Toddler Teacher Fidelity to a Vocabulary PD Intervention

• In Event: Understanding Early Childhood Teacher Professional Development Around Vocabulary Instruction: The Essential Role of Teacher Fidelity

Abstract

Rationale. Professional development can increase the quality of preschool classroom language and literacy instruction and accelerate children’s word learning (Marulis & Neuman, 2010). However, low teacher fidelity to intervention techniques has been observed, particularly for interaction-rich practices (e.g., Hammer, Lopez, & Blair, 2012). Although toddlers’ vocabulary learning is essential (Weisleder & Fernald, 2013), far fewer intervention models focus on toddler teachers, even as toddlers may be particularly challenging to talk with. We explored teacher fidelity to the in-development Head Start on Vocabulary (HSoV) intervention, built on an effective Head Start model (Authors, 2001, 2016, 2020), which aims to help Early Head Start (EHS) teachers emphasize vocabulary words during book reading through four practices: show picture cards, define words, ask open-ended prompts about the words, provide feedback on child responses. Interestingly, we found that many teachers also spontaneously used gestures (e.g., pointing, demonstrating) around vocabulary during reading and examined this phenomenon as well.
Research questions.
1. At mid-year (post-training), with what frequency do EHS teachers use HSoV vocabulary practices during book reading, and how does this compare to the frequency intended by the intervention?
2. What is the nature and extent of teachers’ use of gestures (pointing, demonstrating) when highlighting vocabulary during reading?
3. How do teacher vocabulary practices and gestures predict children’s year-end taught word and standardized vocabulary skills, accounting for initial skills and global instructional quality?
Method. The HSoV model helps teachers discuss new vocabulary throughout the classroom day. Over one academic year, eight EHS (2-to-3-year-old) teachers received 5 whole-group workshops on our four practices, word cards depicting and defining vocabulary, trade storybooks featuring the vocabulary, open-ended prompts and feedback for use with the reading, and individualized coaching every other week. At mid-year, teachers were videotaped reading a book with children, which we coded using (a) CLASS Instructional Support (global quality), (b) a project-aligned fidelity measure, and (c) an utterance-level analysis of teacher talk. Children’s vocabulary skills were assessed in fall and spring on the Expressive One-Word Vocabulary Test.

Preliminary Results. Half of teachers showed the picture cards before reading, but only one defined the words (although definitions were on the cards). During reading, teachers made an average of 50 book-related utterances (M=48.86, SD=12.40, range=32 to 67), comprised primarily of comments (45% of utterance) and closed questions (31%) that labeled/described book-related vocabulary; open-ended prompts were rare (2%) although prompts were provided. Overall, teachers reached 50% fidelity, below our goal of 85%. Beyond our target strategies, teachers spontaneously gestured, primarily pointing, with almost every (95%) book-related remark. Question 3 analyses are incomplete; we anticipate that talk (comments/questions) and gestures about vocabulary both predicted children’s expressive vocabulary gains.

Implications/Conclusions. Even after training, these EHS toddler teachers used largely concrete talk about vocabulary, even when more complex talk was provided, and frequently employed concrete gestures. Interventions like HSoV might increase fidelity by emphasizing how richer language strategies are consistent with more familiar, foundational practices, while also providing accessible models of high-fidelity implementation. HSoV might also consider explicitly including gestures as vocabulary-building strategies.

Author

• Annemarie H Hindman, Temple University
  Presenting Author