Bracken Basic Concept Scale Research Articles

Is Temperament Associated with Academic School Readiness in Children Born Very Preterm?

ABSTRACT Research Findings: Temperament, which can be assessed as early as 3 months, is associated with school readiness and later academic achievement in children born full term. Although children born preterm demonstrate a dysregulated temperament and are at significant risk for lower school readiness, we found no studies investigating whether early temperament is associated with school readiness in this at-risk population. Investigating whether temperament is a precursor of academic risk in preterm children can facilitate early identification and possible intervention efforts. We explored the association of negative affect, surgency, and regulation/effortful control temperament ratings collected at 3-months and 3-years corrected ages with school readiness at 3-years corrected age in children born very preterm. Participants included 297 children born very preterm (53.9% male). After controlling for key covariates, Positive Affectivity/Surgency ratings at 3-months were significantly associated with the Bracken Basic Concept Scale – School Readiness composite score, and Effortful Control ratings at 3-years were associated with Adaptive Behavior Assessment System, Third Edition (ABAS-3) Functional Pre-Academics ratings. Practice or Policy: These findings may enhance the ability to identify premature children at risk for difficulties at school entry early.

Does tiger parenting work in contemporary China? Exploring the relationships between parenting profiles and preschoolers’ school readiness in a Chinese context

ABSTRACTThis study explored the relationships between parenting profiles and young children’s school readiness in urban China. Eighty-six pairs of Chinese parents completed the Chinese Parenting Style Questionnaire (CPSQ), and their children were administered the Bracken School Readiness Composite (BSRC; Bracken, B. A. (1998). Bracken basic concept scale: Revised. San Antonio, TX: Psychological Corporation.) and Preschool and Primary Chinese Literacy Scale (PPCLS; Li, H. (1999). Development and validation of the Preschool and Primary Chinese Literacy Scale. Psychological Development and Education, 15, 18–24.). A set of statistical analyses was conducted to explore the relationship between the three types of parenting profiles (supportive, tiger and easygoing) and children’s scores in BSRC and PPCLS, and four typical couples were invited to attend semi structured interviews. The results indicated that: (1) Inter-parental consistency in supportive parenting were associated with better children’s school readiness, but not for consistency in easygoing or tiger parenting; (2) Tiger mothers were not associated with better outcomes in either boys or girls; (3) Significant interaction effect was found between child gender and parenting profile. The findings have implications for the theoretical development of parental education and related programmes. Understanding the differentiated parenting styles and practices with boys and girls will help parents and educators to improve their educational practices.

A longitudinal study of early math skills, reading comprehension and mathematical problem solving

Mathematical problem solving is regarded as the one of the important cognitive activities. Children are introduced with mathematical word problems that require reading and understanding in the first grade. Students have trouble with word problems in every level of education. For this reason, it is important to find the reasons for this issue in the first year of primary school. The purpose of this study is to find the relationship between mathematical problem solving with early math skills and reading comprehension. Specifically, the aim of this study is to determine which of these variables are most powerful in predicting mathematical problem solving performance. The panel research method as a type of longitudinal study was used in this study. The sample of this study consists of 185 first grades (66'84 month) students from a public elementary school in Istanbul. The measurement instruments are Bracken Basic Concept Scale: Expressive, reading comprehension questions and mathematics problem-solving questions. The final model implies that early math skills have direct effects on reading comprehension (β=.34) and mathematical problem solving (β=.45). Reading comprehension has a direct effect on mathematical problem solving (β=.27). However, this effect is smaller than the effect of early math skills.

The Effects of Dora the Explorer on Preschool Children's Spatial Concept Acquisition and Spatial Ability

The purpose of this research is to investigate the effects of Dora the Explorer cartoon on the spatial concept acquisitions and spatial abilities of the preschool children. The study was carried out with 80, 60-71 month old children attending preschools. Post-test only control group model is used in the research in order to identify the existing phenomena in a controlled manner. “The Bracken Basic Concept Scale, Third Edition: Receptive (BBCSIII:R) Form Direction/Position Subscale” and two different “Spatial Ability Games” were used to assess children’s spatial concept acquisitions and spatial abilities. Independent sample t-test was used in order to compare the average of post-test scores of the children in the experimental and control groups. According to the findings, it is found that there is meaningful difference between scores of post-tests of direction/position subscale and spatial ability games score. Comparing the scores of post-test of direction/position subscale and spatial ability games of experimental and control groups, it was found that there was a meaningful differentiation in favor of experimental group.

