SBIR Phase II: Testing and Optimizing Digital Tools Aimed at Promoting Parent/Caregiver-Mediated Dialogic Reading from Infancy to Kindergarten Entry and through First Grade

SBIR第二阶段项目将在第一阶段研发工作的基础上扩展，为课堂环境构建、测试和优化一个基于网络的软件系统，以补充第一阶段开发的家用数字图书馆应用程序。这个具有成本效益的系统将进一步促进成人中介的0-7岁儿童的对话阅读程序。研究表明，早期接触对话式阅读几乎可以促进所有学校和阅读准备指标的发展--从认知和社交情感发展到词汇习得和印刷概念。新系统还引入了基础科学知识和习惯，如观察、实验和解决问题的能力。贫富之间不断扩大的教育程度和机会差距导致人的潜力减少，公民无法适应以信息为基础的劳动力市场的需求。对儿童早期教育的投资可以防止教育缺陷，因此，一个具有成本效益的系统，培训成年人让儿童参与对话阅读过程，可以为结束入学准备差距--持续存在的成绩差距的先兆--及其延续的经济和社会不利因素的循环做出重大贡献。该项目还解决了加强早期教育教师高阶思维技能教学的迫切需要。早期教育数字产品的市场规模很大，而且还在不断增长。这个市场的购买者是K-3学校、学前班、学前班、社会服务机构和图书馆，以及个人家庭。这个项目将建立技术能力，以增强和衡量成人主导的0-7岁儿童对话阅读的成长。系统架构和专有算法将产生一个系统，通过使用图书馆中嵌入的受版权保护的特定文本指南，提高成人对话提问和探索的能力。指标、儿童工作产品和在线成人学习模块旨在激励和建立教师/照顾者的信心，告知学校领导人，并将重点放在继续将对话过程应用于其他书籍和科目上。对第一阶段开发的内容管理系统的增强将实现对所有产品外形因素的销售、分销、管理和评估。通过该项目建立的安全数据共享门户和仪表板将使机构客户能够监测和评估其方案。研发将包括参与度指标的集合，包括使用数据(数字图书馆中内置了对这些数据的访问)和在线调查。需要研究的核心创新是，该产品是否能够让不同教育背景的成年人与他们的孩子一起练习智力上雄心勃勃的阅读和思考方法。该奖项反映了NSF的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的智力优势和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估，被认为值得支持。

This SBIR Phase II project will expand on Phase I R&D work to build, test, and optimize a web-based software system for the classroom setting to complement the digital library app for home use developed in Phase I. This cost-effective system will further promote adult-mediated dialogic reading routines with children 0-7 years in age. Early exposure to dialogic reading has been shown to foster virtually all school and reading-readiness indicators - from cognitive and social-emotional development to vocabulary attainment and concepts about print. The new system also introduces foundational science knowledge and habits, such as the capacity to observe, experiment, and problem solve. The ever-widening education attainment and opportunity gaps between rich and poor result in diminished human potential and citizens unequipped for the demands of an information-based labor market. Investments in early childhood can prevent educational deficits, so a cost-effective system that coaches adults to engage children in a dialogic reading process can make a substantial contribution to ending school-readiness gaps - the precursor to persistent achievement gaps - and the cycle of economic and societal disadvantages they perpetuate. This project also addresses the urgent need to bolster the teaching of higher-order thinking skills by early education teachers. The market for early-education digital products is sizable and growing. Purchasers in this market are K-3 schools, preschools, Head Start, social- service agencies, and libraries, as well as individual families.This project will build the technical capacity to augment and measure the growth of adult-led dialogic reading with children 0-7 years in age. The systems architecture and proprietary algorithms will produce a system that increases adult capacity for dialogic questioning and exploration by using the copyrighted, text-specific guidance embedded in the library. Metrics, children's work product, and online adult-learning modules aim to incentivize and build teacher/caregiver confidence, inform school leaders, and focus them on continued application of the dialogic process to other books and subjects. Augmentations to the content management system developed in Phase I will enable the sales, distribution, management, and evaluation of all product form factors. The secure data-sharing portal and dashboard built through this project will allow institutional clients to monitor and evaluate their programs. R&D will include collection of engagement metrics, including usage data (access to which is built into the digital library) and online surveys. The core innovation to be studied is whether this product enables adults of varying educational backgrounds to practice an intellectually ambitious reading and thinking method with their children.This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.