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Abstract
Background
Currently there are few means in Scotland by which geographical and socioeconomic status (SES) inequalities in child development can be measured, nor the impact of early years policies and programmes on child development be assessed at regional or national level. Our aims were: to pilot an internationally validated tool, the Early Development Instrument (EDI), to assess global development in Scottish children at school entry; and to feed results back to communities allowing local stakeholders to reflect on the effectiveness of early years’ support services and programmes, and plan further interventions that address inequalities.
Methods
Phase 1 was piloted with 14 Primary 1 teachers assessing a cohort of 154 children in one education district, following which the instrument was adapted for the Scottish context (Scottish Early Development Instrument: SEDI). Phase 2 was then carried out using the SEDI, and analysing data from a larger sample of 1090 participants comprising all Primary 1 children within this school district, evaluated by 68 teachers. The mean scores in each of the five developmental domains were linked to SES based on postcode categories. Results for geographic areas were mapped using GIS mapping.
Findings
Results suggested that the SEDI displayed adequate psychometric and discriminatory properties and is appropriate for use across Scotland. Children in the lowest SES quintiles were 2-3 times more likely than children in the most affluent quintile to score low in at least one developmental domain. Even in the most affluent quintile though, 17% of children were ‘developmentally vulnerable’, suggesting that those in need cannot be identified by SES alone.
Discussion
The SEDI offers a feasible means of providing communities with a holistic overview of school readiness for targeting early years’ interventions. During the next phase local community groups will utilise SEDI findings for local decision-making around services and resources.
Proposed statements for debate:
(1) Should practitioners (from health, education, social services etc) be provided with assistance to interpret findings from scientific studies?
(2) Are there risks with providing this type of information about inequalities in child development to communities and local stakeholders?
Currently there are few means in Scotland by which geographical and socioeconomic status (SES) inequalities in child development can be measured, nor the impact of early years policies and programmes on child development be assessed at regional or national level. Our aims were: to pilot an internationally validated tool, the Early Development Instrument (EDI), to assess global development in Scottish children at school entry; and to feed results back to communities allowing local stakeholders to reflect on the effectiveness of early years’ support services and programmes, and plan further interventions that address inequalities.
Methods
Phase 1 was piloted with 14 Primary 1 teachers assessing a cohort of 154 children in one education district, following which the instrument was adapted for the Scottish context (Scottish Early Development Instrument: SEDI). Phase 2 was then carried out using the SEDI, and analysing data from a larger sample of 1090 participants comprising all Primary 1 children within this school district, evaluated by 68 teachers. The mean scores in each of the five developmental domains were linked to SES based on postcode categories. Results for geographic areas were mapped using GIS mapping.
Findings
Results suggested that the SEDI displayed adequate psychometric and discriminatory properties and is appropriate for use across Scotland. Children in the lowest SES quintiles were 2-3 times more likely than children in the most affluent quintile to score low in at least one developmental domain. Even in the most affluent quintile though, 17% of children were ‘developmentally vulnerable’, suggesting that those in need cannot be identified by SES alone.
Discussion
The SEDI offers a feasible means of providing communities with a holistic overview of school readiness for targeting early years’ interventions. During the next phase local community groups will utilise SEDI findings for local decision-making around services and resources.
Proposed statements for debate:
(1) Should practitioners (from health, education, social services etc) be provided with assistance to interpret findings from scientific studies?
(2) Are there risks with providing this type of information about inequalities in child development to communities and local stakeholders?
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Publication status | Published - 23 Apr 2013 |
| Event | Holland Fuse Conference: How to get practice into science - Holland, Netherlands Duration: 1 Apr 2013 → … |
Conference
| Conference | Holland Fuse Conference: How to get practice into science |
|---|---|
| Country/Territory | Netherlands |
| City | Holland |
| Period | 1/04/13 → … |
Keywords
- community action
- inequality
- early development
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Translating research into practice: a cross-sectional study using the Early Development Instrument to assess early years interventions in local level public health practice
Geddes, R., Woolfson, L. M., McNicol, S., Booth, J. N., Wray, S., Hardie, S., Doi, L. & Frank, J., 19 Nov 2014, In: The Lancet. 384, Supplement 2, 1 p.Research output: Contribution to journal › Conference abstract › peer-review
Open AccessFile125 Downloads (Pure) -
A cross-sectional pilot study of the Scottish early development instrument: a tool for addressing inequality
Woolfson, L., Geddes, R., McNicol, S., Booth, J. & Frank, J., 2013, In: BMC Public Health. 13, 10 p., 1187.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
Open AccessFile13 Citations (Scopus)82 Downloads (Pure)