DOES PRESCHOOL EDUCATION HELP IMMIGRANT CHILDREN REACH THEIR NATIVE PEERS’ ACADEMIC LEVELS?: A CASE OF TURKISH IMMIGRANT CHILDREN IN SWEDEN

The disadvantages associated with immigration put the children of immigrant families at risk for academic failure. This study investigates the efficacy of educational support provided by the Swedish preschool system to the children of the Turkish families who migrated to Sweden. In this study non-equivalent control group design was used. The sample of the study consists of a total of 45; 5 years old preschool children, 23 Swedish children and 22 Turkish children receiving native language support. During the research both groups continued attending regular public preschool program. Bracken Basic Concept Scale – Revised Form was used as a data collection tool. The results demonstrated that the Swedish preschool education programme was effective in supporting Swedish and Turkish children’s concept acquisition and school readiness. Nevertheless, the programme was not able to close the gap significantly between the Turkish and Swedish children’s concept acquisition and school readiness observed prior to program implementation.

Do Infant Temperament Characteristics Predict Core Academic Abilities in Preschool-Aged Children?

Examined relationships between temperament, measured via parent report at 4 months and structured laboratory observations at 12 months of age, and a school readiness battery administered at about 4 years of age (N=31). Scores on the School Readiness Assessment of the Bracken Basic Concept Scale (BBCS) were related to infant Positive Affectivity/Surgency (PAS), with infants described as demonstrating higher levels of PAS at 4 months of age later demonstrating greater school readiness in the domains of color, letter, and number skills. Regulatory Capacity/Orienting (RCO) at 4 months also predicted color skills, with more regulated infants demonstrating superior pre-academic functioning in this area. Analyses involving laboratory observations of temperament provided additional information concerning the importance of infant Positive Affectivity/Surgency, predictive of letter skills and overall school-readiness scores later in childhood. Results are discussed in the context of implications for theory and research, as well as early education settings.

Infant formula and neurocognitive outcomes: impact of study end-point selection.

Assessing validity and reliability of end points used in docosahexanoic and arachidonic acids (DHA and ARA) infant formula supplementation trials as an example for addressing the impact of end-point selection and critical need for well-defined, reliable and validated clinical outcome assessments for neurocognitive assessment in neonates and infants. We searched eight electronic databases and reviewed all randomized, controlled human trials using DHA/ARA supplements with neurodevelopment clinical outcomes. We systematically evaluated the validity and reliability of end-point measures based on the criteria for studying nutritional additives recommended by the Institute of Medicine, criteria described in the Food and Drug Administration guidance for clinical outcome assessment, development and literature review. We identified 29 articles that met the selection criteria. The end points that were used for neurodevelopment measures in 23 out of 29 original short-term studies included the Bayley Scale of Infant Development (BSID)-I and -II (n=12), Brunet-Lezine test (n=2), videotape infant's movements (n=1), record time to milestones including sitting, crawling, standing and walking (n=1), problem-solving test (n=2), brainstem auditory-evoked potential (n=1), Touwen examination (n=1), Fagan test of infant intelligence (n=2) and visual habituation protocol (n=1). None of these end points have a long-term predictive property for neurocognitive assessment. Compared with standard infant formula, the beneficial effects of DHA/ARA supplementation on neurodevelopment were reported in 2 out of 12 studies using BSID vs 8 out of 11 studies using other end-point measures. In addition, 6 out of 29 long-term follow-up studies used the end points including Stanford-Binet IQ test (n=1), Wechsler Preschool and Primary Scale of Intelligence (n=4) and Bracken Basic Concept Scale (n=1), which are generally scales of intellectual ability and typically do not change substantively in the short term. None of these long-term follow-up studies demonstrated beneficial effects of DHA/ARA supplementation on neurodevelopment. The choice of end-point measures affects the outcomes of DHA/ARA-supplemented infant formula trials. Available data are currently inadequate to conclude that DHA/ARA supplementation has a clinically meaningful beneficial effect upon neurological development. Although BSID is validated to assess early developmental delays, it is not designed to predict long-term neurocognitive outcome. A well-defined, valid and reliable clinical outcome assessment that measures neurocognitive function in neonates and infants is essential to provide the scientific evidence required for future clinical trials.

