Project Activities
The researchers evaluated the effects of Literacy 3D on teachers' literacy practices and children's language and literacy skills. They examined the degree to which the intervention is beneficial for specific subgroups of children, including children with IEPs and dual language learners. The research team randomly assigned teachers in each cohort to either the treatment or waitlist control group. Teachers received training and coaching support to implement the intervention. The researchers collected data from parents and teachers, conducted classroom observations, and assessed children. They also conducted a cost study.
Structured Abstract
Setting
The study took place in inclusive pre-k, Title 1, child care centers, state funded programs, and Head Start preschool programs in Kansas and Missouri. The programs are considered mostly urban with some suburban programs.
Sample
Study participants included 93 preschool teachers and the 1666 children in their classrooms, including those with and without IEPs and dual language learners.
Literacy 3D is a fully developed, multi-component, supplemental intervention consisting of five 2-hour literacy-focused (i.e., comprehension, vocabulary, etc.) workshops for teachers held at their school. Once per week coaches work with teachers in their classrooms for about 1 hour face-to-face, and/or communicate with them at distance via email and text messaging. The Literacy 3D intervention components include: (a) teacher professional development, (b) teacher coaching, (c) data-based decision-making with feedback, (d) a tune-up checklist for planning implementation plus fidelity of implementation, and (e) 10 evidence-based literacy strategies.
Research design and methods
This study used a waitlist randomized control trial with four waves of data collection each year and a year of follow-up data collection. The researchers worked with three cohorts of treatment and waitlist control group teachers (with one of the cohorts after the pandemic). Each year, researchers randomly selected six children per classroom. In each implementation year, treatment group teachers received professional development training and support to implement Literacy 3D. In the year following implementation, teachers who were in the treatment group were assessed for sustainability of implementation of the intervention. In addition to data collected from both parents and teachers, and measures of instructional quality and fidelity, the team administered measures of child outcomes in the fall and spring of each year. The research team conducted data analyses to evaluate the initial impact of Literacy 3D on teacher practices and child outcomes and sustainability of implementation of the intervention. The researchers also conducted a cost analysis study and disseminated the study findings.
Control condition
Students in the control condition received business-as-usual preschool instruction.
Key measures
Primary measures included standardized direct child assessments of children's language and literacy skills, measures of fidelity of implementation and instructional quality, and teacher and parent surveys. The researchers used the Preschool Early Literacy Indicators (PELI) as a progress monitoring tool. Direct assessments of children included the Get Ready to Read-Revised screener; the IDEA Oral Language Proficiency Test; the definitional vocabulary, phonological awareness, and print knowledge subtests of the Test of Preschool Early Literacy, and the print knowledge and phonological awareness subtests of the Test of Preschool Early Literacy (TOPEL).. The Code for Interactive Recording of Children's Learning Environments were used to assess the quality and quantity of language and literacy experiences in the classroom and children's engagement in literacy behaviors.
Data analytic strategy
Researchers will use multilevel modeling to examine the efficacy of Literacy 3D on children's emergent literacy skills. They will also examine the possible moderators such as IEP status and dual language learner status.
People and institutions involved
IES program contact(s)
Project contributors
Products and publications
Researchers will produce evidence about the efficacy of the Literacy 3D intervention for increasing preschool teachers' literacy focus and improving the literacy skills of preschool-aged children, and produce peer-reviewed publications.
Publications:
ERIC Citations: Find available citations in ERIC for this award here.
Greenwood, C. R., Carta, J. J., Irvin, D. W., & Schnitz, A. G. (2021). Advancing Children’s Learning Through Innovations in the Measurement of Literacy Engagement. Topics in Early Childhood Special Education, 41(3), 191-206.
Available data:
The research team plans to use Frontiers as the data repository after publication of manuscripts.
Questions about this project?
To answer additional questions about this project or provide feedback, please contact the program officer.
