Implementation of a relationship-based school readiness intervention: A multidimensional approach to fidelity measurement for early childhood

Abstract

Knoche, Lisa L.; Sheridan, Susan M.; Edwards, Carolyn P.; and Osborn, Allison Q., "Implementation of a relationship-based school readiness intervention: A multidimensional approach to fidelity measurement for early childhood" (2010 Corresponding author -L. L. Knoche, email lknoche2@unl.edu AbstractThe implementation efforts of 65 early childhood professionals involved in the Getting Ready project, an integrated, multi-systemic intervention that promotes school readiness through parent engagement for children from birth to age five, were investigated. Digital videotaped records of professionals engaged in home visits with families across both treatment and comparison conditions were coded objectively using a partial-interval recording system to identify and record early childhood professionals' implementation of intervention strategies and their effectiveness in promoting parent engagement and interest in their child. Adherence, quality of intervention delivery, differentiation between groups, and participant responsiveness were assessed as multiple dimensions of fidelity. Early childhood professionals in the treatment group relative to the comparison group demonstrated greater frequency of adherence to some intervention strategies, as well as higher rates of total strategy use. In addition, significant positive relationships were found between years of experience, education and quality of intervention delivery. Quality of intervention delivery was different by program type (Early Head Start versus Head Start). Adherence in the treatment group was correlated with the rate of contact between parent and early childhood professional during the home visit.

Program and Teacher Characteristics Predicting the Implementation of Banking Time with Preschoolers Who Display Disruptive Behaviors

“…This dyadic intervention was designed to improve a teacher's relationship with a specific child and was implemented by early childhood education teachers with children displaying disruptive behavior. Research focused on implementation can advance our understanding of the mechanisms by which interventions impact outcomes and our knowledge of effective program replication and scalability (Domitrovich and Greenberg 2000;Knoche et al 2010). We found that the factors that predicted Banking Time implementation varied depending upon type of implementation.…”

“…Without information about implementation, it is impossible to understand the mechanisms by which interventions may impact outcomes, thereby preventing the advancement of knowledge for program replication and diffusion (Knoche et al 2010). Although some progress has been made in understanding program implementation, more work that focuses on how to monitor and measure implementation is needed.…”

Individual and Contextual Factors Associated with Pre-Kindergarten Teachers’ Responsiveness to the MyTeachingPartner Coaching Intervention

“…Understanding intervention responsiveness is important for maximizing resources and ultimately promoting desired outcomes (Irwin and Supplee 2012;Knoche et al 2010;Summerfelt 2003). This is especially true in the field of early childhood education where the enterprise of professional development is ever-growing, resulting in ample resources allocated to professional development interventions.…”

“…Understanding how participants vary in their intervention use and how that variation relates to program outcomes is crucial for advancing the use of such interventions across large numbers of teachers and settings, and for further refinement of treatments to obtain greater impact on desired outcomes (Irwin and Supplee 2012;Knoche et al 2010;Summerfelt 2003).…”

How prevention curricula are taught under real‐world conditions

“…Thus, evidence-based programs developed and evaluated in a research context are rarely, if ever, delivered in the same way they were originally designed and adaptations to program models are the norm rather than the exception (Breitenstein et al ., 2010a, b; Dariotis et al ., 2008; Dusenbury et al ., 2003, 2005; Gottfredson, 2001; Greenberg et al , 2001; Ozer et al ., 2010; Ringwalt et al ., 2004a; Rohrbach et al ., 2010). Teachers often delete and/or change materials due to the time constraints (Hill et al ., 2007) with some reviews claiming adaptations occur to more than 50 percent of program content (Knoche et al ., 2010; Odom et al ., 2010). Durlak (1998) estimated that as much as 80 percent of program activities may be omitted during implementation.…”