Psychometric properties of parent- and staff-reported measures and observational measures of infant and toddler development in Early Head Start

Abstract

Using longitudinal data from the Early Head Start Family and Child Experiences Survey 2009 (Baby FACES 2009), this study examines the psychometric properties of infant and toddler measures of language and cognitive development and social-emotional competence collected from multiple sources, including parent and Early Head Start staff reports and direct assessments from trained assessors. We examined the validity and reliability of parent/staff ratings and observational measures derived from adult/child play-based interactions using independently administered standardized measures from direct assessments as the criteria or comparison measures. Participants included 846 children and families with low incomes enrolled in Early Head Start in spring 2009 who were followed from ages 1 to 3, drawn from a nationally representative sample of programs. The results suggest adequate internal consistency reliability for most of the measures. We found stronger rater effects for staff-reported measures compared with assessor effects for direct child assessment and observational measures. Moreover, the rater effects in the staff-reported measures varied by staff characteristics. There was some evidence of validity for the staff- and parent-reported measures at ages 2 and 3, but little evidence of validity for the age 1 measures. We discuss the implications of these findings for research on infants and toddlers from families with low incomes. It is important to consider the purpose of the assessments and their psychometric properties for the particular group of children with whom the assessments will be used when selecting assessment tools.