Use proxy baseline measures (vocabulary knowledge for cognitive outcomes, disruptive behavior for SEL outcomes) when identical baseline measures are unavailable¶

Strategy · All strategies
Evidence · 1 claim (1 for) · 1 study (1 quant-synthesis), q2 · 0 of 1 report an effect size · 1 claim rests on one study

Description¶

Because strong developmental dynamics in early childhood make identical baseline (IB) measures impossible for some outcomes, the article proposes proxy baseline (PB) measures as covariates in power-analysis planning. Specifically, "we used children's vocabulary knowledge as a PB measure for cognitive outcomes because it is known to predict future learning in many cognitive domains", and children's disruptive behavior (from parent or educator reports, same method as the SEL outcome) as the PB measure for SEL outcomes.

Design Implications¶

Context¶

Requirements¶

• The proxy measure must be theoretically, conceptually, and empirically linked to the target outcome domain
• The proxy should be assessed with the same method as the target SEL outcome

Constraints¶

• Most PB results were obtained for the second wave of measurement of NEPS, limiting the evidence base for this covariate set

Target Learners¶

• preschool children aged two to six

Target Learning Goals¶

• cognitive outcomes
• socio-emotional learning outcomes

Claims¶

• Typical R2Child values with sociodemographic and baseline covariates were around 0.18–0.26 for preschool cognitive and SEL outcomes in US data [+W]

Related Strategies¶

Examples¶

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Key Sources¶

• Martin Brunner, Sophie E. Stallasch, Cordula Artelt, Oliver Lüdtke. (2025). An Individual Participant Data Meta-Analysis to Support Power Analyses for Randomized Intervention Studies in Preschool: Cognitive and Socio-Emotional Learning Outcomes. Educational Psychology Review. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10648-024-09981-z