Cognitive development among preschoolers improves in relation to endline ferritin and vitamin D levels only among recipients randomized to a fortified poultry‐based spread (Spammy™) intervention group (250.6)

Background: Dietary improvements during early childhood have potential to both reduce nutritional deficiencies and improve cognitive outcomes.Objective: To assess the efficacy to improve cognitive function of a poultry‐based spread that provides between 20% to 333% of the RDA of 12 selected micronutrients, including vitamin D and iron.Methods: Sixty preschoolers, aged 4‐7 years, were randomized in a triple‐blinded format to receive 43 g of fortified (FS) or unfortified (US) SpammyTM during weekdays over a 20 week period as part of the institutional breakfast on the outskirts of Guatemala City. The Spanish language Bracken Basic Concept Scale‐ Receptive (BBCS‐R) was administered and circulating nutrient status indicators (25(OH)vit D and ferritin) were measured at both ends of the trial.Results: Reliability analyses for both the BBCS‐R School Readiness Component (SRC) and total test (TT) were high (.96 and .95, respectively). Both FS and US groups had larger than expected gains on the age‐standardized SRC scores (p=.068 and 0.03, respectively) with no difference between groups (p=.84). In the FS only, a significant, positive relationship was found between TT cognitive gain score and both endline vitamin D (Pearson r = .37) and ferritin (Pearson r = .42).Conclusion: Regular consumption of a fortified poultry spread to breakfasts, combined with educational programming, set the stage for improved cognitive functioning.Grant Funding Source: Supported by McGovern‐Dole Food for Education and Child Nutrition Program and Hormel Foods

Assessing Understanding of Social Awareness Concepts in Children With Intellectual Disability and Autism Spectrum Disorder Using the Bracken Basic Concept Scale—Third Edition

Authors contrasted Bracken Basic Concept Scale: Receptive, Third Edition (BBCS: R-3) test performance between 57 children with intellectual disability (ID) and 76 children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and ID. BBCS: R-3 School Readiness Composite (SRC) and Self-/Social Awareness subtests were analyzed. Multivariate analysis of covariance revealed no differences between groups on SRC performance; however, children with ID demonstrated better mastery of self-/social awareness concepts when compared to children with ASD. Within the group of children with ASD, mastery of school-based concepts exceeded mastery of self-/social awareness concepts. Findings suggest relatively greater delays in mastery of self-/social awareness concepts for young children with ASDs when compared to mastery of other concepts.

A randomized trial of DHA intake during infancy: School readiness and receptive vocabulary at 2–3.5 years of age

BackgroundStudies investigating the effects of docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) in infant formula on language development yield conflicting results. No study to date has investigated the effects of DHA in infant formula on school readiness. AimTo determine the effects of different dietary concentrations of DHA provided during the first 12months of life on language development and school readiness. DesignThis was a double-masked, randomized, controlled, prospective trial. A total of 182 infants were enrolled at 1–9days of age and assigned randomly to receive infant formula with one of four levels of DHA: control (0% DHA), 0.32% DHA, 0.64% DHA, or 0.96% DHA. All formulas with DHA also contained 0.64% arachidonic acid. One hundred forty-one children completed the 12-month feeding trial and were eligible for this study. Consent was obtained from 131 participants. School readiness was assessed at 2.5years using the Bracken Basic Concept Scale—Revised (BBCS-R) and receptive vocabulary was assessed at 2 and 3.5years using the Peabody Picture Vocabulary Test—Third Edition (PPVT-III). ResultsThere were no diet group differences on any of the BBCS-R subscales. On the PPVT-III, the control group had higher raw scores and standard scores than both the 0.32% and 0.96% groups at 2years of age. These differences were not evident at 3.5years. ConclusionsDietary DHA during the first year of life did not enhance school readiness or language development. Children who consumed infant formula with 0.32% and 0.96% DHA showed lower receptive vocabulary scores than controls at 2 but not 3.5years of age.

Using the Bracken Basic Concept Scale and Bracken Concept Development Program in the assessment and remediation of young children's concept development

AbstractThis article presents a historical description of and research related to the development, validation, and combined use of the multiple editions of the Bracken Basic Concept Scale and its companion curriculum, the Bracken Concept Development Program. In tandem, the scale and curriculum were designed to assess and teach more than 300 basic language concepts that are fundamental to understanding and describing the world in which young children live. Basic concepts are represented in early childhood educational standards across all 50 states, and this article provides the theoretical and practical basis for understanding conceptual domains, subcategories, and the manner in which psychologists and early childhood educators can effectively assess and teach these concepts. © 2011 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Cognitive and Academic Outcomes after Pediatric Liver Transplantation: Functional Outcomes Group (FOG) Results

