ERIC Number: EJ1114994
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2016
Pages: 17
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-1040-9289
EISSN: N/A
Relative Effects of a Comprehensive versus Reduced Training for Head Start Teachers Who Serve Spanish-Speaking English Learners
Solari, Emily J.; Zucker, Tricia A.; Landry, Susan H.; Williams, Jeffrey M.
Early Education and Development, v27 n7 p1060-1076 2016
With increased demand for improved early childhood education services, it is important to better understand the essential professional development resources that have the greatest impact on both teacher and child outcomes. This study compared the effectiveness of two teacher-training models in bilingual Migrant and Seasonal Head Start and Head Start classrooms. Both conditions included the use of a technology-based student progress-monitoring tool. The progress monitoring provided detailed feedback on students' progress 15 across the academic year and helped organize instructional groupings. The comprehensive treatment condition included biweekly professional development sessions, in-class mentoring, and provision of classroom materials, whereas the treatment-control condition included only the provision of a limited set of classroom materials. Across multiple sites in Texas, 49 pretest and posttest teacher observations and bilingual child assessments were collected on a subsample of students (n = 387). "Research Findings": Improvements in teaching behaviors were observed in both experimental conditions; no significant differences were observed between teachers across conditions. Three measures of child language and literacy growth differed significantly, favoring the comprehensive treatment model, but most outcomes did not differ significantly between groups. "Practice or Policy": Implications of these mixed findings and future research directions are discussed.
Descriptors: Faculty Development, Preschool Teachers, Early Childhood Education, Training Methods, Instructional Effectiveness, Progress Monitoring, Intermode Differences, Experimental Groups, Control Groups, Pretests Posttests, English Language Learners, Spanish Speaking, Child Language, Teaching Models, Teacher Behavior, Language Acquisition, Emergent Literacy, Vocabulary Development, Oral Language, Phonological Awareness, Observation
Routledge. Available from: Taylor & Francis, Ltd. 325 Chestnut Street Suite 800, Philadelphia, PA 19106. Tel: 800-354-1420; Fax: 215-625-2940; Web site: http://www.tandf.co.uk/journals
Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Research
Education Level: Preschool Education; Early Childhood Education
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Identifiers - Location: Texas
Identifiers - Assessments and Surveys: Expressive One Word Picture Vocabulary Test; Preschool Language Scale
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A