2000 Research Scholars
Helena Duch | Mary Ann Fenske | Paige Fisher | Marlo A. Perry | Beth M. Phillips | Cathy Hauqing Qi | Lina L. Robinson | Carol Dieringer Stock | Jennifer Tschantz
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Helena Duch
Project Title:
Strengthening Families in Head Start: the Impact of Parent Participation
in Education and Training Programs on Children's Social Competence
and Emotional Well-Being
Grantee:
Helena Duch
Project Funding Years:
2000-2002
University Affiliation:
New York University
Project Abstract:
This study will investigate the effects of Fortalecerse, an adult
development program for Head Start parents, on the social competence
and behavior problems of Latino preschool children. The study will
address the following research questions: (1) Does participation in
a parent education and training program within Head Start influence
self-development in Latino parents? (2) Does participation in a parent
education and training program within Head Start affect the level
of depression of Latino parents? (3) Do changes in self-development
and depression have an impact on the social competence of their Head
Start children? and (4) Do changes in self-development and depression
have an impact on the behavioral problems of their children? In Fall
2000, 30 children and their families will participate in the study;
30 additional children and their families will participate in the
study in Fall 2001. To measure baseline data in the Fall, parents
will complete three questionnaires that will assess their ego-development
and depression as well as their children's social and behavioral problems,
and teachers will complete two child assessment questionnaires. In
the fall 2001, two new measures will be added to measure parental
competence, the impact of life events and parenting stress. Parents
will be assigned to the experimental group or to the control group
(waiting list). Parents and children in both groups will receive Head
Start services. Families in the experimental group will participate
in Fortalecerse, a program designed to provide comprehensive training
and education to parents in areas related to ESL, Computers, Child
Development Associate and Literacy. In the Spring, experimental and
control groups will be reassessed using the same measures. Individual
and group differences over time will be investigated using variance
tests, and statistically significant group-by-time interactions will
be conducted to locate group differences in the equality of pre- to
post-intervention change. Results will provide additional information
on the presence of behavioral and emotional problems in minority preschoolers
and their families and on the strengths that help families cope. In
addition, service providers and policy makers will be informed on
how to best help Latino families to meet their goals and promote wellness
and mental health.
Sample:
n=60 Latino Head Start families (30 Fall 2000 cohort, 30 Fall 2001
cohort)
Measures:
Teacher Assessments of Children
Social Skills Rating System, Social Skills and Problem Behavior Scales
(SSRS)
Teacher Report Form of the Child Behavior Checklist
Parent Assessments of Children
Child Behavior Checklist (CBCL)
Adult Assessments
Washington University Sentence Completion Test for Measuring Ego Development
(WUSCT)
Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression Scale (CESD)
Parenting Stress Index (Sense of Competence subscale and Life Stress
score)
Parenting Self-Efficacy subscale of Parenting Sense of Competence
Scale.
Mary Ann Fenske
Project Title:
Project CALM CARE (Caregiving Affects Long-term Mental Health: Creating
a Responsive Environment)
Grantee:
Mary Ann Fenske
Project Funding Years:
2000-2002
University Affiliation:
Wichita State University
Department of Communicative Disorders and Sciences
Project Abstract:
The purpose of this project is to support Early Head Start (EHS) administrators
and staff in meeting the mental health and communication needs of
maltreated infants/toddlers and their families. Project CALM CARE
(Caregiving Affects Long-term Mental Health: Creating a Responsive
Environment) aims to facilitate EHS administrators and staff in meeting
the needs of children and families by providing them with information
regarding: (1) caregiver tactile and vocal/verbal behaviors in response
to infant engagement/disengagement cues, (2) childrearing frameworks
of the families they serve, and (3) the framework of EHS organizational
culture and its influence on the services provided. Participants will
include EHS administrators and staff, as well as children and families
who have participated in EHS for at least 6 months. A qualitative
ethnographic approach will be utilized to gather data detailing the
variables involved with children, parents, families, and their effectiveness
of communication with EHS staff. Focus group interviews with five
EHS administrators and 10-12 EHS family educators will be conducted
to discuss agency philosophy, activities, objectives, and goals in
providing services to maltreated infants/toddlers and their families.
