Appendix A1: Findings from the SCOPE 2019 web-based surveys – summary of findings

Appendix A: Findings from the SCOPE 2019 web-based surveys

This appendix includes slides presented at the Administration for Children and Families’ 2020 National Research Conference on Early Childhood (NRCEC). The slides summarize high-level findings from the SCOPE 2019 data collection. As described in the supporting statements of this OMB package, SCOPE 2019 included web-based surveys with purposively selected coaches, center teachers, family child care (FCC) providers, and center directors. Some of the key findings include:

• There is variation in the background characteristics of coaches, including education and training.

• Center directors provide support for coaching in different ways, including by determining which teachers receive coaching, and providing input on coaching goals.

• Structural features of coaching, including caseload, dosage, and communication, varied across coaches. Caseload varies a lot and is very high for some coaches.

• Process features of coaching, including activities like modeling, observation, feedback, and reflection occurred similarly across in most coaching relationships. Coaches and teachers/providers reported providing and receiving similar coaching activities.

Continuing analysis of the SCOPE 2019 survey data is focused on:

• Unpacking variation in the structural and process features of coaching.

• Understanding how coach background and setting context influences structural and/or process features of coaching.

• Understanding more about caseload and dosage.

In the SCOPE 2021: Follow-up study, we plan to collect web based surveys with the same coaches, FCC providers, and center directors. The 2021 survey items have overlap with the SCOPE 2019 surveys. We will also conduct interviews with a subset of the survey respondents. Our analysis will address the research questions presented in Supporting Statement A, Section A2 and be focused on such topics as:

• Identifying changes from SCOPE 2019 to SCOPE 2021: Follow-up

  • Descriptive analysis of similar items to see how the structure and features of coaching may have changed over time, particularly given the COVID-19 pandemic. For example, are coaches providing more remote coaching? And if so, are they still able to engage in the process features of coaching (modeling, observation) to the same degree? Have the structural features of coaching changed? Have the high caseloads reported in the 2019 surveys continued? Is there the same amount of variation in caseload?

• Understanding how the COVID-19 pandemic has influenced coaching

  • Survey and interview responses will help us identify how coaching is operating during the pandemic. For example, what is the coaching dosage and frequency during the pandemic? How are coaches and teachers/providers communicating during the pandemic? What new supports do coaches need? What challenges are they facing?

  • Qualitative interview responses will be analyzed to gather an in depth understanding of how coaching and professional development are operating in the pandemic, and to understand coaches, FCC providers, and center directors perceptions of their coaching experiences.

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