A Multilevel Factor Analytic Investigation of the Learning-to-Learn Scales: A More Child-Centered Look at Dimensionality

Autor/in	Brumley, Benjamin Pratt
Titel	A Multilevel Factor Analytic Investigation of the Learning-to-Learn Scales: A More Child-Centered Look at Dimensionality
Quelle	(2019), (146 Seiten) PDF als Volltext Verfügbarkeit Ph.D. Dissertation, University of Pennsylvania
Zusatzinformation	Weitere Informationen
Sprache	englisch
Dokumenttyp	gedruckt; online; Monographie
ISBN	978-1-0856-2593-7
Schlagwörter	Hochschulschrift; Dissertation; School Readiness; Learning Processes; Preschool Children; Measures (Individuals); Student Evaluation; Preschool Teachers; Low Income Students; Interrater Reliability; Test Validity; Factor Analysis; Hierarchical Linear Modeling + Suchen Sie Ihr Suchwort? Thesis; Dissertations; Academic thesis; Readiness for school; School ability; Schulreife; Learning process; Lernprozess; Pre-school age; Preschool age; Child; Children; Pre-school education; Preschool education; Vorschulalter; Kind; Kinder; Vorschulkind; Vorschulkinder; Vorschulerziehung; Vorschule; Messdaten; Schulnote; Studentische Bewertung; Erzieher; Erzieherin; Kindergärtnerin; Interrater-Reliabilität; Testvalidität; Faktorenanalyse
Abstract	Children from low-income households are at risk for entering school behind their more economically advantaged peers across major domains of school readiness. The Head Start program represents the federal government's response to these achievement gaps by mandating the use of scientifically based assessments and curricula to provide children with the necessary school readiness skills. Routine teacher-report assessment of children's school readiness using scientifically validated assessments is key to effectively guide early childhood education. Approaches to Learning is one of the five domains of school readiness targeted by Head Start. The Learning-to-Learn Scales (LTLS) is currently the only multidimensional, teacher-report assessment of Approaches to Learning that has been validated for use with Head Start students using traditional statistical methods used to identify the dimensions of the LTLS. These methods, however, do not address the multilevel nature of children nested within teacher assessors and therefore do not account for assessor variance that may compromise the validity of teacher-report child assessments. The present study applies the most advanced, multilevel factor analytic methods to examine how assessor variance impacts the validity of the LTLS dimensions. The results of this study revealed a substantial level of assessor variance was founded associated with every item of the LTLS. Accounting for assessor variance changed "both" the number of dimensions identified and the nature of the dimensions. Furthermore, the multilevel dimensions had greater capacity to explain variance in important external outcomes compared to dimensions identified by traditional factor analysis. The present study was the first to investigate assessor variance in teacher-report assessment of preschool-aged Head Start children. This research calls into question the validity of widely used preschool, teacher-report assessment based solely on traditional statistical methods. It, therefore, sounds an alarm to alert the early childhood education community to the need to examine assessor variance in its widely used, teacher-report assessments and where necessary use multilevel statistical methods to produce more scientifically valid assessments, especially if these assessments are used to inform decision making for young children from low-income households. [The dissertation citations contained here are published with the permission of ProQuest LLC. Further reproduction is prohibited without permission. Copies of dissertations may be obtained by Telephone (800) 1-800-521-0600. Web page: http://www.proquest.com/en-US/products/dissertations/individuals.shtml.] (As Provided).
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Erfasst von	ERIC (Education Resources Information Center), Washington, DC
Update	2024/1/01