ABSTRACT

Research Findings: Community-based playgroups in low-and-middle-income countries increase access to early learning at lower cost than centers. However, evidence of effectiveness is limited. The effects of one, two, or three playgroup sessions per week on children’s performance on the Early Learning Outcome Measure (ELOM) (n = 112; baseline M = 55.32 months) were investigated using a quasi-experimental design. Data on children’s home learning environments was obtained from primary caregivers, and program staff provided information on playgroup characteristics. Multilevel modeling demonstrated significant differences between programs in ELOM score improvement over eight months participation (F = 6.48; p = .01); Fisher LSD Post Hoc pairwise comparisons indicated that three session playgroups produced significantly greater gains than two and one session models (p < .01). ELOM Total scores at baseline, and the quality of children’s interactions with adults and peers, predicted growth in ELOM Total scores by endline. Baseline age, height-for-age, child-practitioner ratio, and caregiver time for activities with their children, predicted growth in certain ELOM domains at endline. Practice or Policy: Until provision of quality center-based provision is realized, our findings indicate that well-designed community-based playgroups of sufficient dose, have the potential to improve learning outcomes and school readiness in children from poor households.

摘要

研究结果：低收入和中等收入国家以社区为基础的游戏小组以低于中心的成本增加了早期学习的机会。然而，有效性的证据是有限的。使用准实验设计调查了每周一次、两次或三次游戏小组会议对儿童在早期学习结果测量 (ELOM) 中表现的影响（n = 112；基线M = 55.32 个月）。有关儿童家庭学习环境的数据是从主要看护者那里获得的，项目工作人员提供了有关游戏小组特征的信息。多层次建模表明，参与 8 个月后 ELOM 分数提高的项目之间存在显着差异（F = 6.48；p= .01); Fisher LSD 事后成对比较表明，三个阶段的游戏组比两个阶段和一个阶段的模型产生了显着更大的收益 ( p < .01)。ELOM 基线总分以及儿童与成人和同龄人互动的质量预测了 ELOM 基线总分的增长。基线年龄、年龄别身高、儿童与从业者的比例以及看护者与孩子一起活动的时间，预测了某些 ELOM 领域在终点的增长。实践或政策：在实现以中心为基础的优质服务之前，我们的研究结果表明，设计良好、足够剂量的以社区为基础的游戏组有可能改善贫困家庭儿童的学习成果和入学准备。