2014 a early childhood development ecd scales ghazalafinal
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 (SEAPLM)
4 - 5 November 2014
Penang, Malaysia
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
are expected to acquire in each domain
ELDS Domains
•
•
•
•
•
Physical development and well-being
Socio-emotional competencies
Intellectual development
Creative and aesthetic
Cultural and spiritual development
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 atrisk children
– Improve teaching- learning process and
materials
– Analyze the impact of early childhood
policies and programs on children
Genesis of East Asia-Pacific Early
Child Development Scale (EAPECDS)
• 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
appropriate assessment tool to validate that
learning and development goals, as defined in
each country’s ELDS/Curricula, are achieved
Initiation of East Asia-Pacific Early
Child Development Scales (EAPECDS)
• 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
Open Society Foundation and implemented by
the University of Hong Kong (HKU)
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
comprehensive desk review of the Early
Learning and Development Standards
from 7 countries in the Region
Source: HKU
Research Team
EAP-ECDS
Development of the
Items
Converted indicators
Form a 100-item measure
to items
Selected indicators To construct a 100-item
in each category regionally-sensitive
measure
Determined # of indicators
Based on the proportion of
in each category
the total # of indicators in
each category
Developed categories +
sub-categories
Established an
Indicator Database
Focus on
7 categories
1738 indicators for children
aged 3, 4, and 5 from seven
countries’and
ELDSs
rationale
process
Source: HKU
Research Team
EAP-ECDS
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
version of EAP-ECDS
Pilot study
Mongolia
Fiji
China
Modification
Sent draft toTranslation Field trials
countries & checking
Field Consultancy Support
Source: HKU
Research Team
EAP-ECDS
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
– Item facility
The Revised Scale after Phase II
1. Approaches to Learning
7 items
2. Cognitive Development
21 items
3. Cultural Knowledge and Participation 10 items
4. Language and Emergent Literacy
16 items
5. Motor Development
7 items
6. Health, Hygiene and Safety
9 items
7. Socio-Emotional Development
15 items
Total
Source: HKU
85 items Research Team
EAP-ECDS
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
EAP-ECDS domains and total scores
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 –
ELDS, curriculum, teacher training, etc.
Challenges for Developing new
Scales
• Defining and implementing learning and
development goals require systematic
efforts and country commitment (from
national, sub-national levels to schools
and teachers)
• Another challenge in developing a scale
for multiple countries is the issue of item
bias and it is crucial to ensure that items
are fair to children with different cultural
background
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 (SEAPLM)
4 - 5 November 2014
Penang, Malaysia
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
are expected to acquire in each domain
ELDS Domains
•
•
•
•
•
Physical development and well-being
Socio-emotional competencies
Intellectual development
Creative and aesthetic
Cultural and spiritual development
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 atrisk children
– Improve teaching- learning process and
materials
– Analyze the impact of early childhood
policies and programs on children
Genesis of East Asia-Pacific Early
Child Development Scale (EAPECDS)
• 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
appropriate assessment tool to validate that
learning and development goals, as defined in
each country’s ELDS/Curricula, are achieved
Initiation of East Asia-Pacific Early
Child Development Scales (EAPECDS)
• 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
Open Society Foundation and implemented by
the University of Hong Kong (HKU)
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
comprehensive desk review of the Early
Learning and Development Standards
from 7 countries in the Region
Source: HKU
Research Team
EAP-ECDS
Development of the
Items
Converted indicators
Form a 100-item measure
to items
Selected indicators To construct a 100-item
in each category regionally-sensitive
measure
Determined # of indicators
Based on the proportion of
in each category
the total # of indicators in
each category
Developed categories +
sub-categories
Established an
Indicator Database
Focus on
7 categories
1738 indicators for children
aged 3, 4, and 5 from seven
countries’and
ELDSs
rationale
process
Source: HKU
Research Team
EAP-ECDS
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
version of EAP-ECDS
Pilot study
Mongolia
Fiji
China
Modification
Sent draft toTranslation Field trials
countries & checking
Field Consultancy Support
Source: HKU
Research Team
EAP-ECDS
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
– Item facility
The Revised Scale after Phase II
1. Approaches to Learning
7 items
2. Cognitive Development
21 items
3. Cultural Knowledge and Participation 10 items
4. Language and Emergent Literacy
16 items
5. Motor Development
7 items
6. Health, Hygiene and Safety
9 items
7. Socio-Emotional Development
15 items
Total
Source: HKU
85 items Research Team
EAP-ECDS
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
EAP-ECDS domains and total scores
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 –
ELDS, curriculum, teacher training, etc.
Challenges for Developing new
Scales
• Defining and implementing learning and
development goals require systematic
efforts and country commitment (from
national, sub-national levels to schools
and teachers)
• Another challenge in developing a scale
for multiple countries is the issue of item
bias and it is crucial to ensure that items
are fair to children with different cultural
background