Small-Group, Emergent Literacy Intervention Under Two Implementation Models: Intent-to-Treat and Dosage Effects for Preschoolers at Risk for Reading Difficulties

Abstract

Preschool-aged children identified as at risk for later reading difficulties can benefit from supplemental, small-group emergent literacy intervention. As such interventions become commercially available and marketed to preschool programs, it is important to understand their impacts when implemented by intended end users under routine conditions. In this study, we examined the effects of the Nemours BrightStart! (NBS!) intervention on children’s emergent literacy skills, when implemented by teachers and community aides in authentic preschool classrooms. We randomly assigned 98 classrooms to one of three conditions (NBS! teacher-implemented, NBS! community aide-implemented, or control). Children enrolled in these classrooms who met eligibility criteria and were identified as at risk via an early literacy screener ( n = 281) completed pretest and posttest emergent literacy assessments; those assigned to NBS! conditions received intervention from their classroom teacher or a community aide affiliated with a local kindergarten-readiness initiative. Intent-to-treat analyses showed no significant impacts of NBS! on any outcome, and an instrumental variable, as-treated approach showed one significant intervention effect on letter writing. Consequently, we did not replicate results of prior, highly controlled efficacy trials. Findings have implications for revising the NBS! theory of change, conducting dosage and as-treated analyses, and moving research-based interventions toward scale-up.

Small-Group Emergent Literacy Intervention Dosage in Preschool: Patterns and Predictors

“…intervention is a small-group, supplemental intervention that includes instruction on both code-focused and meaning-focused emergent literacy skills. Detailed information about the 20 intervention lessons, including the instructional routine and activities, is provided in the Supplemental Material; additional information can be found on the publisher's site (www.kaplanco.com/product/19721/nemours-reading-brightstartthe-complete-program-for-early-literacy-success-level-one?c=25%7CCU1045) and in Bailet et al (2009Bailet et al ( , 2013, Piasta et al (2022), andZettler-Greeley et al (2018).…”

“…We used lesson videos and logs to document implementation fidelity, including dosage, for purposes of the randomized controlled trial. Additional details regarding fidelity measures and findings are presented in the work by Piasta et al (2021Piasta et al ( , 2022. In brief, teachers and community aides averaged 77% adherence (SD = 0.13) on a checklist measuring implementation of key lesson components, 2.13 out of 3 (SD = 0.33) on a quality of delivery scale in which 3 represented expert implementation, and 2.47 out of 3 (SD = 0.33) on a participant responsiveness/child engagement scale in which 3 indicated that all children were responding throughout the lesson.…”

“…intervention. Full details of the randomized controlled trial and its results are reported in Piasta et al (2022). The trial involved randomly assigning classrooms (and eligible children enrolled in these classrooms) to one of two intervention conditions, which differed in terms of who served as the intervention instructor, or to a control condition.…”

“…and similar interventions, additional research has investigated its implementation and impacts when used under more routine conditions. Most recently, Piasta et al (2022) assessed the impact of NBS! when delivered by classroom teachers or community aides (i.e., adult volunteers from a kindergarten readiness initiative who partnered with local early childhood centers for a variety of purposes, including providing NBS!…”

Promoting Meaning‐Focused Skills: Creating a Foundation for Comprehension in Early Childhood Classrooms

“…To learn about the types of instruction happening in early childhood classrooms, we utilized existing data from 55 preschool teachers in one midwestern state who were participating in a larger research project (see Piasta et al, 2022 for more information about the larger project and participants). Teachers completed a survey about their instructional foci and how of ten they teach particular skills on a scale of never = 0 to daily = 4.…”