Project Activities
The researchers collected primary data and used state administrative data to identify instructional practices associated with different rates of growth in the school readiness skills of preschool-age Spanish-speaking ELs and determine if the associations between instructional practices and child outcomes vary based on child-, teacher-, and preschool-level variables. They recruited and assessed 1,004 preschoolers who were Spanish-speaking Els from 157 preschool classrooms within which at least 40% of the children were speakers of Spanish, conducted classroom observations, collected data from teachers and parents, and worked to link primary data to secondary data sources from the state's preschool program. The results of the project were intended to identify malleable instructional practices and classroom contexts that support the development of school readiness skills for young Spanish-speaking ELs.
Structured Abstract
Setting
The study took place in state-supported Voluntary Prekindergarten (VPK) classrooms serving moderate-to-high proportions of children identified as English Learners (EL). Most preschool sites were in Central and South Florida. Sites had to serve at least 40% EL students.
Sample
Study participants will include 1,004 4-year-old children who are Spanish-speaking ELs attending 157 Voluntary Pre-K (VPK) preschool programs, their parents, and their teachers.
Research design and methods
This project involved primary data collection and the use of state administrative data for what ultimately became four cohorts of children. Two cohorts were planned, but the COVID-19 pandemic and other difficulties resulted in recruitment, retention, or assessment difficulties. For each cohort of preschoolers, researchers obtained child demographic and preschool outcome data from the administrative data of the Florida Office of Early Learning. Researchers assessed children in preschool and kindergarten, conducted classroom observations in preschool, and worked to link state-level administrative child-level data (collected by prekindergarten and kindergarten teachers) with researcher-collected child, family, teacher, and classroom data. Researchers used the Florida Office of Early Learning kindergarten readiness database to identify VPK sites that served a significant number of children classified as English Learners in kindergarten. VPK sites that served between 40 and 100 percent of children classified as EL based on the prior years’ preschool readiness data were eligible for inclusion in the study. In four cohorts, researchers assessed children in fall, winter, and spring of the preschool year, conducted classroom observations in fall and spring of each year, and collected teacher and parent survey data. For the kindergarten follow-ups, the research team conducted kindergarten assessments in fall of each school year. Finally, researchers conducted data analyses and worked to disseminate the study findings.
Control condition
Due to the exploratory nature of the research design, there was no control condition.
Key measures
Researchers obtained child demographic and preschool outcome data from the administrative database of the Florida Office of Early Learning that includes child-level scores on the four subtests of the state's Voluntary Prekindergarten (VPK) assessment, which is a teacher administered English-language assessment given to the children three times during their preschool year (fall, winter, spring). Primary measures also included direct assessments of Spanish-speaking children's language and literacy, math, and self-regulation skills, and classroom observation measures of global climate, quality, and specific instructional patterns, teacher questionnaires, and parent questionnaires. The Spanish Preschool Early Literacy Assessment (SPELA) was used to assess children's language and literacy skills in preschool. A researcher-developed Spanish-language adaptation of the state's VPK math assessment was used to assess preschoolers' early math skills. The Picture Vocabulary, Letter-Word Identification, Word Attack, and Applied Problems subtests of the Woodcock-Johnson III or the Batería III Woodcock-Muñoz were used to assess children's academic skills in kindergarten. Classroom observation measures included the Teacher-Behavior Rating Scale-Revised Bilingual Version, the Classroom Assessment Scoring System Pre-k, and a researcher-developed measure, the Classroom Language Environment Observational Scales.
Data analytic strategy
The researchers initially fit three-level growth models to examine associations between teacher background and classroom instructional factors (e.g., language of instruction, quality of instruction, global classroom quality) and children's language, literacy, and math skills across the preschool year. The three-level model did not provide a better fit than a two-level model, so the two-level model was used. They also explored child, classroom and teacher characteristics as possible moderators of associations between instruction and child growth for children classified as English learners.
People and institutions involved
Project contributors
Products and publications
Researchers will produce preliminary evidence of potentially promising classroom-level factors that are associated with the development of school readiness skills for preschool-aged, Spanish-speaking English learners, and produce peer-reviewed publications.
Questions about this project?
To answer additional questions about this project or provide feedback, please contact the program officer.
