Validating the Heirarchy of the iStartSmart® Academic Content

The purpose of this analysis was to investigate the validity of skill groupings in an instructional technology learning system designed for use by children in early childhood education classrooms. A Principal Component Analysis was performed to measure the fit of 18 skill games to their 5 assigned groupings in the system, covering a range of academic school readiness literacy and math skills. Using data from the developer's online reporting system; achievement in those 18 skills was analyzed from a selected group of 274 preschool children from the United States with a high degree of game-play. These outcomes were loaded onto factors selected using an eigenvalue evaluation in an effort to determine the validity of the system's representation of those groupings as they exist in the broader educational context. Results indicate a robust fit between system hierarchy and pedagogical hierarchy, with strong initial loadings along the existing hierarchy, minimal deviation, and weak subsequent loadings. These results suggest that the existing system hierarchy is a good match for the pedagogy which it purports to represent, and in this manner is appropriate for its intended purpose. This lays the groundwork for a future Confirmatory Factor Analysis, and modifications to the system to create an even better fit between the learning system and pedagogy.