Kindergarten Intervention Research Articles

A Mathematics Intervention in Kindergarten Using Shel Silverstein’s “The Missing Piece Meets the Big O”: Early Childhood Educators’ Perceptions on a Teaching Framework Integrating Literature in Mathematics-Related Concepts

Teaching mathematics in kindergarten necessitates interdisciplinary methods. By merging different disciplines, educators should create an environment conducive to learning, equipped with diverse materials, which allows children to engage with mathematical concepts through play, observation, and read-aloud stories. The aim of the present study is to explore early childhood educators’ perceptions of a teaching framework integrating literature in mathematics-related concepts. The hypothesis is that a mathematics intervention using Shel Silverstein’s “The missing piece meets the big O” could affect the teaching of mathematics in kindergarten. In this action research, twenty-four (n=24) early childhood educators participated by implementing the intervention and completing a semi-structured questionnaire. Data analysis included descriptive and inferential statistical analysis that was used to compare the mean scores of the two parts of the questionnaire before and after the intervention. Results show that educators were more positively inclined to use picturebooks as a stimulus for approaching mathematics-related concepts and creating a demarcated and inviting space for learning mathematics. Their answers lead to the assumption that a clear and concise framework, which integrates literature in mathematics and offers specific phases with activities would facilitate their teaching process. The notable deviation in their answers before and after the intervention demonstrates the extent to which the intervention affected their perceptions. Discussion of findings highlights the need for the Greek curriculum for preschool education to offer methodological recommendations for the integration of picturebooks in the teaching of mathematics.

Effect of Simultaneous Intervention in Kindergarten and Home to Improve Ball Skills

This study examines the effectiveness of a simultaneous intervention in kindergarten and home to improve ball skills in children. Two kindergartens in Ibaraki, Japan, were divided into intervention (N = 98, mean age = 5.5 [0.6] years) and control groups (N = 88, mean age = 5.6 [0.6] years). The intervention was for 4 weeks. Parents received emails with video URLs for four ball activities once a week, and they undertook the activities introduced in the video at home with their children. Before the intervention, a 60-min workshop was held for kindergarten teachers. Ball skills (distance thrown and percentage of ball catches) were assessed pre- and postintervention. Two-way repeated measures analysis of variance and multiple regression analysis were used to compare the groups and explore the factors related to the improvement of ball skills. As a result, although throwing skills did not change significantly in both groups, there was an increase in the frequency of ball activity at home and perceived change of batting skills, both of which were associated with postthrowing skills. Catching skills improved significantly only in the intervention group; however, no significant factors related to the improvement of these skills were found. Our study demonstrates that simultaneous intervention in kindergarten and home may contribute to improve catching skills over a short period of time.

교사의 중재충실도와 학습자의 읽기성취와의 상관관계에 대한 메타분석

Objectives This study aimed to synthesize the average correlations that were found between teachers’ fidelity and reading outcomes in students in the literature on reading intervention in kindergarten to elementary school. It also aimed to examine how potential moderators might affect the degree of correlations between fidelity and reading outcomes.
 Methods A literature search were performed on electronic databases (i.e., Academic Search Premier, Education Source, ERIC, and psycINFO) for dissertations or peer-reviewed articles that examine the relationship between student academic achievement and teacher fidelity score from 2000 to April, 2023. The effect size and overall meta-analysis were analyzed using the ‘meta’ and ‘rmeta’ packages in the R Studio program. To facilitate the interpretation of the analysis results, Fisher's z were converted back to Pearson's r before presenting and interpreting the results.
 Results The results revealed that small positive correlation between teachers’ fidelity and kindergarten to elementary students’ reading outcomes. The correlation effect size was 0.12(r) among 15 experimental studies and 0.24(r) among 10 non-experimental studies. Moderator effects were only statistically significant by types of fidelity components.
 Conclusions I discussed the possible reasons for low correlation between teachers’ fidelity and students’ reading outcomes based on aspects of fidelity measurement used in the studies so far.

