Generalizability of the effectiveness of a preschool mathematics intervention for low-socioeconomic status Turkish children.

A socioeconomic status (SES)-related achievement gap in mathematics emerges in children from many countries before school entry, persists in primary school, and imposes challenges for education systems worldwide. In response, the United Nations' sustainable development goals include universal access to quality preschool education to support universal numeracy. A generalizability study of the effectiveness of an early mathematics intervention was conducted for low-SES Turkish preschool children (33 boys, 27 girls; Mage = 4.32). Classrooms were randomly assigned to treatment (Pre-K Mathematics) or control conditions. Children's early mathematical knowledge was assessed by the Child Math Assessment. A statistically significant positive impact was found (ES = 1.32). This indicates some generalizability of the intervention and supports the feasibility of using early intervention to achieve UN goals.

How much bias results if a quasi-experimental design combines local comparison groups, a pretest outcome measure and other covariates?: A within study comparison of preschool effects.

This study uses a within study comparison design (WSC) to conduct a novel test of how much causal bias results when researchers use a nonequivalent comparison group design type (NECGD) that combines: (a) a comparison group local to the treatment group; (b) a pretest measure of the study outcome; and (c) a rich set of 19 other multidimensional covariates. Most prior WSCs have dealt with the bias consequences of only 1 of these, revealing that each routinely reduces bias but does not necessarily eliminate it. Thus, a need exists to identify NECGDs that more robustly eliminate bias. This study is the first to examine how combining the 3 bias-control mechanisms above affects bias. The intervention we examine is a prekindergarten mathematics curriculum, for which a randomized control trial (RCT) produces a positive 1-year math effect. Final bias in the NECGD is assessed as the difference between its impact and that of the RCT when each design has the same intervention, outcome, and estimand. Over the many specifications we explore, NECGD bias is less than .10 standard deviations, indicating that minimal bias results when an NECGD combines all 3 design elements. The factorial design we use in this study also tests the bias associated with seven other NECGD types. Comparing the total pattern of results shows that the minimal bias when all 3 elements are combined is uniquely attributable to the locally chosen comparison group and not the availability of a pretest or other covariates. In actual research practice, it is impossible to predict in advance which design elements will affect bias by how much in any given application. So further research is needed to probe whether the simultaneous use of all three design elements achieves minimal bias dependably across diverse applications and not just in the preschool math context examined here. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2020 APA, all rights reserved).

The Sequential Scale-Up of an Evidence-Based Intervention: A Case Study.

Policy makers face dilemmas when choosing a policy, program, or practice to implement. Researchers in education, public health, and other fields have proposed a sequential approach to identifying interventions worthy of broader adoption, involving pilot, efficacy, effectiveness, and scale-up studies. In this article, we examine a scale-up of an early math intervention to the state level, using a cluster randomized controlled trial. The intervention, Pre-K Mathematics, has produced robust positive effects on children's math ability in prior pilot, efficacy, and effectiveness studies. In the current study, we ask if it remains effective at a larger scale in a heterogeneous collection of pre-K programs that plausibly represent all low-income families with a child of pre-K age who live in California. We find that Pre-K Mathematics remains effective at the state level, with positive and statistically significant effects (effect size on the Early Childhood Longitudinal Study, Birth Cohort Mathematics Assessment = .30, p < .01). In addition, we develop a framework of the dimensions of scale-up to explain why effect sizes might decrease as scale increases. Using this framework, we compare the causal estimates from the present study to those from earlier, smaller studies. Consistent with our framework, we find that effect sizes have decreased over time. We conclude with a discussion of the implications of our study for how we think about the external validity of causal relationships.

Impacts of a Comprehensive School Readiness Curriculum for Preschool Children at Risk for Educational Difficulties.

This article reports findings from a cluster-randomized study of an integrated literacy- and math-focused preschool curriculum, comparing versions with and without an explicit socioemotional lesson component to a business-as-usual condition. Participants included 110 classroom teachers from randomized classrooms and approximately eight students from each classroom (N = 760) who averaged 4.48 (SD = 0.44) years of age at the start of the school year. There were positive impacts of the two versions of the curriculum on language, phonological awareness, math, and socioemotional outcomes, but there were no added benefits to academic or socioemotional outcomes for the children receiving explicit socioemotional instruction. Results are discussed with relevance to early childhood theory, policy, and goals of closing the school readiness gap.

Enhancing early child care quality and learning for toddlers at risk: the responsive early childhood program.

Despite reports of positive effects of high-quality child care, few experimental studies have examined the process of improving low-quality center-based care for toddler-age children. In this article, we report intervention effects on child care teachers' behaviors and children's social, emotional, behavioral, early literacy, language, and math outcomes as well as the teacher-child relationship. The intervention targeted the use of a set of responsive teacher practices, derived from attachment and sociocultural theories, and a comprehensive curriculum. Sixty-five childcare classrooms serving low-income 2- and 3-year-old children were randomized into 3 conditions: business-as-usual control, Responsive Early Childhood Curriculum (RECC), and RECC plus explicit social-emotional classroom activities (RECC+). Classroom observations showed greater gains for RECC and RECC+ teachers' responsive practices including helping children manage their behavior, establishing a predictable schedule, and use of cognitively stimulating activities (e.g., shared book reading) compared with controls; however, teacher behaviors did not differ for focal areas such as sensitivity and positive discipline supports. Child assessments demonstrated that children in the interventions outperformed controls in areas of social and emotional development, although children's performance in control and intervention groups was similar for cognitive skills (language, literacy, and math). Results support the positive impact of responsive teachers and environments providing appropriate support for toddlers' social and emotional development. Possible explanations for the absence of systematic differences in children's cognitive skills are considered, including implications for practice and future research targeting low-income toddlers.