Study: 90354

Red Light, Purple Light (RLPL) Intervention Report - Preparing Young Children for School

Review Details

Reviewed: November 2022

At least one finding shows promising evidence of effectiveness

At least one statistically significant positive finding

Meets WWC standards without reservations

For:

Red Light, Purple Light (RLPL) Intervention Report - Preparing Young Children for School

Using:

Rating:

Meets WWC standards without reservations because it is a cluster randomized controlled trial with low cluster-level attrition and individual-level non-response.

This review may not reflect the full body of research evidence for this intervention.

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

Please see the WWC summary of evidence for Red Light, Purple Light (RLPL).

Findings

Mathematics outcomes—Statistically significant positive effect found for the domain
Outcome measure	Comparison	Period	Sample	Intervention mean	Comparison mean	Significant?	Improvement index	Evidence tier
Preschool Early Numeracy Skills Screener—Brief Version (PENS-B)	Red Light, Purple Light (RLPL) vs. Business as usual	0 Days	Aggregated Sample; 157 students	8.72	8.94	Yes	12

Reading & Literacy Related outcomes—Indeterminate effect found for the domain
Outcome measure	Comparison	Period	Sample	Intervention mean	Comparison mean	Significant?	Improvement index	Evidence tier
Woodcock-Johnson III Tests of Achievement (WJ-III) Letter-Word Identification Subtest	Red Light, Purple Light (RLPL) vs. Business as usual	0 Days	Aggregated Sample; 157 students	328.08	331.09	No	--

Self-regulation outcomes—Indeterminate effect found for the domain
Outcome measure	Comparison	Period	Sample	Intervention mean	Comparison mean	Significant?	Improvement index	Evidence tier
Head-Toes-Knees-Shoulders-Revised (HTKS-R)	Red Light, Purple Light (RLPL) vs. Business as usual	0 Days	Aggregated Sample; 157 students	37.43	41.52	No	--
Day-Night Stroop task	Red Light, Purple Light (RLPL) vs. Business as usual	0 Days	Aggregated Sample; 157 students	22.75	21.60	No	--

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

Sample Characteristics

Characteristics of study sample as reported by study author.

33% English language learners
Female: 52%
Male: 48%
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Race
Black		6%
Other or unknown		61%
Pacific Islander		7%
White		26%

Ethnicity
Hispanic		58%
Not Hispanic or Latino		42%

Eligible for Free and Reduced Price Lunch
Other or unknown		100%

Study Details

Setting

The study took place in 13 Head Start classrooms across 7 sites in the Pacific Northwest.

Study sample

All participating children were between the ages of three and five, and all families were low-income. More than half, 58%, of the analytic sample identified as Latino, 26% identified as White, 7% Pacific Islander, 6% African American, and 2% reported other for ethnicity. Using the child’s home language information from the consent form, the authors identified 62 children (33%) as English language learners (ELLs).

Intervention Group

Two versions of the intervention were assessed and have been combined for this review, the Red Light, Purple Light (RLPL) program and the revised Red Light, Purple Light (RLPL+) program. The Red Light, Purple Light (RLPL) program is a teacher-implemented classroom-based program involving activities aimed to increase school readiness and self-regulation by improving working memory, attentional or cognitive flexibility, and inhibitory control. The revised version of Red Light, Purple Light (RLPL+) includes the same self-regulation activities as the basic version, but teachers also embed literacy- and math-related content into game play. Both versions of the RLPL intervention are implemented during 16 sessions, which occur twice a week over an 8-week period. Each session is conducted in a large group setting and lasts between 15 and 20 minutes.

Comparison Group

The comparison group engaged in their business-as-usual daily routines and curricula activities. The authors’ review of classroom materials and observation of instruction revealed that no self-regulation games were played in the comparison classrooms.

Support for implementation

Intervention teachers attended a half-day training led by two master trainers. During these sessions, teachers learned about the importance of self-regulation and the core elements of the intervention. Teachers in the RLPL+ group also received information on how to embed literacy- and math-related content into the games. Teachers implementing the two versions of RLPL were provided with training manuals containing intervention materials and detailed session plans. The researchers also asked teachers in the two RLPL groups to complete fidelity of implementation surveys and daily logs following each session. Teachers worked with coaches six times throughout the intervention, during which coaches could provide feedback to teachers based on recordings of the teachers’ implementation during the prior week.

Red Light, Purple Light! Results of an Intervention to Promote School Readiness for Children from Low-Income Backgrounds [Red Light, Purple Light Circle Time Games only or Red Light, Purple Light Circle Time Games plus math and literacy components vs. business as usual (Creative Curriculum)]