Math and the Preschool Library (U.S., Japan, and China)
This study seeks to answer the question: Do preschool teachers make use of math materials in their classroom libraries? In addition, we are interested in learning about the types and amount of materials (e.g., books, games, etc.) preschool teachers have available in their classroom libraries. In particular, we are interested in the amount of books teachers have,relative to the number of children in their classroom, and the genres of these available books. This is an exploratory study. We are hoping to gather information about the math and literacy materials available in preschool classrooms to inform future studies. See Article
We are also doing a study on books available in the preschool classroom library. We are populating a Head Start Classroom with math and regular books to see whether children choose the math books (when they are available) and if so, whether they like it. This is a means of fostering greater engagement in math activities, and presumably, developing children’s math skills.
Preschool Parents’ Perceptions of Teacher Support for Home Learning
The purpose of this study is to examine parents satisfaction with the materials and support they receive from their child’s preschool teachers. We are interested to know if parents feel comfortable making use of materials that are sent home and what, if any, additional materials or information would help them to better support their children’s learning at home.
Parents Views of Education and Technology (U.S. and Israel)
The purpose of this study is to examine parents’ views on supporting their child’s education at home and the use of technology in education. Parents of 1st-6th graders in the United States and Israel were surveyed. We asked parents to describe what activities their children are engaging in at home in the domains of reading, math, science, and writing. We collected data on parent confidence, ratings of importance, and time spent engaged in each domain. In addition, we explored parents’ views on the use of technology, specifically digital devices (i.e., iPads, smart phones, etc.), for educational purposes in the domains of reading, math, science, and writing.
Parents’ Conceptions of School Readiness
We want to learn what parents of preschool children think is important in getting their child ready for kindergarten. Specifically, we want to know what parents from El Salvador, the Dominican Republic, and Chine think is important so that early childhood education centers and kindergarten programs can better understand the values and priorities of Salvadoran families. [see papers and presentations associated with this study: NRCEC Poster]
College Students Perceptions of their Academic Socialization
The purpose of this study is to examine college student’s perspectives on their academic socialization. We asked college students to retrospectively reflect on what their parents did (or did not do) to support their education.This study consisted of an online questionnaire and an in-person interview. This study has two broad aims. 1) To identify what college students retrospectively report as the most salient features of their parents’ academic socialization practices and beliefs. 2)To examine the similarities and dissimilarities of college students’ recollections based on first generation college student status. [see papers and presentations associated with this study: INET Presentation, AERA Presentation, SRA Poster 1, SRA Poster 2]