Process vs Structural Yardsticks

10/16/2008

Process vs Structural Yardsticks

Character consists of what you do on the third and fourth tries.
James A. Michener

Early Developments (Summer 2008), reported on a wide range of findings coming out of the National Center for Early Development and Learning Multi-State Study of Pre-Kindergarten (NCEDL). One analysis of the findings focused on the usefulness of process versus structural measures in evaluating quality. Here is what was found...

"Using data from the NCEDL study, researchers compared the benefits of policies that defined the quality of pre-kindergarten programs by either structural or process features.... Structural features included characteristics such as class size, teacher:child ratios, and levels of teacher education. Process features were defined as 'observable social and instructional interactions that children experience directly with teachers in the classroom.'

"They found that none of the recommended minimum standards of structural quality were directly related to children's development of receptive language (words they understood), expressive language (words they were able to use), rhyming, problem solving, letter naming, or behavior. Yet each dimension of process quality examined was associated with at least one area of development. Children learned best when teachers' interactions promoted conceptual development and offered feedback on children's learning. Children showed considerably larger gains in language and social development when they experienced higher quality instruction or more responsive and sensitive interactions with the teacher.

"These findings suggest that state-funded pre-kindergarten programs and policies should not rely on structural features alone to promote development. High quality interactions between teachers and children are the active ingredient through which pre-K programs foster the academic, language, and social competencies of children. In fact, the evidence suggests that when state policy only focuses on structural features, pre-kindergarten programs may fall short of their potential for facilitating children's development."

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