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EXCERPT
EVALUATION
REPORT
FOR
A
PLUS CHILD DEVELOPMENT (CANADA) LTD.
Prepared
by
James
Battle, Ph.D. President of the Self-Esteem Institute of Canada
The
premises and tenets that the developers of the A Plus program
employed are based on sound research findings derived from
biological sciences. Also, in addition to the data from
biological studies, the developers used findings derived from
psychological based research because biology and affect are
closely interrelated and, because of this, it is impossible to
divorce the two as if they are autonomously functioning
entities (Battle 1993, p. 14). Research findings which
influenced the developers of the A Plus Child Development
Program clearly indicate that academic success and positive
self-esteem act as tonics in the brain of developing children
and promote changes in neuropathways that have long lasting
positive effects on learning, and psychological well being
(Sylvester, 1998; Battle, 2000). Additional support for
this position is provided by a study published by the American
Psychological Association which concluded that:
…A
child’s belief in his abilities has more effect
on
his success in school than his natural abilities…
Additional
support for the efficacy stimulation on development is
provided from findings of the “Milwaukee’ infant project.
In this classic study, Herber and his colleagues (1970)
provided participating infants from impoverished environments
extensive sensory and language stimulation intended to promote
the development of intellectual abilities and found that their
IQ rose to a mean of 125, whereas comparable control subjects
who did not participate in the stimulation program earned an
average IQ of 95. The average IQ score of the children
who received the stimulation was 25 points higher than the
mean IQ score of 100 earned by the standardization population.
Longitudinal studies of the children who participated in the
project indicate that those who received early stimulation
experienced significantly higher levels of success in later
years than their counterparts who functioned as controls and
were not provided stimulation.
Evaluation
The
purpose of the evaluation was to determine the degree to which
the A Plus Child Development program was achieving its goal of
providing effective stimulation for participating infants and
children.
The
evaluation of the effectiveness of the A Plus Child
Development program in achieving desired results was
determined after reviewing the organization’s mission
statement, meeting with administration and staff members and
interviewing parents of participating children. In
addition, the methodology used to determine effectiveness
included:
-
Observing
actual instructional sessions conducted by A Plus’
teaching staff.
-
Reviewing
and analyzing stimulus objects (e.g. books, cards, tapes,
computer) included in the A Plus package of materials.
-
Reviewing
and analyzing comments provided by parents of
participating children.
Developmental
Validity of Program Contents
Review
of relevant literature derived from empirical studies support
the validity of the program contents of the A Plus Child
Development program. The program contents of the A Plus
Program are based on sound premises and tenets derived from
findings of research which addressed the effects of early
stimulation for infants and children.
Does
the Program Instill in Participants the View That Learning is
Fun
and
Will Recipients Maintain This Position During Later Years?
The
intent of all the packages of materials incorporated in the A
Plus Child Development program is to make learning fun.
Data derived from the testimonies of parents and A Plus
instructional staff all indicate that the children truly enjoy
participation during instructional sessions. Research
findings consistently indicate that early experiences
generally exert long-term effects on human development.
Because of this it is apparent that the children who
participate in the A Plus program will continue to view
learning as fun as they progress in development from childhood
to adulthood.
