Impact of Short-Term Coaching Intervention Focused on Serve and Return Interactions

• In Event: Responsive Relationships in the ECE Workforce: Improving Knowledge and Care for Young Children

Abstract

A university in partnership with a state agency governing early care and education
evaluated Filming Interactions to Nurture Development (FIND) to understand the effect of the intervention on caregiver-child interactions and overall classroom quality in early care and education settings. FIND is a university-developed video coaching program that identifies and strengthens positive interactions between caregivers and children. Partners co-created an adaption of FIND for early care and education settings that serve low-income infants and toddlers and participate in the state Quality Rating & Improvement System (QRIS). The program was implemented through a state network of coaches and supported by a filming and editing hub. FIND is a 10-session video coaching program for increasing the quality and quantity of developmentally supportive caregiver-child interactions through individualized, strengths-based feedback.
The evaluation study took place over the course of two years, culminating in the winter of 2018,
and included classroom observations and individual assessments that were conducted across the
state in both English and Spanish. The study population included both childcare centers and family homes participating in the state QRIS. Caregivers were considered “coaching” (n=98) or “control” (n=59) group based on their affiliation with the randomly assigned regions in which they were located.
Data were collected and analyses were conducted to determine the following:
1. Does FIND coaching increase language use in infant/toddler childcare settings?
2. Does FIND coaching increase the quantity of conversational turns in infant/toddler
childcare settings?
3. Does FIND coaching improve caregiver-child interactions with infants and toddlers in early care and education settings?
4. Does FIND coaching improve overall classroom quality in infant and toddler early care and education settings?
Research staff visited participating caregivers to collect data using the Language Environment
Analysis (LENA) device, the Classroom Assessment Scoring System (CLASS), the Parents Interacting with Children: Checklist of Observation Linked to Outcomes (PICCOLO), and the Serve and Return Observational Scale (SRS) at baseline and again after the intervention was completed. Two analyses were performed. First, t-tests compared the control group pretest scores to the coaching group posttest scores. Second, repeated-measures ANOVA studied the pretest to posttest change for all caregivers. Encouraging results were found:
Caregivers who received FIND coaching
• Used more language, as measured by quantity of words in the early learning environment
• Engaged in more conversational turns with infants and toddlers in their care
• Had children who made a larger number of vocalizations
• Were more responsive and encouraging to young children
• Demonstrated increased Instructional Support and Emotional Support
In this study we provide evidence of the effectiveness of a short-term coaching intervention for improving teacher-child interactions and program quality. This short and strengths-based coaching process could be used as an enhancement to existing coach models, specifically when focused on improving interactions and program quality for infants and toddlers.

Authors

• Juliet Taylor, University of Washington
  Presenting Author

• Gail Joseph, University of Washington
  Non-Presenting Author

• Robert Abbott, University of Washington
  Non-Presenting Author

• Janet Soderberg, University of Washington
  Non-Presenting Author

• Crista Scott, University of Washington
  Non-Presenting Author

• Roxanne Garzon, Washington Department of Children, Youth and Families
  Non-Presenting Author