In addition, artifact reviews will be conducted, and observations
of 10 EHS children interacting with their caregivers will be videotaped,
transcribed, and coded using the Computerized Language Analysis Program
(CLAN), thus allowing the researcher to document types and frequencies
of infant cues and caregiver physical and verbal interactions. Relevant
domains and themes in the EHS and parent interviews will be identified
using Spradley's development research sequence, and an organizational
culture framework will be used to construct a description of EHS culture.
Sample:
n=5 EHS administrators
n=10-12 EHS family educators
n=10 EHS children and their families
Measures:
EHS Administrators and family educators
Focus Group Interviews
Caregiver-Child Interaction
Videotaped interactions coded using the Computerized Language Analysis
Program (CLAN)
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Paige Fisher
Project Title:
Early Math Interest and the Development of Math Skills: An Understudied
Relationship
Grantee:
Paige Fisher
Project Funding Years:
2000-2002
University Affiliation:
University of Massachusetts , Amherst
Department of Psychology
Project Abstract:
This study explores the relationship between preschool children's
math interest and their current and future mathematical ability. The
project takes place in the context of a larger math skills intervention
study that was designed in collaboration with Holyoke-Chicopee-Springfield
Head Start. Participants include approximately 120 3-5-year-old children
from eight Head Start classrooms. The study uses a cross sectional
and a longitudinal correlational design. Child assessments include
a quasi-naturalistic observation of math play, math interest self-reports,
the Test of Early Math Abilities (TEMA-2) and a portion of the Kaufman
Survey of Early Academics and Learning (KSEALS). The children were
assessed in early winter and again in the late spring. Teachers were
asked to complete two different math interest scales for each child
in early winter and late spring. Relationships between the following
variables are examined: (1) early math interest and concurrent math
skills, (2) early math interest and later math skills, (3) early math
ability and later math interest, and (4) gender and math interest.
In addition, the study investigates gender differences as a possible
moderating variable in the relationship between interest and math
ability.
Sample:
n=120 Head Start children (60 intervention group, 60 control group
within larger intervention study)
Measures:
Child Assessments
Test of Early Math Abilities (TEMA-2)
Portion of Kaufman Survey of Early Academics and Learning (KSEALS)
Quasi-Naturalistic Task to Assess Interest in Math Activities
Child Photo Self-Report Interest Scale
Young Children's Feelings about School (FAS)
Teacher Assessment of Child Interest
Relative Interest Survey
Level of Interest Survey
Marlo A. Perry
Project Title:
Go-to-Work, Go-to-School: The Impact of Recent Social policy Mandates
on Parent Involvement and School Readiness Outcomes for Urban Head
Start Children
Grantee:
Marlo A. Perry
Project Funding Years:
2000-2002
University Affiliation:
University of Pennsylvania
Graduate School of Education
Psychology in Education Division
Project Abstract:
This study examines the impact of parents' social support strategies
on their children's school readiness. The study involves three main
research objectives: (1) to determine if Head Start children from
single-female headed households demonstrate different levels of school
readiness as a function of mothers' level of compliance with state
welfare-to-work mandates, (2) to investigate the relative impact of
maternal involvement in early childhood education and of maternal
family and social networks on children's school readiness, and (3)
to determine if such maternal protective factors differentially impact
children's school readiness as a function of mothers' level of compliance
with welfare-to-work standards. Partnerships will be formed with Head
Start parents and teachers in order to identify areas of strength
and school readiness in children, as well as to identify effective
parent involvement and social networking strategies associated with
children's development of these capacities. Participants will be 300
children and their mothers drawn from at least 12 Head Start classrooms
including 150 children whose mothers work full-time in compliance
with welfare-to-work mandates, and 150 children whose mothers do not
working outside the home. Children will be divided into two groups
depending on mothers' compliance with welfare-to-work mandates. Teachers
will be asked to complete the Adjustment Scales for Preschool Intervention
(ASPI), Preschool Learning Behaviors Scale (PLBS), and the Child Observation
Record (COR). Parents will complete the Family Involvement Questionnaire
(FIQ), Family Support Scale (FSS), and a demographic questionnaire.