A teaching intervention for magnetism using STEM in kindergarten

STEM education should begin in kindergarten, as pre-school children’s engagement with science and other fields, such as technology, raises their awareness and interest in science (Mantzicopoulos et al., 2009). In addition, it provides kindergarten children with the necessary opportunities to cultivate their talents (Chesloff, 2013) and contributes to their later development (Kermani& Aldemir, 2015). Pre-school children are capable and ready to learn with a STEM approach, as they can ask investigative questions, justify their opinions, and formulate interpretations about how the world around them works (NSF, 2012). Given the importance of the universal introduction of STEM in pre-school education, this work aims to design a teaching intervention in kindergarten using STEM on the topic of magnetism. First, reference is made to the use of STEM in kindergarten and the usual learning theories on which it is based. Then, the basic methods of its application are briefly presented. Furthermore, the theoretical framework regarding children’s misconceptions about magnetism is presented. Subsequently, the research questions are formulated on which the design of the educational intervention will be based, as well as the research hypotheses arising from the bibliographic review. Then, the goals of the teaching intervention are developed in harmony with the goals of the Greek curriculum for kindergarten, and the choice of methods, means, actions, and applications is justified. Finally, interdisciplinary activities using STEM and the involvement of new technologies are proposed.

Children’s rights education via game-based activities: An intervention in kindergarten

This paper presents an effort for introducing children rights to preschool students transcending conventional methods. An educational intervention was designed and developed for the introduction of preschoolers to issues of survival, development, non-discrimination and protection rights through digital games. The latter were used in online sessions, due to Covid-19 constraints. Educational effectiveness was studied through qualitative analysis of interviews with children before and after the intervention, through questionnaires regarding their degree of fun, and through the projects and the comments they produced during online sessions. Results showed that, following the intervention, individual rights occupied a more central place in the children’s self-awareness. All children approached the issues of rights in relation to the improvement of the quality of life and demonstrated an ethical reasoning regarding the reciprocity of social rules. Digital games mobilized children's creative thinking, dialogue and social reflection through role-playing in distant instructional scenarios. They became useful tools as an asynchronous activity for the creative expression of social messages as well as for the interaction between children and parents. This study highlights the potential of promoting a critical approach to rights-based social issues through digital games at preschool education, as well as the need for developing serious games explicitly focused on children rights education. At the same time, further research is necessary to explore and cross-reference the views of students and parents on children rights for, and through, the use of digital games.

Measuring the Effectiveness of Career Education: A Kindergarten Intervention

Several studies have confirmed the importance of career education in promoting career development in children. This study aims to test whether specific career education interventions would develop new conceptions about career choice and career attainment in kindergarten pupils. The intervention was conducted directly by teachers who were adequately trained and supervised. The career conceptions were assessed in experimental and control groups through the Conceptions of Career Choice and Attainment protocol, before and after career education intervention. The results showed that the two groups started from the same level and increased their conceptions over time. However, the experimental groups increased them much more, and statistically significantly, than the control groups.

Can a Tablet Game That Boosts Kindergarten Phonics Advance 1st Grade Reading?

We report the effectiveness of using the tablet-game Kalulu Phonics immediately after intervention in kindergarten and on national evaluations the year after. In a previous intervention testing the software with 1st graders, fluency and comprehension were boosted, but only when used in concert with reading instruction at the start of the year. Here, we asked whether a similar intervention would be more efficient if it started a year earlier, in kindergarten. Forty classes (1092 = children) were randomized into playing Kalulu Phonics or the matched Kalulu Numbers control game for the first half of the year, with reversed assignments in the second half. Ten non-randomized business-as-usual classes also participated. In a cross-over effect, children who used the phonics version improved in letter naming, grapheme-phoneme correspondence (GPC) matching and fluency. Students with the number version improved in number knowledge. In a longitudinal follow-up, all intervention participants maintained an advantage in phoneme awareness and GPC matching at the start of 1st grade, but this advantage failed to translate into school literacy gains by mid-year. No longitudinal benefits were found for numbers. Our results support using tablet-based aids in spurring early reading skills but question the possibility that a short-term intervention may address the challenges of long-term educational goals.

Long-Term Effects of Kindergarten Vocabulary Instruction and Intervention on Target Vocabulary Knowledge Through Second Grade

We evaluated the long-term effects of a supplemental, small-group kindergarten vocabulary intervention in fall and spring of first grade and winter of second grade. Participants included students from two studies, an initial efficacy study and a subsequent replication study, identified as at risk for language and learning difficulties, who were randomly assigned in clusters to either a control group that received only classroom vocabulary instruction or a treatment group that received the classroom instruction plus small-group supplemental intervention. We also identified a group of not-at-risk students who received classroom vocabulary instruction as a reference group. Analyses using multilevel modeling indicated that students in the treatment group continued to outperform students in the control group on measures of expressive and receptive knowledge of words taught during the intervention through the winter of second grade, almost 2 years after the end of the intervention. Although long-term effects of the intervention on target word learning in second grade were substantial and meaningful, there was some deterioration of intervention effects across time. There were no effects of the kindergarten intervention on general vocabulary knowledge at posttest or any follow-up points. Findings suggest that the effects of direct and extended vocabulary instruction and intervention are generally durable and sustain over time for taught words.

