Supporting inference-making during COVID-19 through individualized scaffolding and feedback: a natural experiment

Area of Science:

• Early Childhood Education
• Developmental Psychology
• Educational Intervention

Background:

• The COVID-19 pandemic significantly impacted educational delivery and student learning.
• Assessing the effectiveness of educational programs during disruptive periods is crucial.
• Early language comprehension is foundational for academic success.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the Early Language Comprehension Individualized Instruction (ELCII) program's effectiveness.
• To examine kindergarteners' inference-making skill development during the COVID-19 pandemic.
• To compare learning trajectories of students during and before the pandemic.

Main Methods:

• Comparative analysis of two student cohorts (pre-pandemic and during-pandemic).
• Implementation of the Early Language Comprehension Individualized Instruction (ELCII) program.
• Assessment of inference-making growth rates with consideration for program scaffolding and feedback.

Main Results:

• Kindergarteners in the COVID-19 cohort exhibited slower initial growth in inference-making compared to the pre-pandemic cohort.
• When adjusted for individualized scaffolding and feedback, the growth rates between the two cohorts were comparable.
• The ELCII program's specific components appeared to mitigate pandemic-related learning disparities.

Conclusions:

• Individualized scaffolding and feedback are critical components of the ELCII program.
• These program elements were effective in supporting kindergarteners' inference-making during the COVID-19 pandemic.
• The ELCII program demonstrates resilience and adaptability in supporting early language development under challenging circumstances.