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Avoiding the Ethical and Methodological Deficiencies Found in Widely Acclaimed Early Childhood Education Studies
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| Presenter(s):
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| Morris Lai,
University of Hawaii Manoa,
lai@hawaii.edu
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| Susan York,
University of Hawaii Manoa,
yorks@hawaii.edu
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| Abstract:
Although many have praised the High/Scope Perry Preschool and the Abecedarian Preschool studies, we seriously question whether such studies strongly generalize today and meet prevailing ethical, evaluation, and other professional standards. We are disturbed by the devastating fate of the control-group children; we have also noted other types of inappropriateness in published studies on the effects of prekindergarten early childhood education (ECE).
After delineating our concerns about several research or evaluation studies in the ECE literature, we develop recommendations that address the numerous inadequacies. Evaluations of ECE initiatives should (a) accommodate allowing all children to participate in the main treatment if their families so choose, (b) include nonformal/noncenter-based programs, (c) use data-collection instruments designed to specifically measure children’s readiness for kindergarten, (d) regard participant feedback as primary evaluation data, (e) analyze the data focusing on effect size rather than on statistical significance, and (f) ensure cultural appropriateness.
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Pre-Kindergarten Teachers' Literacy Knowledge: Instrument Development and Lessons Learned
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| Presenter(s):
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| Melissa Chapman,
University of Iowa,
melissa-chapman@uiowa.edu
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| Abstract:
This proposal is contextualized in this evaluator’s experiences working as an external consultant for an Early Reading First project and the problems encountered when federal site visitors requested that project teachers be evaluated on their knowledge of the mandated early reading areas: oral language (expressive and receptive), phonological awareness, print awareness, and alphabet knowledge (Whitehurst & Lonigan, 1998; USDOE, 2006). Given the absence of widely available, technically adequate assessments that would serve this purpose, an open-ended instrument was first created and used. This proposal is focused on improving the technical adequacy of a Language and Literacy Assessment (LLA) by conducting cognitive interviews (Willis, 1999, 2005) with expert teachers and researchers and then assessing a large sample of pre-K teachers in a Midwestern state. Further item level statistics and other technical adequacy issues will be examined following the statewide distribution.
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The Use of Parent and Teacher Task Scenarios in the Evaluation of a Literacy Website
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| Presenter(s):
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| Margaret Vaughan,
Goodman Research Group Inc,
vaughan@grginc.com
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| Margaret Tiedemann,
Goodman Research Group Inc,
tiedemann@grginc.com
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| Abstract:
The paper is based on a comparative study, one component of a comprehensive website evaluation. The study involved recruiting parent and teacher participants to examine the strengths and weaknesses of a targeted early childhood literacy site in comparison to its primary competitors. A unique aspect of the evaluation was the inclusion of hypothetical task scenarios. A task scenario, often part of usability testing, is a representation of work a user would likely perform while visiting a website. These task scenarios were designed to gain feedback from the website’s primary audiences and to be meaningful to their perspectives and roles. The scenarios provided participants with a child-based situation to consider rather than having them follow a step-by-step approach. The paper will report on methodology and findings with a focus on parents and teachers overall impressions of the website as well as specific details about their experiences while completing the task.
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Development of an Interview Protocol for Families of English Language Learners in Head Start Programs
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| Presenter(s):
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| Marc Winokur,
Colorado State University,
marc.winokur@colostate.edu
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| Victoria Buchan,
Colorado State University,
buchan@cahs.colostate.edu
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| Abstract:
The Head Start English Language Learner Project (HELLP) is one of eight Head Start Innovation and Improvement Projects funded by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services to strengthen Head Start programs nationwide. Specifically, HELLP is focused on supporting Head Start programs to better serve English language learner (ELL) children and their families. Through evidence-based curricula, hands-on training, and programmatic assistance, HELLP is designed to build the capacity for Head Start personnel and families to assist ELL children in their literacy development. To evaluate this ambitious initiative, a comprehensive program evaluation was fashioned. A major component of the evaluation was a parent-family interview designed to explore the level of engagement of ELL parents in supporting their children’s literacy development in the home and at school. The proposed paper will present the unique approach used in the protocol development and administration process, while reporting on findings from the interviews.
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