The psychometric quality of the Preschool Child Observation Record: Does it pass the test for use in Head Start?

Format:

Book

Thesis/Dissertation

Author/Creator:

Barghaus, Katherine M.

Contributor:

University of Pennsylvania. Education.

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Psychometrics.

Early childhood education.

Educational tests and measurements.

Education, Tests and Measurements.

Education, Early Childhood.

Psychology, Psychometrics.

0288.

0518.

0632.

Local Subjects:

Education, Tests and Measurements.

Education, Early Childhood.

Psychology, Psychometrics.

0288.

0518.

0632.

Physical Description:

162 pages

Contained In:

Dissertation Abstracts International 74-02A(E).

System Details:

Mode of access: World Wide Web.

text file

Summary:

At school entry, children from economically disadvantaged households significantly lag behind children from families with higher socioeconomic status in various areas of learning and development (Karoly, Kilburn, & Cannon, 2005). Longitudinal studies have found that these disparities in school readiness are not only enduring, but that they may also expand over time (Karoly et al., 2005). The National Head Start program is central to the federal government's response to the impact of poverty on school readiness. Key to the effectiveness of this response is the use of high-quality assessments to guide early childhood education. The purpose of this study was to investigate the psychometric quality of the second-most widely-used assessment in Head Start—the Preschool Child Observation Record (COR-2). Despite its widespread use, there are no published studies on the psychometric quality of the COR-2.

This research conducted a comprehensive investigation into the validity of the COR-2 using data from all children in an urban Mid-Atlantic school district's Head Start program. Confirmatory factor analysis did not confirm the fit of the developer-defined six categories to the data. Although exploratory analyses revealed a four-factor solution, subsequent analyses did not support its internal structure. The four factors were highly correlated and when transformed to an orthogonalized higher-order model these factors accounted for little variance compared to the second-order factor. In addition, IRT modeling was used to determine whether there was empirical support for the 5-point response scale of each item representing an appropriately sequenced and comparably-spaced set of skill points. Results revealed that nearly half of the COR-2 items had reversed or poorly-spaced thresholds indicating problems with these items' functioning. Validity evidence based on the content and response process derived from printed materials and interviews identified where the COR-2 is in its development and point to opportunities for future research.

Notes:

Source: Dissertation Abstracts International, Volume: 74-02(E), Section: A.

Adviser: John W. Fantuzzo.

Thesis (Ph.D.)--University of Pennsylvania, 2012.

Local Notes:

School code: 0175.

ISBN:

9781267712455

Access Restriction:

Restricted for use by site license.