CONVERSATION DURING THE PRESCHOOL YEARS

Many children in the United States begin kindergarten unprepared to converse in the academic language surrounding instruction, putting them at greater risk for later language and reading difficulties. Importantly, correlational research has shown there are certain experiences prior to kindergarten that foster the oral language skills needed to understand and produce academic language. The focus of this dissertation was on increasing one of these experiences: parent-child conversations about abstract and non-present concepts, known as decontextualized language (DL). Decontextualized language involves talking about non-present concepts such as events that happened in the past or future, or abstract discussions such as providing explanations or defining unknown words. As caregivers’ decontextualized language input to children aged three to five is consistently correlated with kindergarten oral language skills and later reading achievement, it is surprising no experimental research has been done to establish this relation causally. The study described in this dissertation filled this literature gap by designing, implementing, and evaluating a decontextualized language training program for parents of 4-year-old children (N=30). After obtaining an initial measure of decontextualized language, parents were randomly assigned to a control condition or training condition, the latter of which educated parents about decontextualized language and why it is important. All parents then audio-recorded four mealtime conversations over the next month, which were transcribed and reliably coded for decontextualized language. Results indicated that trained parents boosted their DL from roughly 17 percent of their total utterances at baseline to approximately 50 percent by the mid-point of the study, and remained at these boosted levels throughout the duration of the study. Children’s DL was also boosted by similar margins, but no improvement in children’s oral language skills was observed, measured prior to, and one month following training. Further, exploratory analyses pointed to parents’ initial use of DL and their theories of the malleability of intelligence (i.e., growth mindsets) as moderators of training gains. Altogether, these findings are a first step in establishing DL as a viable strategy for giving children the oral language skills needed to begin kindergarten ready to succeed in the classroom.

Kindergarten - Learning Games

107 p.