Statistical analyses will be used to determine differences in school
readiness as a function of maternal employment status, the status
of each explanatory variable as a protective factor, and the importance
of maternal employment status in explaining variance in children's
school readiness. Finally, focus groups will be conducted with Head
Start parents and staff to assess the relevancy of findings for the
Head Start program.
Sample:
n=150 children and their mothers who are working full-time
n=150 children and their mothers who are not working outside the home
Measures:
Mothers
Family Involvement Questionnaire (FIQ)
Family Support Scale
Demographic Questionnaire
Teachers
Adjustment Scales for Preschool Intervention (ASPI)
Preschool Learning Behaviors Scale (PLBS)
Child Observation Record (COR)
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Beth M. Phillips
Project Title:
Assessment and Intervention Strategies for Children Attending Head
Start with Problems of Impulsivity and Inhibitory Control
Grantee:
Beth M. Phillips
Project Funding Years:
2000-2002
University Affiliation:
Florida State University
Department of Psychology
Project Abstract:
This study is designed to investigate the predictive validity of a
multidimensional assessment strategy for identifying ADHD-related
behaviors among Head Start children. Other primary goals for this
project are to determine the correspondence between the assessments
in the preschool year and children's reading ability the following
year, and to determine the degree of agreement of parent and teacher
ratings of children's behavior with behavioral indices of inhibitory
control and impulsivity. This study will also evaluate the utilization
of intervention services by families of children in Head Start. Researchers
hypothesize that improvements in the assessment process will likely
lead to increased identification of children in need of early intervention
that may prevent or reduce poor long-term behavioral and academic
outcomes. Participants will include two cohorts of 100 three-, four-,
and five-year-old Head Start children and their parents and teachers.
During the first year of the project children will be administered
the Behavioral Battery of Inhibitory Control Tasks (ICTB) during several
individual sessions at the beginning of the Head Start school year
and again after a three-month interval. In addition, children will
be administered a battery of instruments to assess their intellectual
and print awareness skills. Parents and teachers will be asked to
complete three questionnaires measuring impulsivity and inhibitory
control. The second year of the project will focus on assessing the
adequacy of the year 1 behavioral measures in predicting behavior
and reading ability in kindergarten. Children who participated in
the project during the first year will be administered a series of
decoding tasks to assess their growth in reading ability. As well,
a new cohort of children will be assessed with all measures once during
the fall and followed throughout the school year to track their referral
for specialized intervention for behavior problems.
Sample:
n=200 three- to five-year-old Head Start children and their
parents and teachers
Measures:
Child
Behavioral Battery of Inhibitory Control Tasks (ICTB)
Peabody Picture Vocabulary Test (PPVT)
Preschool Print Awareness Test
Parents and Teachers
Conners Teacher Rating Scale (CTRS)
Emotionality, Activity, Sociability, and Impulsivity Temperament Survey
for Children
Internalized Control Scale (ICS)
Cathy Hauqing Qi
Project Title:
Identifying the Relationship between Language Delays and Behavior
Problems of Head Start Children
Grantee:
Cathy Hauqing Qi
Project Funding Years:
2000-2002
University Affiliation:
Vanderbilt University
Project Abstract:
Recent findings have suggested that children with language delays
frequently have concurrent behavior problems. This concurrence of
problems makes learning difficult, thus placing these children at
risk for school failure. To date only a few studies have used observational
methods to document the interrelationships between language delays
and externalizing and internalizing behavior problems in preschool
children. This study was designed to carry out systematic observational
data collection of target behaviors in two different preschool contexts
(structured and unstructured activities). Sixty 3-and 4-year-old children
enrolled at Head Start centers participated the study. They comprised
two groups: 30 children with language delays, and 30 children with
normal language. The MOOSES software system was used to capture observational
data in naturalistic settings. Complete descriptive statistics were
generated for all domains and subdomains of the Preschool Language
Scale (PLS-3), Peabody Picture Vocabulary Test-III (PPVT-III), Caregiver-Teacher
Report Form of CBC-TRF/2-5 (CBC-TRF/2-5), and Social Skills Rating
System. This study aimed to improve the process of assessing Head
Start children, and to validate teacher reports by supplementing them
with observational methods. Additionally, these results should also
provide a basis for diagnosis and intervention for children with language
delays and behavior problems in Head Start classrooms. The information
obtained from this study will allow Head Start teachers; early intervention
specialists and speech-language pathologists to develop coordinated
behavior and language interventions based upon the observed interdependence
between language and behavior problems across class contexts.
