Theses and Dissertations
Date of Award
2026
Document Type
Dissertation - NSU Access Only
Degree Name
Doctor of Education (EdD)
Department
Abraham S. Fischler College of Education and School of Criminal Justice
Advisor
Gary Reglin
Committee Member
Steven Hecht
Committee Member
Kimberly Durham
Keywords
biases, early learning, exclusionary discipline, infant and early childhood mental health consultation
Abstract
The study addressed the issues of disproportionately high exclusionary discipline rates among Black preschool children compared to their White peers, which was believed to be driven by biases among early childhood administrators and teachers. The study sought to fill the gap in the literature by exploring the potential impact of infant and early childhood mental health consultation (IECMHC) on these biases and subsequent disciplinary decisions. The researcher examined the lived experiences of a total of six early childhood administrators and educators, as well as their perceptions regarding their awareness of biases and their acceptance of this reflective consultation model as a strategy to enhance objectivity and promote preventive measures. Using a purposive sampling technique, the study employed a qualitative phenomenological approach to investigate the following questions: (1) How did early childhood administrators and teachers explain how their self-awareness of biases toward Black students and their lived experiences with biased responses to challenging behaviors influenced their decisions to use exclusionary disciplinary practices in response to these behaviors? (2) In what ways did early childhood administrators and teachers report changes in their beliefs about biases and their effects on exclusionary disciplinary practices after engaging in brief training on early childhood mental health consultation? (3) How did early childhood administrators and teachers perceive the effectiveness and usefulness of the introductory early childhood mental health awareness consultation training in addressing biases and improving the utilization of exclusionary disciplinary practices? Findings for RQ1 revealed that participants described a continuum of bias awareness, ranging from explicit denial to emerging self-reflection. Some participants minimized personal bias by using neutral framing such as fairness or “colorblind” approaches, while other acknowledged how upbringing, cultural background and institutional norms shaped their disciplinary beliefs and influenced disciplinary decision-making. Lived experiences, including shifts in attitudes, significantly informed disciplinary decision-making. Additionally, some participants described resisting premature judgements and advocating for equitable treatment among staff, signaling a shift toward more reflective and inclusive practices. These findings suggest that positioning IECMHC as a capacity-building support for early learning professionals, not solely as a child-focused intervention, may strengthen reflective capacity, enhance reflective awareness and contribute to more equitable decision-making.
NSUWorks Citation
Alicia-Ann Samuel. 2026. Healing the Silent Epidemic: Shifting Perceptions of Black Preschoolers Behaviors Through Early Childhood Mental Health Interventions. Doctoral dissertation. Nova Southeastern University. Retrieved from NSUWorks, Abraham S. Fischler College of Education and School of Criminal Justice. (1171)
https://nsuworks.nova.edu/fse_etd/1171.