Glossary of Terms

A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z

• Activities

  As used in the context of a LOGIC MODEL, ACTIVITIES refer to those actions that are undertaken as part of a PROGRAM. In relation to EARLY CHILDHOOD PROGRAMS, these actions can include: the building of an early childhood setting; the creation of curricular resources and materials; and/or the delivery of a curriculum.

• Children's Rights

  The basic rights and freedoms to which all children are entitled. The most comprehensive and widely accepted statement of children’s rights is that contained in the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child (1989). All countries (except for the US and Somalia) have ratified the Convention.

• Cluster Randomised Controlled Trials

  A type of EXPERIMENTAL RESEARCH where subjects are allocated to the experimental and control groups in clusters rather than on an individual basis. In relation to the study of EARLY CHILDHOOD PROGRAMS being delivered through schools, for example, this would involve the schools being randomly allocated either to the intervention group (that would deliver the PROGRAM) or the control group (that would continue as normal).

• Early Childhood

  The period of a child's life between the ages of 0 to 8 years.

• Ethnic Group

  A group of people who regard themselves, and who are also regarded by others, as having a shared and distinctive cultural identity. There are many different ways in which ethnic groups can come to be distinguished from one another, including by: race, nationality, religion, language, common history and/or other shared cultural traditions and practices.

• Experimental Research

  A method of inquiry that seeks to determine the effects of a specific PROGRAM or intervention. It involves the random allocation of subjects either to the experimental group or the control group. Pre-test data are collected on all subjects in relation to one or more OUTCOMES identified for the PROGRAM prior to it commencing. Those allocated to the experimental group then receive the PROGRAM while those allocated to the control group continue as normal. Post-test data are then collected on the same OUTCOMES at the end of the PROGRAM. The purpose of the analysis is to see whether those subjects in the experimental group have experienced greater improvements in the OUTCOMES specified compared to those in the control group. Where random assignment of subjects has taken place, then any additional improvement among those in the experimental group can be considered to be due to the effects of the PROGRAM.

• Inputs

  As used in the context of a LOGIC MODEL, INPUTS refer to the materials and/or resources required to undertake the ACTIVITIES associated with a PROGRAM.

• Logic Model

  A mechanism for describing how an EARLY CHILDHOOD PROGRAM intends to achieve its goals. Most logic models attempt to describe the relationships between INPUTS --> ACTIVITIES --> OUTPUTS --> OUTCOMES.

• Outcomes

  As used in the context of a LOGIC MODEL, OUTCOMES refer to the actual benefits or impact of a PROGRAM on its participants. In relation to EARLY CHILDHOOD PROGRAMS, OUTCOMES generally refer to the effect that the PROGRAM has in terms of leading to real and often measurable changes in children's development.

• Outputs

  As used in the context of a LOGIC MODEL, OUTPUTS refer to the units of service that are provided as part of a PROGRAM. In relation to EARLY CHILDHOOD PROGRAMS, units of service can include such things as the development and provision of new curricular resources or buildings as well as the number of children or parents that have received the EARLY CHILDHOOD PROGRAM.

• Program

  A set of services or ACTIVITIES that are intended to achieve a desired goal or set of OUTCOMES.

• Qualitative Research

  A method of inquiry that involves the collection and analysis of data that are not numerical. Common methods of QUALITATIVE RESEARCH include: individual and focus group interviews; detailed observations of individual or group behaviour; and/or the analysis of documents, reports, photographs or drawings. In all these cases, the data produced tend to be in the form of text (i.e. transcriptions of interviews, descriptions of activities or events observed, extracts from reports or descriptions of photographs and drawings). QUALITATIVE RESEARCH commonly seeks not only to describe particular social processes or events but also to help explain them.

• Quantitative Research

  A method of inquiry that involves the collection and analysis of numerical data. Common methods of QUANTITATIVE RESEARCH include: surveys undertaken at one point in time; longitudinal studies that collect data on a sample at two or more points in time; and EXPERIMENTAL RESEARCH. In all these cases, the data produced is numerical and either represents the measurement of some phenomena or the classification of that phenomena in the form of a discrete number of categories. QUANTITATIVE RESEARCH commonly seeks to identify common patterns and trends among particular populations and to develop generalizations about how particular phenomena are associated with one another and, in the case of EXPERIMENTAL RESEARCH, what the effects of a particular PROGRAM are.

• Quasi-Experimental Research

  A method of inquiry that is similar to EXPERIMENTAL RESEARCH but where the allocation of subjects to the experimental and control groups is not done on a random basis.

• Randomised Controlled Trials

  Another term for describing EXPERIMENTAL RESEARCH.