Does the Language-Based Professional Development Program ‘Talking with Children’ (TwC) Have Differential Effects on Children’s Language Skills?

Abstract

ABSTRACT Research Findings: The effects of professional development (PD) on children’s language outcomes are inconsistent, including for the German PD program Talking with Children (TwC). Differentiating the effects of PD programs can help to understand the conditions under which children benefit from language education provided by educators. For this purpose, the present study examined the differential effects of the PD program on children’s receptive and expressive language skills with respect to individual and contextual characteristics (DLL status and proportion, individual and average group baseline language scores, contact time between trained educators and target children). An experimental pre-post study was conducted in which educators (N = 50) were randomly assigned to one of two PD programs (TwC and an alternative program). After one year of training, children were supported by the trained educators (N = 230) for one year. Effects on language development were assessed using standardized tests. Multilevel analyses showed that the extent to which children benefited from educators’ participation in TwC did not depend on contextual and individual characteristics. Practice or Policy: Our study emphasizes the importance of high-quality PD programs that focus on the adaptive use of strategies to support the language development of all children.