Using Ecobehavioral Assessment to Promote Engaging Early Literacy Interactions in Preschool Environments: A Phase 2 Steppingstones of Technology Innovation Effectiveness Project

ABSTRACT

Too many young children are not ready for school because they lack language and early literacy experiences due to poverty and differences in the languages heard at home. The good news is that the field is quite clear on what skills children need to learn and should be taught prior to kindergarten. Additionally, prekindergarten programs are increasingly seeking to employ intentional teaching and evidence-based practices. However, reports indicate a concern that in as much of 80% of time observed in prekindergarten classrooms with literacy goals, children do not experience any clear literacy focus provided by the teacher! Another fact is that every 1% unit increase in teachers’ literacy focus during instruction leads to a .5 increase in children’s rate of vocabulary growth (slope) over time in school. These findings led to the hypothesis we are testing that increasing and sustaining prekindergarten teacher’s engagement in literacy focus will accelerate children’s growth and outcomes in early literacy skills.  

The purpose of this randomized research is to test the effects of a teacher-feedback intervention package based on direct observational data and evidence-based practice delivered through a systematic consultation process of supports. Project objectives are to: (1) design and implement a causal study of the effects of using data-based information for decision making and instructional improvement; (2) recruit and train school participants; (3) collect measures; (4) implement the intervention; (5) implement data management/statistical analyses that address the research questions; and (6) disseminate results.

The design has two conditions: A = Data-based feedback with goal setting provided teachers by a consultant in the experimental group; B = Business as usual, constituting a comparison group without feedback. These two conditions allow evaluation of the value added to student results by the intervention provided teachers in the experimental group. A year later, the wait-list control group will receive the same intervention in a replication phase. Specific research questions are: (1) Is there measurable improvement in the amount of teacher literacy focus before and after use of the intervention (Classroom CIRCLE)? (2) Is there growth in mean slope and intercept in children’s early language and literacy growth on progress monitoring assessments (preschool IGDIs)? (3) Are there significantly greater end-of-year early literacy outcomes on a standardized measure adjusted for pretest? (4) Does teacher fidelity of implementation moderate child outcomes? (5) What is the extent of teacher satisfaction with the intervention? (6) What additional costs are associated with use of the intervention?

The intervention is informed by observational data collected using the Classroom Code for Interactive Recording of Children’s Learning Environments (Classroom CIRCLE), an ecobehavioral (EBA) observational assessment. The premise of EBA is that engagement in literacy activities and other student behaviors are a function of specific classroom instructional events, such as the contexts, materials, and teacher behaviors, that influence student engagement. Teacher literacy focus is a key ingredient in promoting student literacy engagement. Data is collected by school psychologists, teacher coaches, general special educators, and researchers using the Mobile Ecobehavioral Assessment System Software (M-EBASS) on tablet computers. Products and results will be widely disseminated.