Project Activities
The researchers will analyze the Early Childhood Longitudinal Study-Birth Cohort (ECLS-B) to determine: (1) factors that most strongly predict children's vocabulary knowledge at 24 months of age; (2) which children are most likely to receive early intervention or early childhood special education when they are 24–48 and 48–60 months of age; (3) which children are most likely to display vocabulary delays at 48 months of age; (4) factors that strongly predict children's general cognitive and behavioral functioning at 24 months, as well as their pre-academic and behavioral functioning at 48 months of age; and (5) which children are most likely to display lower academic and/or behavioral readiness at 60 months of age.
Structured Abstract
Setting
The ECLS-B is a dataset with a nationally-representative sample of children born in the United States in 2001.
Sample
The ECLS-B includes data on children born in the United States in 2001 (sampled from birth certificate files) who were then assessed up to kindergarten, at 9, 24, 48, and 60 months of age. ECLS-B oversampled for low birth weight children and racial and ethnic minorities. Parents of 550 24-month-olds reported that their children received early intervention services. At both the 48- and 60-month assessments, 850 parents reported that their children received early intervention services.
Intervention
There is no intervention.
Research design and methods
This study involves secondary data analyses of standardized direct measures and questionnaire data collected in the ECLS-B.
Control condition
Due to the nature of the research design, there is no control condition.
Key measures
Measures included in the analysis of the ECLS-B data include individually administered and parental reports of children's vocabulary knowledge, cognitive functioning, reading and mathematics achievement, and direct observation and teacher ratings of learning-related, externalizing, and internalizing problem behaviors. Measures also include direct observation of parent-child interactions, direct observation of child care quality, birth certificate data on socio-demographic, gestational, and birth characteristics, and parent interviews. Outcomes include children's vocabulary knowledge, cognitive functioning, reading and mathematics achievement, and learning-related, externalizing, and internalizing problem behaviors.
Data analytic strategy
The researchers will use regression analyses to address the research questions in this study. These will include cross-lagged regression models with extensive statistical control for likely confounds and weighted adjustments to account for sample clustering, multiple imputation to account for missing data, and propensity score matching methods to better identify the predicted effects of natural variation in receipt of specific early intervention services on the school readiness of children with identified delays or disabilities.
People and institutions involved
IES program contact(s)
Products and publications
Products: The expected products from this study include publications and presentations on research activities and findings that may serve as a basis for developing interventions for infants, toddlers, and preschoolers at risk for disabilities.
Journal article, monograph, or newsletter
Hammer, C. S., Morgan, P. L., Farkas, G., Hillemeier, M. M., Bitetti, D., and Maczuga, S. (2017). Late Talkers: A Population-Based Study of Risk Factors and School Readiness Consequences. Journal of Speech, Hearing, and Language Research, 60: 607-626. doi:10.1044/2016_JSLHR-L-15-0417
Morgan, P. L., Hammer, C. S., Farkas, G., Hillemeier, M. M., Maczuga, S., Cook, M., and Morano, S. (2016). Who Receives Speech/Language Services by Five Years of Age in the U.S.? American Journal of Speech Language Pathology, 25(2). doi:10.1044/2015_AJSLP-14-0201
Morgan, P.L., Farkas, G., Hillemeier, M.H., Mattison, R., Maczuga, S., Li, H., and Cook, M. (2015). Minorities Are Disproportionately Underrepresented in Special Education: Longitudinal Evidence Across Five Disability Conditions. Educational Researcher, 44(5): 278-292. doi:10.3102/0013189X15591157?
Morgan, P.L., Farkas, G., Hillemeier, M.H., Mattison, R., Maczuga, S., Li, H., and Cook, M. (2015). Minorities Are Disproportionately Underrepresented in Special Education: Longitudinal Evidence Across Five Disability Conditions. Educational Researcher, 44(5): 278-292. doi:10.3102/0013189X15591157
Morgan, P.L., Farkas, G., Hillemeier, M.M., Hammer, C., and Maczuga, S. (2015). 24-Month-Old Children With Larger Oral Vocabularies Display Greater Academic and Behavioral Functioning at Kindergarten Entry. Child Development, 86(5): 1351-1370. doi:10.1111/cdev.12398
Supplemental information
Co-Principal Investigators: George Farkas (University of California, Irvine), Carol Hammer (Temple University), and Marianne Hillemeier (The Pennsylvania State University)
Questions about this project?
To answer additional questions about this project or provide feedback, please contact the program officer.
