Graduate Students Research Topics in Early Childhood Education for their Master's Thesis

This Spring semester I had the pleasure of teaching a Master's Thesis class at the CCNY School of Education as an adjunct. In short - I loved it! It was wonderful to be in the classroom again and teach graduate students in person after 5 years! The last time I was in a classroom with students was in March 2020 just before the Covid lock downs. Classes continued to be held remotely at City College until I retired in 2022. So going back to teaching in person this semester and interacting with graduate students face to face was an amazing, exciting and deeply satisfying experience.

The course I taught was Research in Education - focusing specifically on early childhood classroom curriculum and teaching practices. Each student picked a topic they wanted to learn more about and conducted a qualitative inquiry on it. The students in the class are working toward their Masters Degree in Early Childhood Education and for all of them this was their first structured comprehensive semester-long research project! We met for the final class of the semester and celebrated the completion of the course as they each presented a visual representation of their projects.

In the following few blogs I have shared an image and brief summary of some of the research studies - but for now here is our group on the last day of class!!! Congratulations to each class member - I am so proud of them all!



Research in ECE Master's Thesis: The Nature of Social Interactions That Children Experience in a Pre-kindergarten Classroom

Symone Williams looked closely at the social interactions of PreK children in an attempt to study how language and literacy was being promoted in the Block Center through peer interactions between the children, and in the Art Center through interactions between children and their teachers. A visual representation and summary of her project is given below:


My primary research question is "What kinds of social interactions do children experience in the prekindergarten classroom?" In addition, my specific sub-questions were "How is language and literacy development promoted in the block center through peer interactions?" and "How is language and literacy development promoted in the art center through teacher-child interactions?" My interest in this topic came from observing the children in the block area. I was curious about how children learn literacy in the play area.

I interviewed three teachers and observed four prekindergarten students. The students' age range was four or five years old. My data collection contained observations, pictures, videos, and interviews. After analyzing the data, I discovered three main findings. The first finding was conflict and compromise. Due to the limited space and materials in the block center, the children had a few arguments with each other. The disagreements provided the students with the opportunity to practice their speaking and listening. The dialogue between the children gave them the chance to practice their language skills. The second finding was the influence of family on children's art. The students used art to talk about their family. They may talk about a family member or an event they went to with their family. Sometimes, their drawings led them to write words or letters to label the picture. Labels help the children practice their letters and letter sounds. The third finding was modeling language. The teacher modeled language by asking questions, broadening sentences, and replacing words with new vocabulary.

One take away for me after completing this project was that I need to be in the moment with students. I miss so many milestones and growth because I am too focused on maintaining classroom expectations, setting up activities and completing small group activities. I realized that I need to spend more time with my students as they complete their activity of choice.



Research in ECE Master's Thesis: Social-Emotional Learning in Preschool Classrooms and Its Impact On Preschoolers’ Academic Succes

Irene Guerrero focused her study on the development of social-emotional skills and their impact on academic development in preschoolers. An overview of the project and her visual representation of her study is provided below:


My research study aimed to address Social-Emotional Learning in Preschool Classrooms and Its Impact On Preschoolers’ Academic Success. In exploring the topic, the study used the following two specific research questions to guide the research process: 1. What is the impact of social-emotional learning in a preschool classroom on children’s academic success? And 2. How can teachers support social-emotional learning in their preschool classroom? 

Through data collection such as observations, Student Social-Emotional Chart, Student Academic Chart, and interviews, information was generated to identify and analyze patterns. I observed both students two days of the week during the first two weeks of April for a period of thirty to forty-five minutes during a diverse range of activities such as choice time, lunch, breakfast, small group, arrival, circle time, outdoor play, and transitions. I conducted one-on-one interviews with two teachers, through a set of questions focused on gathering teacher’s experiences, and perspective to understand and answer the research topic. The interviews occurred once privately, on different days and times. The interviews took place in the school library for an hour long each. I reviewed my observation notes on a weekly basis, writing a reflection after completing this process. These notes contained insight into possible social-emotional learning and academic success, for which I reviewed and consulted throughout the process. I reviewed the interview transcript on a weekly basis, writing a reflection after completing this process. These notes contained insight into possible social-emotional learning and academic success, for which I reviewed and consulted throughout the process. I developed a coding system to use during the review of observation notes, social-emotional chart, academic chart, and interview transcript. The coding system revealed recurring, academic skills (Subject Area: reading/writing, science, math, social studies, Arts) and social- emotional skills (Developmental Domain: Language/Literacy, cognitive, social-emotional, and/or physical). As mentioned above by the participants and literature review, social-emotional learning plays a critical role in fostering not only the interpersonal and emotional development of preschoolers but also in laying groundwork for their academic success. 

This research study highlights the correlation between social-emotional learning competencies-such as emotional regulation, empathy, and cooperative behaviors and early learning in the classroom. When preschool environments intentionally support social-emotional learning through structured activities and responsive teaching practices, children are more likely to exhibit improved attention, stronger peer relationships, and enhanced readiness for academic tasks. These foundational skills are essential for effective participation in learning and for building resilience in the face of challenges. Despite the study's limitation of size and duration, the findings align with a growing body of evidence suggesting that social-emotional learning support is a key predictor for both short and long-term academic achievement.


Research in ECE Master's Thesis: Young Children's Social-Emotional and Fine Motor Skills Development

Isabel Cespedes looked into the development of social-emotional and fine motor skills in Kindergarteners who had attended Prek before entering Kindergarten as compared to those who had not attended PreK before Kindergarten. Below is an outline and and visual representation of the study:


Starting Kindergarten is an important step in a child’s education. Many children enter Kindergarten with different levels of skills and experiences, especially depending on whether or not they attended Pre-K. This study looks at how attending Pre-K can affect a child’s social, emotional, and fine motor development. By interviewing kindergarten teachers and observing students in the classroom, I aimed to better understand how early education can help children succeed when they begin school.

For this study, I interviewed two kindergarten teachers from two different classrooms. I asked them if they knew which students had attended Pre-K and if they noticed any differences between the students who had and had not attended Pre-K at the beginning of the school year. The purpose of these questions was to learn if attending Pre-K helps children as they move into kindergarten.

Each teacher took part in one 45-minute interview. They shared their thoughts and experiences about how their students were doing, especially in areas like social skills and fine motor skills. After the interviews, I observed two students from each class, one who had attended Pre-K and one who had not. I observed each student for 10 minutes, twice a week. During these times, I looked at how the students interacted with others, managed their emotions, and used fine motor skills like writing or cutting.

Based on my data it seems that going to Pre-K can help children in many ways. Students who went to Pre-K often had an easier time getting used to school, talking to others, and doing classroom tasks. By interviewing the teachers and observing the students, I learned more about how Pre-K can help children get ready for kindergarten and support their growth.