Human Development and Child Studies

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Browsing Human Development and Child Studies by Subject "COVID-19 pandemic"

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    "O-M-G This Has Really Affected Us": The Pandemic Experiences of Early Childhood and Primary Grade Interventionists
    (2022-03-26) LeRoy, Adam; Bhargava, Ambika; Oden, Sherri; Niddifer, Jana; Lauer, Nick
    The COVID-19 pandemic has resulted in wide disruptions to in-person schooling which have exacerbated conditions in the public-school system. While creating chaos in general, these disruptions have also affected the assessment of children and the delivery of instructional interventions, processes which are crucial to the implementation of Response to Intervention, in which children receive increased academic support at progressive tiers of intervention. The current study used a qualitative design aligned to the classic cultural-historical methods used by Vygotsky. Specifically, this study examined the experiences of Birth to 3-years-old and Kindergarten to Grade Three interventionists, who provided intervention to children during the pandemic. Nine participants, four Birth to 3-years-old interventionists and five Kindergarten to Grade Three interventionists, participated in a series of focus groups in which research questions were presented as tools for analysis. All sessions were audio and video recorded. The data were transcribed and analyzed using in-vivo codes, subcategories, dominant categories and themes.Five themes emerged from the data analysis. The first two themes related to alterations of service but remained distinct on the basis of whether the alteration was in relationship to a social need or of material necessity. The next two themes were primarily characterized by verbal responses that indicated emotions or feelings. The final theme was a distinct set of verbal responses about future orientation and characterized by concerns about educational practice and children’s experiences. The study’s findings capture how interventionists altered services for children during the pandemic, the experience of providing intervention during the pandemic and expectations about intervention in subsequent school years. The methodology developed for this study suggests the potential to align modern methods to classical cultural-historical methods. The data also reveal specific alterations that interventionists implemented, perspectives on their experience and concerns. These verbal responses serve as rich vignettes of the COVID-19 pandemic and have implications for District-level, and other public policy decisions. These findings underscore the importance of conducting studies within a methodological framework that emerges on a clear theoretical basis and may inform future research of Response toIntervention.
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    Preschool Teacher Practices And Beliefs About Digital Technology Use In Classrooms
    (2022-11-09) Claxton, Jill B; Wakabayashi, Tomoko; Oden, Sherri; Smith, Julia; Ricks-Doneen, Julie
    The focus of this dissertation centers around the beliefs that early educationteachers 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 beliefs and practices at the preschool level. Thus, the focus of this dissertation centers around including the "voices of preschool teachers." Using a mixed methods approach via survey and selected follow-up interviews, 100 preschool teachers expressed their beliefs and practices about digital technology use.Three groupings emerged; one group that favored using technology with young children, one group that favored technology use but with limitations, and a final group that did not see any benefit in using technology with young children. Preschool teachers also related the role technology may play in the learning and development of young children and levels of technology access. Almost all teachers reported that they had access to at least one electronic device; children's access, however, was much more limited. Lived experiences as teachers worked through the COVID-19 pandemic were also reported. Many teachers found that they were able to form better connections with parents and families via an electronic format, often at times that were more convenient for parents to talk. Teachers also reported learning how to use various types of digital technology during the COVID-19 pandemic and they reported continuing to implement what they had learned. Teachers' beliefs about technology use in classrooms by teacher demographics were tested to detect whether there were differences between the three belief groupings. The results indicated that when teachers received technology support they were more likely to have favorable beliefs about technology use.