10th Meeting of the OECD Network on ECEC: Focus on “Research” from Policy Lever 5 of
Starting Strong III
Miho Taguma, Ineke Litjens, Janice Heejin Kim, Kelly Makowiecki, Matias EgelandOECD ECEC Team
Directorate for Education, OECD
Research can be an influential tool to inform policy & practice.
It plays a key role in:
• Identifying the success or failure of programmes
• Prioritising important areas for investment
• Informing practices through evidence
• Explaining how children grow, ensuring healthy child development
Example. Policy Implications of Meta Analysis
Percent of 1 standard deviationNote: *only 1 study in this category.Source: Nores and Barnett (2010). .
Nutrition Cash Incentives
ECEC
Cognitive .26 .17 .35
Social .46* .21 .27
Schooling .11 --- .41
Health .38 .38 .23
Comparison of Effect Sizes
• To improve cognitive and schooling outcomes, ECEC have largest effects.
• To improve health outcomes, nutrition provision and cash benefits have larger effects than ECEC.
3 common challenges are being reported.
Challenge 1: Need for more evidence on the effects of ECEC and cost-benefit analysis
• More data on costs and financing, and policy/programme evaluations
• Balance between quantitative and qualitative research
Quantitative – consolidating facts, comparing the effectiveness of different programme types/ pedagogical strategies
• Descriptive statistics, correlational studies, experimental/ quasi-experimental research, cost-benefit analysis, etc.
Qualitative – informing practices with local values and democracy
• Case studies, ethnography, narratives, observations, interviews, etc.
Country responses
Setting out research frameworks with sustained funding to support long-term policy goals
• Launching a longitudinal study at the national/regional level
(See Table)
• Establishing a national/regional body dedicated to ECEC research
KOR, AUS, CAN (Manitoba)
• Contracting research to inform policy and practice
CAN (BC), ENG, FIN, IRL, KOR, NOR, POR,GRB
• The oldest longitudinal studies were launched in the United States.
• The first study measuring the impact of participation in preschool on child outcomes dates back to the High/Scope Perry Preschool Project, which started in 1962. The sample size of this study was small, with only 123 children.
• Other frequently cited studies include:
Starting year
Name of programme/ study Sample size
1970s Abecedarian Programme 107
1980s Chicago Child Parent Centres 1,539
1990s Cost, Quality, and Outcomes Study 826
NICHD Study of Early Child Care and Youth Development
1,364
2000s Head Start Impact Study 4,667
Early Childhood Longitudinal Studies - Birth cohort 14,000
Example. Longitudinal Studies
• Since 1990s, a growing number of other countries have launched longitudinal studies:
• Examples include:
1990s-
Country Name of programme/ study Sample size
ENG Effective Provision of Pre-School Education 3,000
CAN Canadian Longitudinal Survey of Children and Youth
6,685
DEN Danish Longitudinal Survey of Children 5,000
NZL Competent Children: Competent Learners 500
AUS Growing Up in Australia 1st cohort 5,000
SCO Growing up in Scotland 1st cohort8,000
IRL Growing up in Ireland infant 11,100
KOR Panel Study of Korean Children 2,078
NZL Growing Up In New Zealand 7,000
NLD Pre-COOL 2,000
NOR Behaviour Outlook Norwegian Development Study 1,159
SLN Effects of pre-school on child development and school achievement
430
DEU National Education Panel on Early Education and Schooling
3,000
POL School effectiveness predictors – Longitudinal study of Polish Children II
10,000
2000s-
2010s-
Challenge 2: Advancing in under-researched areas/ areas with growing policy interest
• Children’s spaces and environments
• Effective interventions for children with diverse backgrounds
• How to optimise ECEC effectiveness
• Effectiveness of universal vs. targeted interventions
Country responses
Expanding research agendas to include:
• Children under age 3
FIN, FR-BL, KOR, NOR
• Cultural aspects and socio-cultural analysis
FIN, DEN, KOR
• Children's spaces and learning environments
FIN, JAP, KOR, NOR
• Different pedagogical interventions
DEN
Challenge 3: Lack of dissemination
• Linking research and policy/ practice – generic challenge in education
• Technical language in research
• International dissemination
Country responses
• Providing financial or in-kind support for ECEC research
FIN
• Enhancing links between research and policy
CAN (Manitoba), FIN
• Enhancing links between research and practice
SLN, NOR
• Creating a regional/ international research network
• National - NOR
• Regional - DEN, NOR, SWE
• International – OECD, Pacific ECE Research Association (11) Diversity in ECE (8)