Douglas Powell and Nancy File

This study is examining effects of the Project Approach on preschool children’s school readiness and school achievement in kindergarten and first grade. The study is part of the national Preschool Curriculum Evaluation Research (PCER) initiative organized and sponsored by the federal Institute of Education Sciences. The primary goal of the PCER initiative is to determine whether and how different preschool curricula support school readiness. Each of the 12 projects in the PCER initiative is conducting rigorous curriculum evaluations using randomized trials in early childhood programs serving 4-year-old children.

The Project Approach entails in-depth investigation of a topic of keen interest to children. Children and teachers engage in research deliberately focused on finding answers to questions posed by children. A primary reference for the Project Approach is Young Investigators by Judith Harris Helm and Lilian Katz (Teachers College Press, 2001).

The Purdue study is a collaborative effort with the University of Wisconsin, Milwaukee, and the Milwaukee Public Schools. It is the only PCER project examining effects of the Project Approach. Dr. Nancy File (Co-Principal Investigator) at the University of Wisconsin, Milwaukee, is Study Coordinator. Dr. Susan Kontos of Purdue University served as Principal Investigator until her death in September 2003.

The primary goal of the Purdue-Wisconsin study is to determine whether children involved as 4-year-olds in preschool classrooms implementing the Project Approach have greater developmental gains than children enrolled in control classrooms implementing a teacher-developed curriculum. Developmental gains are being assessed at the end of preschool, kindergarten, and first grade.

In the current (2004-2005) school year, approximately 200 children who participated in Project Approach and control classrooms as 4-year-olds in 2003-2004 are being followed in kindergarten. The stratified, random sample of 13 full-day, preschool classrooms who participated in the study in 2003-2004 served primarily children from lower-income families in Milwaukee. Seven of the 13 classrooms implemented the Project Approach.

A secondary goal of the Purdue-Wisconsin study is to unpack the experiences of children and teachers in participating classrooms. In 2002-2003, we conducted observations of children’s behaviors in the context of specific classroom environments. In 2003-2004, we observed the types of instructional conversations experienced by children in relation to teachers’ use of projects and content themes (e.g., fire trucks) in four-year-old classrooms. This research focus continues in kindergarten classrooms in 2004-2005, with particular interest in curriculum continuity from four-year-old classrooms to kindergarten classrooms. Beginning in 2002-2003, we launched an interview study of teachers’ goals and beliefs about preschool curricula, teaching supports and barriers, professional development experiences, and views of the Project Approach.

Funding: Institute of Education Sciences, U.S. Department of Education

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