This multicenter study examined prevalence of cognitive and academic delays in children following liver transplant (LT). One hundred and forty-four patients ages 5-7 and 2 years post-LT were recruited through the SPLIT consortium and administered the Wechsler Preschool and Primary Scale of Intelligence, 3rd Edition (WPPSI-III), the Bracken Basic Concept Scale, Revised (BBCS-R), and the Wide Range Achievement Test, 4th edition (WRAT-4). Parents and teachers completed the Behavior Rating Inventory of Executive Function (BRIEF). Participants performed significantly below test norms on intelligence quotient (IQ) and achievement measures (Mean WPPSI-III Full Scale IQ = 94.7 ± 13.5; WRAT-4 Reading = 92.7 ± 17.2; WRAT-4 Math = 93.1 ± 15.4; p < 0001). Twenty-six percent of patients (14% expected) had 'mild to moderate' IQ delays (Full Scale IQ = 71-85) and 4% (2% expected) had 'serious' delays (Full Scale IQ ≤ 70; p < 0.0001). Reading and/or math scores were weaker than IQ in 25%, suggesting learning disability, compared to 7% expected by CDC statistics (p < 0.0001). Executive deficits were noted on the BRIEF, especially by teacher report (Global Executive Composite = 58; p < 0.001). Results suggest a higher prevalence of cognitive and academic delays and learning problems in pediatric LT recipients compared to the normal population.

Early Identification of High-Ability Students: Clinical Assessment of Behavior

This study investigated the ability of teachers to accurately rate the cognitive and academic functioning of 1,375 students in kindergarten through the third grade on the Clinical Assessment of Behavior (CAB), as compared to two objective cognitive ability tests. CAB teacher ratings were compared for high-ability students who were currently functioning with ability test scores ≥ 120; comparisons also were made across the students' full ability range and according to their race/ethnicity. The Bracken Basic Concept Scale–Revised and the Naglieri Nonverbal Ability Test were contrasted with the CAB in terms of the proportions of culturally diverse students identified as high ability. A discernable CAB scale and cluster profile was evident for high-ability students, showing significantly better adjustment among the high-ability students as compared to the typical student from the general population. High-ability students evidenced adaptive strengths on the CAB Social Skills and Competence scales and on the Executive Function and Gifted and Talented clusters.

Preschool Children's Learning Behaviors, Concept Attainment, Social Skills, and Problem Behaviors: Validity Evidence for Preschool Learning Behaviors Scale Scores

This study provides concurrent and predictive validity and test-retest reliability evidence for scores from the preschool teacher-completed Preschool Learning Behaviors Scale (PLBS; McDermott, Green, Francis, &amp; Stott, 2002) using two regional samples of preschool children aged 3 to 5.5 years (Ns of 61 and 70). Teacher ratings of social skills and problem behaviors were collected using the Preschool and Kindergarten Behavior Scales (PKBS; Merrell, 1994), and estimates of preschoolers' basic concept attainment were obtained using the individually administered Bracken Basic Concept Scale (BBCS; Bracken, 1984). Results indicated that preschoolers' adaptive learning behaviors were positively correlated with social skills and negatively associated with problem behaviors but were not significantly related to subsequent basic concept attainment. Four-week test-retest coefficients for the PLBS Total score and Competence Motivation, Attention/Persistence, and Attitude Toward Learning subscale scores were adequate. Results support the unique contribution of PLBS scores in understanding children's responses to learning activities in preschool classroom environments.

Children's Performance in School Readiness Skills in the Jumpstart Program

This article reports 2 pilot research studies of child outcomes associated with participation in the New York City Jumpstart program. Jumpstart is a new, national preschool program designed to supplement Head Start and other pre- school experiences. Study 1 is a 2-year longitudinal study at the original NYC Jumpstart site that assessed improvement in school readiness skills as measured by a standardized instrument, the Bracken Basic Concept Scale (BBCS), in children who participated in the program, as well as in a comparison Head Start sample. Information on the immediate benefits to children was gathered from parents and teachers using focus groups and surveys. Results indicate that the Jumpstart program was serving the children from the Head Start population who were less school ready than their peers, as revealed by their lower performance on the BBCS. Parents and teachers credited the one-on-one attention provided by Jumpstart Corps Members as promoting the children's development. Study 2 is an observational longitudinal study covering the 2nd year of the program and includes participants from all 4 NYC Jumpstart sites. Views of the children's progress were obtained from the children's mentors, a Jumpstart staff Observation Team, and parents using program-specific measures and focus groups. Results show that adults saw improvement in the children's emergent literacy skills and social adaptive behaviors, although the different observers assessed growth in different areas. Implications for educational and social policies are drawn.

