Date of Award
1-1-1991
Document Type
Practicum
Degree Name
Doctor of Education
Department
Center for the Advancement of Education
Advisor
Georgianna H. Lowen
Committee Member
Diane Kirkwood
Keywords
academic difficulties, academically at-risk, active involvement, aides, children, cognition, curriculum, developmental gains, developmental levels, developmentally appropriate curriculum, early childhood development, early intervention, gross motor functions, hearing specialist, intervention, knowledge, language, parents, parenting skills, perceptual-fine motor, posttest data, preschool education, preschool units, preschoolers, pretest data, school districts, self-care, socio-emotional development, speech specialist, teachers, training workshops
Abstract
This practicum aimed to provide intervention to preschoolers found at-risk for academic difficulties using a developmentally appropriate curriculum to increase their developmental levels; training for their parents to enhance their parenting skills and knowledge to ensure stability of their children's developmental gains.
The writer coordinated three preschool units in two school districts involving three teachers, three aides, and a speech and hearing specialist providing high quality preschool education to 157 preschoolers; 67 of whom were identified as academically at-risk. Seven training workshops were conducted for the parents to enhance their parenting skills. Pre and posttest data were taken to determine the developmental gains made by the children.
Results indicated remarkable success in early intervention. Significant gains were seen in the children's development in the areas of cognition, self-care, language, socio-emotional, perceptual-fine motor and gross motor functions. Parents demonstrated active involvement in their children's development; increased their parenting skills and knowledge in early childhood development.