Children's Use of Explanations to Develop Critical-Thinking Skills in Jumpstart Classrooms

• In Event: 75.024 - The Jumpstart Intervention Program: Effects of Rich Early Learning Experiences on Learning Behaviors and Cognitive Skills

Abstract

In the proposed project (to take place in Fall of 2014), we aim to explore the impact of the Jumpstart intervention, not simply on children’s literacy development (the stated aim of the intervention; Harris & Berk, 2011; Harris, 2010), but also on the development of metalinguistic skills. Metalinguistic skills are the skills needed to think and discuss language. Sometimes referred to as critical thinking skills, metalinguistic skills are nurtured during the preschool years (Kuhn, 1999), and are related to positive academic outcomes. Critical thinking is also highlighted as an important skill in the Common Core Standards (2010), the Next Generation Science Standards (2013), and the Framework K-12 Science Education (NRC, 2012), yet to date, there is little knowledge of the critical thinking skills that are needed for kindergarten readiness.

We anticipate that children’s critical thinking skills are related to the quality of explanations they are exposed to. Explanations are often the mechanism by which children acquire information such as sophisticated vocabulary, new concepts, and underlying causes (e.g., Harris, 2012; Mills, 2013). As part of the Jumpstart intervention, Corps members are prompted to provide sophisticated explanations for target vocabulary words across multiple learning contexts (e.g. books, songs, games etc). We expect that such explanations may have an indirect effect on children’s own metalinguistic understanding.

One hundred twenty low-income preschoolers ages 3- to 5-years-old will participate. Half of these preschoolers will be from Jumpstart-serving classrooms; the remaining half of the children will serve as a comparison. Children will be assessed on their critical thinking abilities using two dependent measures: a classic item-analogy task (Goswami & Brown, 1990) and the comprehension subtest from the Wechsler Preschool and Primary Scale of Intelligence 4th Ed. (WPPSI-IV). To ensure that critical thinking differences are not because of lower-level vocabulary differences, we will also measure receptive and expressive vocabulary using subtests from the WPPSI-IV. Tests will be administered individually in the fall and again in the winter.

To address our question regarding the extent to which Jumpstart promotes critical thinking, we will run two sets of Analyses of Covariance. The first will be a 2 (Group: Jumpstart, Control) X 2 (Timepoint: Pretest, Posttest) ANCOVA on the average total analogies score, controlling for pretest vocabulary. The second will be a 2 (Group: Jumpstart, Control) X 2 (Timepoint: Pretest, Posttest) ANCOVA on the average total definitions score, controlling for pretest vocabulary.

We are hopeful that results from this study will provide evidence for the efficacy of the Jumpstart program to nurture the development of critical thinking skills prior to the onset of formal schooling. We anticipate that Jumpstart’s use of complex explanatory structures when defining new vocabulary may not only aid in vocabulary development but also aid in the development of explanatory structure and analogical reasoning (metalinguistic skills). Results from these queries are important in determining if a promising twice-weekly intervention has the capacity to positively influence low-income children’s critical thinking development, which is crucial for Kindergarten readiness and academic success.

Authors

• Kathleen H. Corriveau, Boston University

• Katelyn E. Kurkul, Merrimack College

• Pratima Patil, Boston University