Contents
Foreword Debi Mathias v
Acknowledgments ix
1. Introduction 1
Purpose of the Guide 2
Early Childhood Learning Environments:
A Conceptual Framework 2
Views of How Children
Learn and Develop 4
Theory of Change 6
Assessing Quality 9
2. ECERS-3 Background 11
Early Work in Assessing Learning Environments 11
ECERS Revisions Process 13
Administration 16
Overview of the Subscales 16
Comparability 18
Validity and Reliability of Previous Versions 22
3. Summarizing ECERS-3 Data Descriptively 24
Sample 24
Statistical Methods 24
Describing Items 27
Describing Subscales 32
Other Summary Scores 36
4. Describing Statistical Relationships 40
Differences Between Groups or Conditions 40
Summary 44
5. Examining Predictors of Quality: Structural Equations Modeling 45
Head Start 45
Methods 46
Associations Among Quality and Three Features of Classrooms 47
Applications and Implications 50
6. Examining Predictors of Quality: Hierarchical Linear Models 52
Model 1: Unconditional Model 52
Model 2: Random-Intercept
Model 53
Sensitivity Analysis Using LASSO 56
7. Examining Groups With Shared Characteristics 61
8. Special Issues 64
Use in Quality Rating and Improvement Systems and Other High-Stakes Applications 64
Race, Ethnicity, and Equity 67
Serving Children With Disabilities 68
National Norms 69
International Uses 71
Safe and Healthy Environments 72
9. Future Work 73
Exploring Alternative Structures in the ECERS-3 73
Ensuring Adequate Consideration of Equity and Diversity in Early Childhood Environments 74
Focusing on Specific Features of Programming: Extensions of the ECERS-3 75
Expanding International Use 76
Measuring Associations With Children’s Outcomes 76
10. Conclusions 77
Appendix: Supplementary Analyses 81
Blinder-Oaxaca Decomposition 81
Item Response Theory: Rasch Model Without Covariates 83
Differential Item Functioning 85
Bibliography 89
Index 107
About the Authors 117