Decision-Making Utility of the Bracken Basic Concept Scale in Identifying At-Risk Preschoolers

The purpose of this study was to investigate the ability of the Bracken Basic Concept Scale (BBCS) to differentiate between atrisk and normal preschoolers. The sample consisted of 79 children (45 males, 34 females) ranging in age from 3 years, 6 months to 5 years, 11 months. The results supported the use of the BBCS when attempting to discriminate between at-risk and normal preschoolers. More specifically, the BBCS School Readiness Composite (SRC) was a better predictor of at-risk children than the BBCS Total Test score supporting the administration of the briefer SRC. The SRC, alone, was approximately 84 percent accurate in correctly classifying at-risk from normal preschoolers compared to the BBCS Total Test score that was approximately 75 percent accurate. A SRC scaled score of seven or below was established for recommending that preschoolers be further evaluated for possible developmental delays.

Incidence of Basic Concepts in the Directions of New and Recently Revised American Intelligence Tests for Preschool Children

The purpose of this paper was to provide comparative data as a follow-up to Bruce A. Bracken (1986) regarding basic concepts contained in the test directions of five new or recently revised American intelligence tests for preschoolers. Two measures of basic concepts, the Bracken Basic Concept Scale (BBCS; Bracken, 1984) and the Boehm Test of Basic Concepts-Preschool Version (Boehm-Preschool; Boehm, 1986), were used to assess: (a) the presence of basic concepts in the directions of intelligence tests; (b) the percentage of preschool-age children who understand these terms; and (c) the frequency with which basic concepts occur throughout test administration procedures. Results indicated that use of the Boehm-Preschool alone or an examination of only the presence of basic concepts and the proportion of children who understand them provide limited information about the difficulty of test directions. It is not until one tabulates the total number of times (that is, frequency) that each basic concept occurs in test directions that their true complexity is realized. This review showed that all intelligence test directions contain excessive use of difficult basic concepts. Although data are not available to examine the extent to which children from countries other than America are likely to understand test directions, in light of the present results, it seems reasonable to assume that all young children may have difficulty comprehending intelligence test directions, regardless of country of origin.

The School Readiness Composite of the Bracken Basic Concept Scale as an Intellectual Screening Instrument

The efficacy of the School Readiness Composite (SRC) of the Bracken Basic Concept Scale (BBCS) as an intellectual screening instrument was investigated. The concurrent validity of the SRC and the Wechsler Preschool and Primary Scale of Intelligence-Revised (WPPSI-R) was examined along with the predictive capabilities of the SRC. The factor structure of the SRC and WPPSI-R in combination also was investigated. Data from both instruments were gathered from 83 suburban children, who ranged in age from 4 years 7 months to 4 years 10 months. Psychoeducational evaluations were conducted using a counterbalanced test administration procedure. Results indicated that the SRC correlated .77 with the WPPSI-R Full Scale IQ and evidenced 59% shared variance. A principal components factor analysis indicated a two-factor solution for the two instruments with the SRC loading highly on the g factor.

The Relationship between the Bracken Basic Concept Scale and the Differential Ability Scales with a Preschool Sample

This study investigated the relationship between the Bracken Basic Concept Scale (BBCS) and the Differential Ability Scales (DAS) in a sample of 60 preschool children between the ages of 3 years 6 months, and 5 years 11 months from Indiana and Oklahoma. A high relationship (r = .80) was found between the BBCS Total Test score and the DAS General Conceptual Ability (GCA) score. This high relationship indicates that the two measures assess similar skills, but is not high enough to warrant substitution of one for the other. A strong correlation also was found between the School Readiness Composite on the BBCS and the DAS GCA.

Relationship between the Bracken Basic Concept Scale and the Differential Ability Scales with an at-risk sample of preschoolers.

This study investigated the relationship between the Bracken Basic Concept Scale and the Differential Ability Scales with 35 at-risk preschoolers between the ages 3-6 and 5-11. A Pearson product-moment correlation coefficient of .70 was obtained between the Bracken Basic Concept Scale Total Test scores and the General Conceptual Ability scores of the Differential Ability Scales. This association supports the use of the Bracken scale to predict intelligence if replicated with a larger sample and specific handicaps. In addition, support for the administration of the more brief Bracken School Readiness Composite compared to using the Bracken Total Test score in the prediction of the Differential Ability Scales General Conceptual Ability score was found.