Karen Elliot

Investigating the Effects of Pre-School Provision: Using Mixed Methods in the EPPE Research

The Effective Provision of Pre‐school Education (EPPE) project is a longitudinal study of young children between the ages of 3 and 7 years. Research began in 1997 and both quantitative and qualitative methods were used to explore the effects of pre‐school education on children’s attainment and social/behavioural development at entry to school, and of any continuing effects on such outcomes at the end of Key Stage 1 (age 7). The sample included over 3,000 children and 141 pre‐school centres drawn from six different types of providers. In addition, a home sample of children who had not attended a pre‐school centre was included. In order to identify the processes that might influence centre effectiveness, observational data were collected and centre managers interviewed. In‐depth case studies of 12 more effective centres were used to explore and illuminate the processes, particularly in relation to pedagogy, associated with better child outcomes. A mixed method approach was adopted to simultaneously answer both confirmatory and exploratory questions, to support user engagement and provide triangulation. The paper argues that the mixed method approach supported the development of stronger research inferences.

Making the Most of Your Data: School self-evaluation using value added measures

added element, albeit a rather crude score, in this year’s GCSE league tables. In response, John Carvel, the education correspondent for The Guardian, welcomes the ’first step towards a fairer system o f secondary school league tables’ but adds that ’parents may need evening classes (or the help of a good newspaper) to understand their growing sophistication’ (The Guardian, I 988a). Hill ( I 996) also highlights this as a key issue, stating, ’One of the main challenges which remain in value added work is the