Sample:
n=60 three-and four-year-old children
Measures:
Preschool Language Scale-3
Peabody Picture Vocabulary Test-III
Caregiver-Teacher Report Form of CBC-TRF/2-5
Social Skills Rating System
Observation
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Lina L. Robinson
Project Title:
Caregivers' Internal Working Models: The Circle of Security Interview
Grantee:
Lina L. Robinson
Project Funding Years:
2000-2002
University Affiliation:
University of Virginia
Department of Psychiatric Medicine
Child-Parent Attachment Clinic
Project Abstract:
The purpose of this research project is to apply attachment research
to direct clinical practice by developing attachment-based procedures
that are efficient and practical in clinical settings. Researchers
and clinicians at the University of Virginia and Center for Attachment
and Clinical Intervention at the Marycliff Institute in Spokane Washington,
have developed the Circle of Security Interview (COSI), which utilizes
identified questions from the Adult Attachment Interview (AAI), the
Parent Development Interview (PDI), and the Strange Situation Interview
(SSI). The selected questions are considered to be the most critical
for assessing parent's internal working models (IWMs) of close relationships,
particularly with their children, and for designing treatment goals
and plans. The current research project will carry out the development
and initial validation of a standardized coding procedure for the
COSI. Intervention assessments will be conducted with child-parent
dyads involved in the "Attachment-Based Interventions in Head
Start Child-Parent Dyads" Head Start/University of Virginia and
the Head Start/Early Head Start of Spokane County, Washington. The
first year of the project is devoted to the development of a coding
system for the COSI based on videotaped sessions of the child-primary
caregiver dyad. During the second year of the project, clinical psychology
graduate students at the University of Virginia will be trained in
the COSI coding system and will be involved in formal data coding
of the COSIs. Data analyses will investigate the relationship between
parents' IWMs and their parenting behavior and the child's attachment
in order to better understand the contribution and affect of these
factors on children's behavioral, emotional, and academic development.
Sample:
n=69 child-primary caregiver dyads
Measures:
Child
Strange Situation
Caregiver
Strange Situation
Circle of Security Interview (COSI)
Carol Dieringer Stock
Project Title:
The Effects of a Responsive-Interactive Language Intervention with
Head Start Children
Grantee:
Carol Dieringer Stock
Project Funding Years:
2000-2002
University Affiliation:
University of Oregon
School Psychology Program
Project Abstract:
This two-phase study addresses the need for early interventions that
identify and provide services to children whose language delays put
them at risk for negative developmental outcomes. In particular, the
study examines ways to provide expanded opportunities and support
to caregivers in order to improve the quality and quantity of caregiver-child
verbal interactions. The following research questions will be examined:
(1) Is there a functional relationship between responsive-interactive
language strategies exhibited by caregivers and the language skills
of their preschool children? and (2) Do child language skills gained
through the home-based language intervention generalize to peer interactions?
