Follow-up of Children from Academic and Cognitive Preschool Curricula at Age 9

This study reports on cognitive, academic, and social outcomes at age 9 years for a group of 141 children who participated in two highly contrasting early intervention programs, mediated learning (ML) and direct instruction (DI). Consistent with results at the end of intervention, no main-effect differences between the two groups were obtained. Also consistent with earlier results, there were several significant aptitude-by-treatment interactions. Initially higher performing children at pretest gained more from DI, whereas initially lower performing children gained more from ML. These interactions, of the same magnitude of those observed several years earlier, appear to reflect an enduring effect of the early programs.