Effects of early mathematics intervention for low-SES pre-kindergarten and kindergarten students: a replication study

ABSTRACT A socioeconomic status (SES)-related achievement gap in mathematics emerges prior to school entry, and increases in elementary school. This gap makes implementation of demanding mathematics standards (e.g., the Common Core State Standards) an ongoing challenge. Early educational intervention is a strategy for addressing this challenge. A randomised controlled trial was conducted in public American preschools to (1) replicate the efficacy of an intervention, Pre-K Mathematics, for low-SES children, and (2) test the combined impact of this intervention and a Common-Core-aligned kindergarten intervention, Early Learning in Mathematics. Forty-one clusters of pre-kindergarten and kindergarten classrooms, containing a sample of 389 low-SES children from an agricultural region, were randomly assigned to treatment and control conditions. The original impact findings were replicated: Child mathematics outcomes in pre-kindergarten were positive and significant. Gains were maintained in kindergarten. Thus, the gap can be reduced and gains maintained by sustained early intervention.

Ahead of maturation: Enhanced speech envelope training boosts rise time discrimination in pre-readers at cognitive risk for dyslexia.

Dyslexia has frequently been related to atypical auditory temporal processing and speech perception. Results of studies emphasizing speech onset cues and reinforcing the temporal structure of the speech envelope, that is, envelope enhancement (EE), demonstrated reduced speech perception deficits in individuals with dyslexia. The use of this strategy as auditory intervention might thus reduce some of the deficits related to dyslexia. Importantly, reading-skill interventions are most effective when they are provided during kindergarten and first grade. Hence, we provided a tablet-based 12-week auditory and phonics-based intervention to pre-readers at cognitive risk for dyslexia and investigated the effect on auditory temporal processing with a rise time discrimination (RTD) task. Ninety-one pre-readers at cognitive risk for dyslexia (aged 5-6) were assigned to two groups receiving a phonics-based intervention and playing a story listening game either with (n=31) or without (n=31) EE or a third group playing control games and listening to non-enhanced stories (n=29). RTD was measured directly before, directly after and 1 year after the intervention. While the groups listening to non-enhanced stories mainly improved after the intervention during first grade, the group listening to enhanced stories improved during the intervention in kindergarten and subsequently remained stable during first grade. Hence, an EE intervention improves auditory processing skills important for the development of phonological skills. This occurred before the onset of reading instruction, preceding the maturational improvement of these skills, hence potentially giving at risk children a head start when learning to read. A video abstract of this article can be viewed at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e0BfT4dGXNA.

Wow! They really like celeriac! Kindergarten teachers' experiences of an intervention to increase 1-year-olds’ acceptance of vegetables

Exposure to varied foods in early life is important for short- and long-term health and development. Strategically introducing toddlers to new vegetables is not a common practice in Norwegian kindergartens. Therefore, we developed, conducted, and evaluated a web-based cluster randomised kindergarten intervention, Pre-schoolers’ Food Courage 2.0. The purpose of the current qualitative study was to explore kindergarten teachers' experience of implementing this intervention and what they thought facilitated the positive impact of the intervention reported in the quantitative evaluation. Ten individual telephonic interviews with kindergarten teachers who took part in the intervention study were conducted using a semi-structured interview guide. Data were transcribed verbatim and subjected to thematic analysis. Five main themes were identified: 1) One-year-olds love food and renewal of the menus was inspiring; 2) One-year-olds are surprisingly willing to try and accept novel foods; 3) Novel food at meals stimulate social interaction; and 4) The Sapere method is a fun and explorative activity for 1-year-olds. These four themes were the features perceived as the effective elements of the intervention by the kindergarten teachers. The fifth main theme was: 5) Sustained impact on kindergarten teachers’ practices and beliefs. The kindergarten teachers found the intervention easy to implement, and they were surprised by the foods 1-year-olds like and how the intervention increased their food acceptance. This age window of opportunity seems to be underused in kindergartens. By using the strategies described in the intervention, kindergarten staff effectively took advantage of this opportunity and consequently, child and kindergarten staff behaviour in relation to food was enhanced. Interventions targeting healthy feeding practices may potentially have a long-term public health impact by increasing food variety and vegetable intake in toddlers. Trial registrationISRCTN98064772.

