This dissertation investigated teachers' practices in preschool science education between China and United States, especially focusing on the factors that affected teachers' instruction in early childhood science education, teachers' pedagogical practices in teaching children science, and teachers' classroom discourse methods used in teaching…

School readiness is often defined as being at an expected developmental level across domains such as social and emotional, language and literacy, math, and science (Office of Head Start, 2015; Washington State Department of Early Learning, 2012; Teaching Strategies, 2001). Suppose children start without the foundation and identity in early science…

Current research has shown the importance and benefits of early science education for children's learning and development, particularly informal science learning. In informal learning spaces such as museums, parents can play an important role in facilitating and supporting children's science learning. However, existing studies often fail to…

Effective early science learning opportunities are critical for young children to build a solid foundation for subsequent development of concepts, as well as positive attitudes towards science (Eshach & Fried, 2005). However, these opportunities are often lacking in typical preschool classrooms (Connor, Morrison, & Slominski, 2006; Early…

The recent decades have seen an increased focus on improving early science education. Goals include helping young children learn about pertinent concepts in science, and fostering early scientific reasoning and inquiry skills (e.g., NRC 2007, 2012, 2015). However, there is still much to learn about what constitutes appropriate frameworks that…

Mental illnesses are often deemed low in health priority despite their large burden of disease. Because many chronic mental illnesses have early onset, youth present a high-risk cohort for disproportionate health burden. Stigma and literacy are two potential barriers to care, so pre-K to 12 schools offer an efficient platform for disseminating…

By the end of the nineteenth century, the momentum for the idea of a more practical education better suited to life in a modern, technological world brought the first educational reform movements in the nation. Concurrent reform efforts at the state and national levels influenced both the historical development of Earth science education and the…

The purpose of this study was to examine the most popular educational preschool apps available to consumers to establish their alignment with early literacy learning outcomes and learning science principles. More specifically, this study examined (a) the descriptive characteristics of popular educational apps detailed in the Apple App Store, (b)…

This study explores the challenges that elementary science educators face when teaching science in a time of crisis, as well as how to best provide elementary teachers with ongoing support for their science teaching during the novel COVID-19 pandemic. Using a phenomenological approach, this research focuses on elementary science teachers,…

There is an alarming rate of students in the United States who struggle to read and do not reach grade-level proficiency before leaving elementary school. Like many school districts across the country, the District of Columbia Public Schools (DCPS) system has turned to the Science of Reading (SoR) to improve student literacy outcomes, and there…

Teaching science involves designing learning experiences that attend to a complex set of relationships between students, the discipline of science, and the places where science experiences are carried out. Unfortunately, with traditional approaches to K-12 science instruction, contributions to learning from students and places are often overlooked…

No doubt exists that literacy and mathematics are the primary foci of early childhood education. Children have limited exposure to computer science-related topics, including robotics, coding, and engineering design. This study is based on prior research evidence indicating that early childhood teachers' confidence and competence can be enhanced…

Teacher burnout can be attributed to several factors including, teacher pay, career related stress, demoralization, and a lack of effective professional development, training, and mentoring (Garcia & Weiss, 2019). The reality of the teacher shortage means more importance should be placed on teacher preparation and retention (Tippens, Rickets,…

The problem was the commonly held belief that lack of confidence, preparedness, educational neuromyths, and little or no professional development are factors that impede early childhood teachers' implementation of brain-based learning strategies in the daily curriculum design structure. This qualitative narrative inquiry aimed to explore…

This study analyzed the effect of elementary special education receipt within the U.S. Given the nonrandomized nature of special education, the statistical method for measuring the effect of special education must adequately control for contextual factors that are associated with special education receipt. Propensity score weighting is a technique…