The concept of Matthew effects in reading development refers to a longitudinally widening gap between high achievers and low achievers. Various statistical approaches have been proposed to examine this idea. However, little attention has been paid to psychometric issues of scaling. Specifically, interval-level data are required to compare…

The development of proficient communication skills in infants and toddlers is an important component to child development. A popular trend gaining national media attention is teaching sign language to babies with normal hearing whose parents also have normal hearing. Thirty-three websites were identified that advocate sign language for hearing…

The purpose of the current project is to explore the use of propensity scores to estimate the effects of interventions within randomized control trials, accounting for varying levels of implementation or fidelity. This work extends that of Jo and Stuart (2009) to settings with multiple or continuous measures of implementation. Rather than focus…

There has been significant interest in examining the developmental factors that predispose individuals to chronic criminal offending. This body of research has identified some social-environmental risk factors as potentially important. At the same time, the research producing these results has generally failed to employ genetically sensitive…

Rigorous research provides information that will allow ECE (Early Childhood Educator) programs to select interventions that have a scientifically based track record of effectiveness in increasing teachers' skills and teaching quality. This paper shares implementation and impact results as well as the lessons learned in conducting an evaluation of…

Recent advances in methods and computer software for longitudinal data analysis have pushed researchers to more critically examine developmental theories. In turn, researchers have also begun to push longitudinal methods by asking more complex developmental questions. One such question involves the relationships between two developmental…

This study researched the Plenk scoring system more thoroughly to see whether it could be used with older children and whether it could differentiate normal from emotionally disturbed Ss. (Author)

In an attempt to restore the symmetry and balance between the study of person and item variation, this paper presents a novel methodology construct specification equations, which allows one to ascertain from the lawful behavior of items what an instrument is measuring. (Author/PN)

An analytical procedure that uses fall kindergarten assessment data to retroactively create equivalent comparison groups for longitudinal research and evaluation studies was designed and tested, and then analytically and empirically compared with random assignment to treatment. Students entering kindergarten in Hawaii are administered the Peabody…

Infant intelligence from birth until the age of two was measured to determine the usefulness of infant intelligence tests. Twenty infants were tested regularly over the two-year period. Results showed neither simplex nor other long-term patterns of interrelationship among the infant intelligence scores obtained. The study concludes that the…

This study examines item bias on Forms L and M of the Peabody Picture Vocabulary Test-Revised (PPVT-R) for 132 Anglo-American and Mexican-American children in grades one through four. Analyses of variance were employed to assess item bias as defined by items x ethnicity interactions. Follow-up analyses were performed using a Bonferroni-type…

A meta-analysis was performed on the 133 cognitive and behavioral papers in autism using comparison groups in the 1999-2002 period. High-functioning (average IQ: 84.7), adolescents (average, 14.4 years) are largely dominant. IQ is the most frequent matching variable in use (51.2%). The instruments that are most frequently used to determine IQ or…

A 15-MONTH EVALUATION RESEARCH STUDY OF THE 1965 SUMMER HEAD START PROGRAMS WAS CONDUCTED THROUGHOUT THE STATE OF TEXAS. A SCHEMATIC MODEL OF INTERACTING FACTORS OPERATING THROUGH HEAD START PROGRAMS TO PRODUCE AND PREDICT CHANGES IN EDUCATIONAL DEVELOPMENT AND IN OUT-OF-SCHOOL ENVIRONMENT WAS DEVELOPED. THIS MODEL GENERATED THE EMPIRICAL…

The Perry Preschool Project assessed longitudinal effects of a 2-year program consisting of a daily 3-hour cognitively oriented nursery, a weekly 90-minute home visit, and less frequent group meetings of the pupils' parents. Subjects consisted of 3- and 4-year-old Negro disadvantaged and functionally retarded children, whose pretest scores on the…

DURING THE PERIOD OF OCTOBER 1, 1965 TO JANUARY 1, 1966 AT THE HEADSTART OPERATIONAL FIELD ANALYSIS IN CLEVELAND, OHIO THE FOLLOWING ACTIVITIES TOOK PLACE. (1) THE METHODOLOGY FOR CLASSROOM OBSERVATION OF HEADSTART (HS) AND NON-HEADSTART (NHS) CHILDREN AND INTERVIEWS WITH THEIR CLASSROOM TEACHERS WAS REVISED. THE HS GROUP OF 125 WAS SELECTED FROM…