The utility and validity of the Toddler Home Learning Environment (THLE) scale as an assessment tool in early childhood education and care

Hall, James, Sylva, Kathy, Sammons, Pamela M, Smees, Rebecca, Evangelou, Maria, Smith, Teresa, Smith, George and Goff, Jenny (2020) The utility and validity of the Toddler Home Learning Environment (THLE) scale as an assessment tool in early childhood education and care. International Congress for School Effectiveness and Improvement: 33rd Annual Conference, , Marrakech, Morocco. 06 - 10 Jan 2020.

Abstract

Objectives: To describe the utility and validity of an assessment tool that measures the pedagogical activities that take place with toddlers in the home. This to improve our understanding of educational trajectories and to foster educational equity.

Perspective: Home Learning Environments (HLE) are well known to shape students’ educational trajectories, long-term outcomes, and facilitate educational equity. Further, we know that early HLEs are particularly important because they can have detectable effects on attainment through to late adolescence and because they can have effects on attainment that are above and beyond those associated with social disadvantage (e.g. Sammons et al., 2014). However, HLEs are less frequently assessed for children under 3 years of age.

Methods: The paper first outlines the evidence base regarding the long-term impacts of HLEs – with a focus on persistent effects from Home Learning Environments in the early years. The Toddler Home Learning Environment (THLE) scale is then described and research results are considered that demonstrate the ability of the THLE to consistently measure caregiver-toddler pedagogical activities at this age and to statistically predict HLEs in the preschool period.

Data Sources & Evidence: The data used in demonstrating the validity of the THLE scale comes from the longitudinal Evaluation of Children’s Centres in England (ECCE] project (see Sylva et al., 2015; Sammons et al., 2015). This study followed 2,608 families and children who were mean age 14 months at study onset. Follow-up that assessed HLE then took place at mean child age 38 months. The THLE was used at mean child age 14 months and the PHLE at 38 months. The THLE was developed by the ECCE researchers as an adaptation of a pre-exiting Preschool HLE measure that was developed by the Effective Provision of Preschool Education (EPPE) project (Sylva, Melhuish, Sammons, Siraj-Blatchford, & Taggart, 2010).

Conclusions: The THLE scale is a reliable and valid early years assessment tool that can statistically predict subsequent home learning environments during the preschool period – these having prior well-established links to improved long term educational outcomes and to effects on attainment above and beyond social disadvantage. As a result, the THLE has substantial potential to help inform the practices of early years’ practitioners, researchers, and policy makers by increasing our understanding of the early drivers of attainment. Educational Importance for Theory, Practice, and Policy: Robust evidence already exists that indicates long-term sizeable impacts of HLEs in the early years for subsequent educational progress and improved educational equity. However, this evidence based is concentrated upon home learning environments during the preschool period from age 3 onwards. We know less about HLEs for the under threes.

References:Sammons, P., Sylva, K., Melhuish, E., Siraj, I., Taggart, B., Smees, R., Toth, K., & Welcomme, W. (2014). Influences on students’ dispositions and well-being in Key Stage 4 at age 16. London, UK: Institute for Education/Department for EducationSammons, P., Hall, J., Smees, R., Goff, J., Sylva, K., Smith, T., Evangelou, M., Eisenstadt, N., & Smith, G. (2015). Evaluation of Children’s Centres in England (ECCE). Strand 4: The impact of Children’s Centres: Studying the effects of Children’s Centres in promoting better Outcomes for young children and their families. Research Report DFE-RR495. London, UK: Department for EducationSylva, K., Goff, J., Hall, J., Eisenstadt, N., Smith, T., Evangelou, M., Smith, G., & Sammons, P. (2015). Evaluation of Children’s Centres in England (ECCE). Strand 3: The organisation, services and reach of Children’s Centres in England. Research Report DFE-RR433. London, UK: Department for EducationSylva, K., Melhuish, E., Sammons, P., Siraj-Blatchford, I., & Taggart, B. (2010). Early childhood matters: Evidence from the Effective Pre-school and Primary Education project. Abingdon, UK: Routledge.

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Contributors

Author: James Hall

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