2014 a early childhood development ecd scales ghazalafinal

(1)

Early Childhood

Development (ECD)

Scales: Overview &

Lessons Learned

Dr. Ghazala Rafique

Aga Khan University

Pakistan

Regional Consultative Meetings on SEAMEO Basic Education Standards

(SEA-BES) & SouthEast Asia Primary Learning Metrics

(SEA-PLM)

(2)

Early Learning and Development

Standards (ELDS)

• _{Early Learning and Development}

standards (ELDS) have been developed

by a number of countries in East Asia

and Pacific with the support of UNICEF

• _{Standards developed for all domains of}

child development (as defined by the

countries)

• _{They include competences that children}

(3)

ELDS Domains

• _{Physical development and well-being}

• _{Socio-emotional competencies}

• _{Intellectual development}

• _{Creative and aesthetic}

(4)

Cultural, Contextual Early Learning

and Development Assessment

• _{Culturally and contextually appropriate}

assessment of ECD is important to:

– _{Monitor child development in the context of}

school readiness and learning outcomes

– _{Track the development of vulnerable and}

at-risk children

– _{Improve teaching- learning process and}

materials

– _{Analyze the impact of early childhood}

(5)

Genesis of East Asia-Pacific Early

Child Development Scale

(EAP-ECDS)

• _{Many countries in East Asia Pacific supported}

that the assessment of children should

encompass all dimensions of children’s learning and development

• _{No globally accepted ECD assessment tools}

existed that could inform about what children understand, know and can do

• _{Developing a culturally and conceptually}

(6)

Initiation of East Asia-Pacific Early

Child Development Scales

(EAP-ECDS)

• _{Asia-Pacific Regional Network for Early}

Childhood (ARNEC) initiated the development EAP-ECD scale to equip East Asian and Pacific countries with a common measurement tool that can assess the holistic developmental

progress of children ranging in age from 3 to 5 years.

• _{Multi-country initiative managed by ARNEC}

with support from UNICEF EAPRO and the

(7)

Phase I: Development of the Scale

• _{Selection of items to be used in a tool}

to assess early child development in

the EAP region

–

_{These items were based on a}

(8)

Source: HKU Research Team EAP-ECDS

Dissemination

(9)

Established an

Indicator Database 1738 indicators for children _{aged 3, 4, and 5 from seven}

countries’ ELDSs

Developed categories +

sub-categories 7 categories

Determined # of indicators

in each category Based on the proportion of the total # of indicators in each category

Development of the

Items

Converted indicators

to items Form a 100-item measure

Selected indicators in each category

To construct a 100-item regionally-sensitive

measure

_{Focus on rationale and process}

Dissemination

(10)

Phase II: Revision and Refinement

of the Scale (Pilot Studies)

• _{Pilot testing of selected items in}

children aged 3-5 from three

countries (Fiji, Mongolia, and China)

• _{Scale modification based on the}

results

• _{Development of a final revised}

(11)

Pilot study

Field Consultancy Support

Dissemination

(12)

Evaluating Effectiveness of the

Scale

• _Reliability

– _{Cronbach’s alpha: > .70}

• _Validity

– _{Content validity: expert review}

– _{Age Validity: older children scoring significantly}

higher than younger children

• _{Age Appropriateness}

– _{Cross-cultural differences} – _{Item discrimination}

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The Revised Scale after Phase II

1. Approaches to Learning

2. Cognitive Development 21 items21 items

3. Cultural Knowledge and Participation 10 items 10 items

4. Language and Emergent Literacy 16 items 16 items

5. Motor Development

6. Health, Hygiene and Safety

7. Socio-Emotional Development

9 items 9 items

15 items15 items

Total 85 items85 items

7 items7 items

Dissemination

(14)

Phase III: Final Validation of the

Scale

• _{Construct norms across the region on}

representative samples from each

country

• _{Assess psychometric properties such as}

test-retest reliability

• _{Comparisons across different domains}

and groups (age, gender, urban/rural)

• _{Correlations between parent ratings and}

(15)

EAP-ECDS - Way Forward

• _{Data Analysis with the provided dataset to}

address country-specific research questions

• _{Fine-tuning ELDS} • _{Curriculum revision}

• _{Mainstreaming EAP ECDS for National Research}

Initiatives and M&E mechanism

• _{Feed into ECCD policy framework development} • _{Improve coordination among existing systems –}