Analyzing the role of fidelity of RTI Tier 2 reading intervention in Spanish kindergarten and first grade students.

This study examined the role of fidelity in the reading outcomes within a Tier 2 intervention implemented by Spanish kindergarten and first grade school teachers. For this purpose, differences in reading performance growth were analyzed among at-risk students who received a Tier 2 intervention with high fidelity, at-risk students who received the same intervention with medium fidelity, and an at-risk control group that did not receive a Tier 2 intervention. Implementation fidelity was analyzed using direct observations and self-reports. All students were assessed three times during the academic year. Hierarchical linear modeling analyses were conducted to explore differences in growth rate. The at-risk children in the intervention condition showed a higher growth compared to at-risk children in the control condition, and specifically when the intervention was delivered with a high degree of fidelity.

Vocabulary enrichment using an E-book with and without kindergarten teacher’s support among LSES children

ABSTRACT We examined an intervention in kindergarten using an e-book for vocabulary enrichment. In programme (a), the children read the e-book with a dictionary and the teacher’s support. In programme (b), the children read the e-book with the dictionary independently. In programme (c), the children read the e-book without a dictionary (control). The participants included 103 children (aged 5–6) from LSES families. They read the e-book in the kindergarten class six times. The children were tested pre, post 1 and post 2, on story focal words at the receptive, explanation and production level. Children who read the e-book with the dictionary and the teacher’s support learned more words than those, who read the e-book with the dictionary independently, and more than the control. Achievements were maintained after one month. Children with an initial low level progressed more than those with a high level. The findings and their implications are discussed.

Effects of a kindergarten intervention on vegetables served and staff's food-related practices: results of a cluster randomised controlled trial - the BRA study.

The aim of the current study was to evaluate the effect on frequency, variety and amount of vegetables served and staff's food-related practices in the multicomponent BRA intervention. Cluster randomised controlled trial, conducted between Spring 2015 and Spring 2016. For allocation of the kindergartens, a stratified block randomisation was used. Data were collected in three ways: (i) a questionnaire for pedagogical leaders assessing the variety and frequency of vegetables served, including staff's food-related practices assumed to be related to vegetable intake; (ii) a questionnaire for kindergarten assistants assessing staff's food-related practices; (iii) a 5-d weighted vegetable diary assessing amount of vegetables served in a department. The target group for this study was public and private kindergartens in the counties of Vestfold and Buskerud, Norway. A total of seventy-three kindergartens participated. At follow-up I, the amount of vegetables served increased by approximately 20 g per person per day (P = 0·002), and the variety in served vegetables increased by one-and-a-half kind per month (P = 0·014) in the intervention group compared to the control group. No effects on the frequency of vegetables served or on staff's food-related practices were found. The BRA intervention was successful in increasing the amount and variety of vegetables served within intervention kindergartens. Further research is needed to understand the mechanisms that can affect the staff's food-related practices.

Kindergarten Training in Phonological Awareness: Fluency and Comprehension Gains Are Greatest for Readers at Risk in Grades 1 Through 9

Training in phonological awareness has brought about well-documented positive effects on learning to read in lower-primary grades. Less is known about long-term gains extending to upper-primary and junior high school. The few longitudinal studies covering at least 5 years suggest that gains in decoding are sustained, whereas effects on reading comprehension have either not been studied or produced equivocal results. The present study followed up the reading development of 209 Finland Swedish students from kindergarten until Grade 9, half of whom participated in an 8-month phonological intervention in kindergarten. The intervention group outperformed the control group in both word reading and reading comprehension in Grades 1 through 9. However, albeit statistically significant, the differences at the group level were small. The main result was a clear-cut difference in both skills among readers at risk belonging to the lowest 25% in foundational skills at the beginning of kindergarten. In Grade 6, altogether 60% of the nontrained readers at risk still belonged to the lowest quartile in reading comprehension as opposed to 24% of their peers in the intervention group. The pattern was repeated in Grade 9, with trained readers at risk performing at the level of nontrained mainstream readers.

