Date of Award

Spring 5-2013

Document Type

Dissertation

Degree Name

Doctor of Education (EdD)

Department

Education

First Advisor

Dr. Donna Nack

Second Advisor

Dr. Sherrie Wisdom

Third Advisor

Dr. Kathleen Kurz

Abstract

The purpose of this comparative study was to examine the connection between the implementation of a quality early childhood program and the kindergarten readiness of prekindergarten students as measured by the Developmental Indicators for Assessment of Learning-DIAL-3. The researcher analyzed historical data obtained from approximately 40 students in the Study Site School District in the prekindergarten programs at Woodbridge Elementary School for the 2008-2009 and 2009-2010 school years. The researcher developed two research questions: a) What impact does a MODESE approved, research-based early childhood program have on the kindergarten readiness of prekindergarten students in the Study-Site School District as measured by the DIAL-3? and b) Will there be a difference in the average DIAL-3 scores of the students who did not participate in a DESE approved early childhood program and the average DIAL-3 scores for students who did? The implementation of a high quality early childhood program, (the independent variable) was measured by the change in DIAL-3 scores on each subtest for each of the participants (dependent variable). The results were then compared to the scores of the control group, the students that did not participate in a high quality early childhood program. Using a two-tailed t-test to examine the difference between the mean scores of participating and non-participating students, the researcher found that overall there was no statistically significant difference in scores of students who participated and those who did not.

Rights

Copyright 2013

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