In Year One, three caregiver-child dyads recruited from Head Start classrooms will participate in a home-based, responsive-interactive language intervention. Participating children must be between 48 and 55 months old and perform one standard deviation or more below the average in language skills on standardized measures of language development, but must not receive speech and language services. In addition, families must meet economic criteria for the Head Start program, and dyads must speak English or Spanish as their primary language. Home visitors will provide modeling, coaching, feedback, and language activities in order to support caregivers' verbal skills in contingent feedback, following the child's lead, and balanced turn-taking. A behavioral observation tool created by the principal investigator will be used to evaluate each child's verbal interactions and responses during caregiver-child and child-peer interactions, as well as each caregiver's verbal skills. The Picture Description Fluency Measure (PDF), an Individual Growth and Development Indicator of Language created by the University of Oregon, will be used to identify growth in children's vocabulary. The Systematic Analysis of Language Transcripts computer-based coding system (SALT) will be used to code caregivers' use of the above-mentioned skills and children's language behaviors during video-taped language samples of caregiver-child verbal interaction. The Expressive One-Word Picture Vocabulary Test (EOWPVT) will be used to identify progress in children's global language skill development. Visual analysis of trend and level will be used to identify a controlling effect for the intervention on caregiver and child verbal behavior. Identification and analysis of individual differences in response to the intervention among families will allow for adjustments in Year Two interventions that will ensure the most effective and culturally sensitive home visiting program for the promotion of language skills.
The responsive-interactive language intervention will be widely implemented in Year Two. Inclusion criteria will remain unchanged. Fifty Head Start families will be randomly assigned to intervention and control conditions. The PPVT-R will measure children's expressive and receptive language prior to and following the intervention for children in both groups. The Picture Description Fluency Measure (PDF), Picture Naming Fluency Measure (PNF), and Caregiver Verbal Interaction Code (CVIC) will be used at three points throughout the intervention to assess growth in children's vocabulary and the caregiver's use of targeted verbal strategies. The statistical procedure ANCOVA will be used to analyze all pre-and post-test Year Two data.
Sample:
n=3 Head Start caregiver-child dyads in Year 1
n=50 Head Start families in Year 2
Measures:
Year 1 Caregiver Assessments
Caregiver-Child Verbal Interaction Code
Systematic Analysis of Language Transcripts (SALT) computer-based
coding system
Caregiver Satisfaction Surveys
Year 1 Child Assessments
Caregiver-Child Verbal Interaction Code (CCVIC)
Peer Verbal Interaction Code (PVIC)
Picture Description Fluency Measure (PDF)
Expressive One-Word Picture Vocabulary Test (EOWPVT)
30 minute video taped language sample coded using the Systematic Analysis
of Language
Transcripts (SALT) computer-based coding system
Year 2 Caregiver Assessments
Caregiver Verbal Interaction Code (CVIC)
Caregiver Satisfaction Surveys
Year 2 Child Assessments
Peabody Picture Vocabulary Test-Revised (PPVT-R)
Picture Description Fluency Measure (PDF)
Picture Naming Measure (PNF)
Jennifer Tschantz
Project Title:
Including Children with Disabilities in Early Head Start: Four Case
Studies
Grantee:
Jennifer Tschantz
Project Funding Years:
2000-2002
University Affiliation:
University of Maryland
Department of Special Education
Project Abstract:
The focus of this project is to increase knowledge about policies
related to including young children with disabilities in Early Head
Start (EHS). Case studies will be conducted at four different EHS
centers in two states. The case studies will address the following
research questions: (1) How do different EHS communities address the
10% mandate and related requirements, as well as provisions in Part
C of IDEA? (2) How have the initial steps for including a child with
disabilities in EHS been organized for specific children? (3) What
local contextual factors impact services and collaborative efforts?
and (4) What are the perceived supports and resources available to
local communities to collaborate and implement these provisions and
services? Participants in this study will include professionals working
for or with selected EHS programs who have been involved with a child
with a disability and families who have children enrolled in both
Part C and EHS. Researchers will interview participants to obtain
information related to the process of including a child with disabilities
in EHS, assessment and eligibility, and development and implementation
of initial Individualized Family Service Plans (IFSP). Specific topics
to be explored include professionals' roles and responsibilities,
family role, decision-making, nature of relationships, interagency
agreements, service coordination, funding, and supports/resources.
Child outcomes will also be evaluated by describing two children with
disabilities at each EHS program.
Sample:
n=minimum of four EHS professionals and two children and their families
at each site