Combining Parent and Teacher Training for Early ADHD: A Randomized Study of Effectiveness

Parent training (PT) has been documented as an effective intervention for early ADHD based on parental assessment, but documentation of transfer of its results outside the family context has been limited. Due to the cross-contextual impairments typically caused by ADHD, it has been proposed that PT in combination with an intervention in kindergarten or school based on systematic teacher training (TT) would be better suited. The objective of this study was to evaluate the effectiveness of a combination of PT and TT in a community sample of children with early ADHD problems. Families of 64 3-8-year old children were randomized to either PT alone with “The Incredible Years” PT or to a combined PT + TT intervention. Moderate to large pre-post effect sizes on mother-reported outcomes were revealed in both groups, in line with those generally reported in the literature on PT interventions for early ADHD. With an n of 64, the current study was powered to detect superiority of the PT + TT intervention if the difference was of a moderate effect size (Cohen’s d = 0.5). There were no statistically significant differences between the two groups on any of the outcome measures as rated by parents or teachers. In conclusion, the study did not provide support for the combined PT + TT intervention for early ADHD problems as a superior intervention in comparison with PT alone.

Early Number Skills Gains and Mathematics Achievement: Intervening to Establish Successful Early Mathematics Trajectories

Early number skills, comprised of both informal and formal skills, are associated with later mathematics achievement. Thus, the development of foundational early number skills is an important aspect of early mathematics instruction. This study explored relations between early number skills gains and mathematics achievement for students at risk for mathematics difficulties in a kindergarten intervention study. Results indicated strong relationships between formal number skills gains and mathematics achievement across kindergarten and Grade 1. Intervention participants demonstrated larger informal and formal early number skills gains compared with their control peers, and relations between early number skills gains and first-grade mathematics achievement were moderated by intervention participation. Importantly, these findings suggest that formal and informal number skills gains may be critical components of later mathematics achievement for at-risk students. Implications for special education and intervention in tiered instructional systems are discussed.

The Role of a Temperament Intervention in Kindergarten Children’s Standardized Academic Achievement

Previous research finds that children experience a range of school readiness challenges (e.g., Chartier, Walker, & Naimark, 2010; Zill, 1999). Such challenges vary by children’s gender, temperament, and participation in school-based interventions (e.g., Mullola et al., 2011; Bramlett, Scott, Rowell, 2000). However, the examination of child temperament, gender, and children’s participation in school-based, temperament programming has been minimal. This study explores the role of child temperament profiles and child gender on children’s standardized academic outcomes following participation in a school-based, temperament intervention. Study participants included 324 kindergarten students attending urban, low-income schools. A multivariate regression analysis explored associations among child temperament profile, gender, and academic performance. Cautious and male kindergarten intervention participants attained higher standardized mathematics and literacy scores than their non-intervention participating counterparts.

Early Identification of Reading Comprehension Difficulties

Most research on early identification of reading disabilities has focused on word reading problems and little attention has been given to reading comprehension difficulties. In this study, we investigated whether measures of language ability and/or response to language intervention in kindergarten uniquely predicted reading comprehension difficulties in third grade. A total of 366 children were administered a battery of screening measures at the beginning of kindergarten and progress monitoring probes across the school year. A subset of children also received a 26-week Tier 2 language intervention. Participants’ achievement in word reading was assessed at the end of second grade, and their performance in reading comprehension was measured as the end of third grade. Results showed that measures of language ability in kindergarten significantly added to the prediction of reading comprehension difficulties over and above kindergarten word reading predictors and direct measures of word reading in second grade. Response to language intervention also proved to be a unique predictor of reading comprehension outcomes. Findings are discussed in terms of their relevance for the early identification of reading disabilities.

Dyslexia and ICTs, Assessment and Early Intervention in Kindergarten

This article is a review of how Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs) help in the assessment and early intervention of reading disabilities (RD) and especially of dyslexia. Phonological awareness is highlighted as a main ability that predicts later reading skills. Here are presented several studies that display computer games, programs and applications by which teachers can intervene to boost phonological awareness and help preventing RD or dyslexia from an early age. Most studies focus in preschool age, although dyslexia in kindergarten is a field that has not been investigated thoroughly, and are certainly a precursor for studies to follow.