WWC review of this study

Evaluation of Around the Corner

Wolf, Betsy; Latham, Gavin; Laurenzano, Mary; Ross, Steven M.; Tam, Winnie; Cheung, Alan C. K. (2016). Retrieved from: https://eric.ed.gov/?id=ED574582

  •  examining 
    549
     Students
    , grades
    PK-K

Reviewed: January 2023

No statistically significant positive
findings
Meets WWC standards without reservations
Alphabetics outcomes—Indeterminate effect found for the domain
Outcome
measure
Comparison Period Sample Intervention
mean
Comparison
mean
Significant? Improvement
    index
Evidence
tier

Woodcock-Johnson III (WJ-III): Word Attack subtest

Around the Corner vs. Business as usual

0 Days

Full sample;
548 students

461.40

460.54

No

--

Woodcock-Johnson III (WJ-III): Letter-Word Identification Subtest

Around the Corner vs. Business as usual

0 Days

Full sample;
549 students

402.86

404.95

No

--
Receptive Communication outcomes—Indeterminate effect found for the domain
Outcome
measure
Comparison Period Sample Intervention
mean
Comparison
mean
Significant? Improvement
    index
Evidence
tier

Test of Language Development (TOLD-4) Sentence Imitation Subtest

Around the Corner vs. Business as usual

0 Days

Full sample;
548 students

8.80

8.88

No

--
Vocabulary outcomes—Statistically significant negative effect found for the domain
Outcome
measure
Comparison Period Sample Intervention
mean
Comparison
mean
Significant? Improvement
    index
Evidence
tier

The Peabody Picture Vocabulary Test (PPVT-III)

Around the Corner vs. Business as usual

0 Days

Full sample;
549 students

95.05

97.62

Yes

-8
 
 


Evidence Tier rating based solely on this study. This intervention may achieve a higher tier when combined with the full body of evidence.

Characteristics of study sample as reported by study author.


  • 30% English language learners

  • Female: 49%
    Male: 52%

  • Rural, Urban
    • B
    • A
    • C
    • D
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    • G
    • I
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    • M
    • N
    • O
    • Q
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    • V
    • U
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    • W
    • X
    • Z
    • Y
    • a
    • h
    • i
    • b
    • d
    • e
    • f
    • c
    • g
    • j
    • k
    • l
    • m
    • n
    • o
    • p
    • q
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    • w
    • y

    Arizona, Louisiana, Missouri, Ohio, Pennsylvania
  • Race
    Black
    17%
    Other or unknown
    60%
    White
    24%
  • Ethnicity
    Hispanic    
    43%
    Not Hispanic or Latino    
    57%
  • Eligible for Free and Reduced Price Lunch
    Free or reduced price lunch (FRPL)    
    100%

Setting

The study took place in 12 elementary schools in 5 states: Arizona, Louisiana, Missouri, Ohio, and Pennsylvania. The schools were located in a variety of settings, including in urban and rural locations.

Study sample

The researchers randomly assigned 6 schools to the intervention group and 6 schools comparison group. A total of 549 students who were in preschool in the 2014-15 school year and kindergarten in the 2015-16 school year were included in the study. All students were eligible for free or reduced-price lunch. Approximately 49 percent of the students were female, 30 percent were English learners, and 8 percent were receiving special education services. Twenty-four percent were white, 17 percent were Black, and 60 percent did not report race. Forty-three percent were Hispanic or Latino.

Intervention Group

Around the Corner is a program designed to improve pre-reading and language development by incorporating technological and multimedia enhancements into the Curiosity Corner and KinderCorner curricula. The program includes computer activities and videos for children to view in school and at home as well as interactive video-based professional development for teachers. In the classroom, the intervention is incorporated into curriculum on a daily basis over two school years in preschool and kindergarten. During this time, students and families were also provided with multi-media materials to reinforce the child’s classroom learning at home.

Comparison Group

Comparison group schools continued to use Curiosity Corner in preschools and KinderCorner in kindergarten without using Around the Corner. Comparison teachers did not receive professional development activities in this study but may have participated in other business-as-usual training and professional development offered by their schools or school districts.

Support for implementation

Intervention group teachers were supported by Intervention coaches, who received 4 hours of training on use of enhanced media components in each of the two school years. In the first year of the study, the intervention was implemented by preschool teachers who received between 6 and 12 hours of professional development and a minimum of three classroom visits by coaches. In the second year, kindergarten teachers implemented the intervention and were offered between 1 and 4 hours of professional development and between 2 and 4 classroom visits by coaches. Each teacher received a full lesson plan and the technology equipment necessary to implement the intervention in their classroom.

 

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