Small-Group, Emergent Literacy Intervention Under Two Implementation Models: Intent-to-Treat and Dosage Effects for...

Area of Science:

• Early Childhood Education
• Literacy Development
• Intervention Research

Background:

• Preschoolers at risk for reading difficulties benefit from emergent literacy interventions.
• Commercial interventions require evaluation under routine implementation conditions.
• The Nemours BrightStart! (NBS!) is a small-group literacy intervention.

Purpose of the Study:

• To examine the impact of the NBS! intervention on emergent literacy skills.
• To compare teacher-implemented vs. community aide-implemented NBS!.
• To assess NBS! effectiveness in authentic preschool settings.

Main Methods:

• 98 classrooms were randomly assigned to NBS! (teacher or aide) or control.
• 281 at-risk preschoolers received pretest/posttest emergent literacy assessments.
• Intent-to-treat and as-treated analyses were conducted.

Main Results:

• No significant impacts of NBS! were found on overall emergent literacy skills.
• An as-treated analysis revealed one significant effect on letter writing.
• Results did not replicate prior efficacy trial findings.

Conclusions:

• The NBS! intervention, as implemented, did not yield significant literacy gains.
• Findings suggest revising the NBS! theory of change and conducting further analyses.
• Research-based interventions require careful consideration for successful scale-up.