Original Research

Test–retest reliability and concurrent validity of the South African Early Learning Outcomes Measure (ELOM)

Kate J. Anderson, Tiffany J. Henning, Jasmin R. Moonsamy, Megan Scott, Christopher du Plooy, Andrew R.L. Dawes
South African Journal of Childhood Education | Vol 11, No 1 | a881 | DOI: https://doi.org/10.4102/sajce.v11i1.881 | © 2021 Kate J. Anderson, Tiffany J. Henning, Jasmin R. Moonsamy, Megan Scott, Christopher du Plooy, Andrew R.L. Dawes | This work is licensed under CC Attribution 4.0
Submitted: 26 May 2020 | Published: 17 June 2021

About the author(s)

Kate J. Anderson, Department of Psychology, Faculty of Humanities, University of Cape Town, Cape Town, South Africa
Tiffany J. Henning, Department of Psychology, Faculty of Humanities, University of Cape Town, Cape Town, South Africa
Jasmin R. Moonsamy, Department of Psychology, Faculty of Humanities, University of Cape Town, Cape Town, South Africa
Megan Scott, Department of Psychology, Faculty of Humanities, University of Cape Town, Cape Town, South Africa
Christopher du Plooy, Division of Developmental Paediatrics, Department of Paediatrics and Child Health, Red Cross War Memorial Children’s Hospital, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Cape Town, Cape Town, South Africa
Andrew R.L. Dawes, Department of Psychology, Faculty of Humanities, University of Cape Town, Cape Town, South Africa; and, Department of International Development, University of Oxford, Oxford, United Kingdom

Abstract

Background: The Early Learning Outcomes Measure (ELOM) assesses early learning programme outcomes in children aged 50-69 months. ELOM assesses gross motor development (GMD), fine motor coordination and visual motor integration (FMC & VMI), emergent numeracy and mathematics (ENM), cognition and executive functioning (CEF), and emergent literacy and language (ELL). Content and construct validity, reliability and cross-cultural fairness have been established.

Aim: To establish the test-retest reliability and concurrent validity of the ELOM.

Setting: Low income preschool and Grade R children.

Methods: In study one, Test-retest reliability was investigated in a convenience sample of 49 English and isiXhosa speaking preschool children (Mean age = 60.77 months, SD = 3.70) tested and retested one week apart. In study two, concurrent validity was investigated in a convenience sample of 62 children (Mean age = 75.05 months, SD = .75). ELOM performance was compared with that on the Wechsler Preschool and Primary Scale of Intelligence Fourth Edition (WPPSI-IV).

Results: Test-retest reliability was established for ELOM Total score (r = .90, p < .001). The concurrent validity of ELOM Total and the WPPSI-IV Full Scale Composite scores was established (r = .64, p < .001). FMC & VMI, CEF, and ELL domains correlated significantly with their corresponding WPPSI-IV indices: visual spatial, fluid reasoning, processing speed, working memory, and verbal comprehension.

Conclusion: The findings of both psychometric studies contribute further to the reliability and validity of the ELOM.


Keywords

concurrent validity; ELOM; WPPSI-IV; test–retest reliability; preschool

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