Faculty of Education - Theses
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ItemScreening for developmental difficulties in Australian Aboriginal children: validation of a culturally adapted tool( 2019)Early detection of developmental difficulties in young children is important for facilitating access to targeted intervention and maximising its positive effects. The later that difficulties are identified, the less likely that intervention will be as successful. Standardised developmental screening tools improve the detection rates of developmental difficulties and are widely recommended for use with all children. In Australia, Aboriginal children face higher rates of developmental vulnerability. However, there are no culturally appropriate developmental screening tools that have been validated for use in this population. The ASQ TRAK is one developmental screening tool that has been culturally and linguistically adapted for Australian Aboriginal children. The aims of this thesis were to investigate and select a theoretical framework for the validation of a developmental screening tool and conduct a rigorous validation study of the ASQ TRAK. The argument based approach to validation was selected following a review of validation theory. Using a cross sectional design, data were collected across ten participating sites in the Northern Territory and South Australia. Participants were Australian Aboriginal children aged between 2 and 48 months, along with their parents or caregivers. Local staff were trained in administering the ASQ TRAK. Recruitment of participants was time and resource intensive. In total, 336 children completed developmental screening using the ASQ TRAK. Of these children, 124 were assessed using a concurrent developmental assessment, the Bayley Scales of Infant and Toddler Development or the Battelle Developmental Inventory. A sample of staff and caregivers also completed surveys about their experience using the ASQ TRAK. Caregivers and staff agreed that the ASQ TRAK was easy to understand, culturally relevant, acceptable, and they were satisfied with the screening tool. Inter rater and inter instrument reliability was high. Internal consistency coefficients varied across domains and age groups. Participants scores on the ASQ TRAK domains were moderately positively correlated with their scores on the corresponding domains of the Bayley III or BDI 2. Sensitivity and specificity rates were acceptable. The high negative predictive value suggests that most children who score above cut off on the ASQ TRAK are developing typically and that very few children with developmental difficulties are under identified. Several challenges were encountered during the validation study. Obstacles to recruiting large numbers of participants, particularly children with developmental difficulties, included a small population, large geographical distances and high costs. The argument based approach to validation provided a framework for prioritising and organising the types of validity evidence that were collected. While continuing research is necessary and planned, the results suggest that the ASQ TRAK has acceptable psychometric properties and is accepted and valued by Aboriginal families and the staff who service them. Developmental monitoring is of critical importance, particularly for Aboriginal children who experience high rates of developmental vulnerability. The thesis results further support the use of the ASQ TRAK as an acceptable and valid developmental screening tool for Australian Aboriginal children.
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ItemPolicy, theory and practice in early childhood curriculum design and implementation: a study of one Australian state: Victoria( 2003)This thesis seeks to identify how and who informs the state-funded preschool curriculum program for four-year-old children in Victoria, Australia. The study took place over a one year period, and involved interviewing nine officials, eight academics and twenty seven preschool teachers regarding their beliefs and espoused theories about the preschool curriculum in relation to policy, theory and practice. Twelve of the teachers interviewed were invited to participate further in the study, so that the relationship between their espoused theories and practices could be determined. This part of the study involved field visits and this provided a means of collecting data through direct observation using the Framework of Perspectives and Descriptions of Practice (Raban et aI., 2003a, 2003b), a tool designed by the Early Childhood Consortium at The University of Melbourne. Other means of data collection included informal discussions with teachers, and collecting and analysing different documents. The paradigm for this research study was predominantly qualitative but combined some quantitative data. This approach was incorporated into the design of the study because the nature of the investigation demanded a holistic and naturalistic approach. Multiple sources of data collection also helped to improve the reliability and validity of the findings, by converging lines of enquiry. This comprehensive approach meant that appropriate comparisons and contrasts could be made using numerical data, and this required the inclusion of some quantitative techniques. The findings of this study reveal a strong need for curriculum guidelines to be reconceptualised to reflect current understandings about young children's learning and development. The need for greater depth in a curriculum framework was evident, not only in relation to how children learn but regarding content and guidelines for appropriate goals for children. These views were also consistent with beliefs and understandings about the two existing curriculum documents for four-year-old children in funded preschool programs, in the year before compulsory schooling. These two documents are the Early Childhood Curriculum Guidelines 3 - 5 Year Olds (Department of Health and Community Services, 1991), and the Preschool Quality Assessment Checklist (Department of Human Services, 1996b). The overwhelming consensus was that both documents had little or no influence on preschool practices in Victoria. This study also found that stakeholders held similar views and understandings about the importance for preschool teachers to know about curriculum theories and pedagogical practices. However, the findings revealed that 83% of preschool teachers' practices were not congruent with their espoused theories. This study concludes by addressing further research issues and recommendations for policy-makers, academics and preschool teachers, in order to foster high quality preschool programs for children in Victoria.