DOI: 10.3886/icpsr13605
title: Project on Human Development in Chicago Neighborhoods (PHDCN): Wide Range Achievement Test, Wave 1, 1994-1997
title: Archival Version

description: The Project on Human Development in Chicago Neighborhoods (PHDCN) was a large-scale, interdisciplinary study of how families, schools, and neighborhoods affect child and adolescent development. One component of the PHDCN was the Longitudinal Cohort Study, which was a series of coordinated longitudinal studies that followed over 6,000 randomly selected children, adolescents, and young adults, and their primary caregivers over time to examine the changing circumstances of their lives, as well as the personal characteristics, that might lead them toward or away from a variety of antisocial behaviors. Numerous measures were administered to respondents to gauge various aspects of human development, including individual differences, as well as family, peer, and school influences. The Wide Range Achievement Test was designed to measure reading recognition, spelling, and arithmetic computation.
description: <strong>Project on Human Development in Chicago Neighborhoods</strong> The Project on Human Development in Chicago Neighborhoods (PHDCN) was a large-scale, interdisciplinary study of how families, schools, and neighborhoods affect child and adolescent development. It was designed to advance the understanding of the developmental pathways of both positive and negative human social behaviors. In particular, the project examined the causes and pathways of juvenile delinquency, adult crime, substance abuse, and violence. At the same time, the project provided a detailed look at the environments in which these social behaviors took place by collecting substantial amounts of data about urban Chicago, including its people, institutions, and resources. <strong>Longitudinal Cohort Study</strong> One component of the PHDCN was the Longitudinal Cohort Study, which was a series of coordinated longitudinal studies that followed over 6,000 randomly selected children, adolescents, and young adults, and their primary caregivers over time to examine the changing circumstances of their lives, as well as the personal characteristics, that might lead them toward or away from a variety of antisocial behaviors. The age cohorts include birth (0), 3, 6, 9, 12, 15, and 18 years. Numerous measures were administered to respondents to gauge various aspects of human development, including individual differences, as well as family, peer, and school influences. <strong>Wide Range Achievement Test</strong> The data in this collection are from Wave 1 of the Longitudinal Cohort Study, which was administered between 1994 and 1997. The data files contain information from the Wide Range Achievement Test protocol. The Wide Range Achievement Test was designed to measure reading recognition, spelling, and arithmetic computation.
description: <strong>Project on Human Development in Chicago Neighborhoods</strong> The city of Chicago was selected as the research site for the PHDCN because of its extensive racial, ethnic, and social-class diversity. The project collapsed 847 census tracts in the city of Chicago into 343 neighborhood clusters (NCs) based upon seven groupings of racial/ethnic composition and three levels of socioeconomic status. The NCs were designed to be ecologically meaningful. They were composed of geographically contiguous census tracts and geographic boundaries, and knowledge of Chicago's neighborhoods were considered in the definition of the NCs. Each NC was comprised of approximately 8,000 people. <strong>Longitudinal Cohort Study</strong> For the Longitudinal Cohort Study, a stratified probability sample of 80 neighborhoods was selected. The 80 NCs were sampled from the 21 strata (seven racial/ethnic groups by three socioeconomic levels) with the goal of representing the 21 cells as equally as possible to eliminate the confounding between racial/ethnic mix and socioeconomic status. Once the 80 NCs were chosen, then block groups were selected at random within each of the sample neighborhoods. A complete listing of dwelling units was collected for all sampled block groups. Pregnant women, children, and young adults in seven age cohorts (birth, 3, 6, 9, 12, 15, and 18 years) were identified through in-person screening of approximately 40,000 dwelling units within the 80 NCs. The screening response rate was 80 percent. Children within six months of the birthday that qualified them for the sample were selected for inclusion in the Longitudinal Cohort Study. A total of 8,347 participants were identified through the screening. Of the eligible study participants, 6,228 were interviewed. For all cohorts except 0 and 18, primary caregivers as well as the child were interviewed. The primary caregiver was the person found to spend the most time taking care of the child. Separate research assistants administered the primary caregiver interviews and the child interviews. The primary method of data collection was face-to-face interviewing, although participants who refused to complete the personal interview were administered a phone interview. Interviews were conducted in Spanish, English, and Polish. In Wave 1 the complete protocol was translated into Spanish and Polish. An interpreter was hired for participants who spoke a language other than English, Spanish, or Polish. Depending on the age and wave of data collection, participants were paid between $5 and $20 per interview. Other incentives, such as free passes to museums, the aquarium, and monthly drawing prizes were also included. Interview protocols included a wide range of questions. For example, some questions assessed impulse control and sensation-seeking traits, cognitive and language development, leisure activities, delinquency and substance abuse, friends' activities, and self-perception, attitudes, and values. Caregivers were also interviewed about family structure, parent characteristics, parent-child relationships, parent discipline styles, family mental health, and family history of criminal behavior and drug use. <strong>Wide Range Achievement Test</strong> The purpose of the Wide Range Achievement Test (WRAT3) was to measure the codes that are needed to learn the basic skills of reading, spelling and arithmetic. Scores can be used to compare the achievement levels of one person to another from kindergarten age through to adulthood. When used in conjunction with a test measuring general intelligence, which has the same standard deviation units as the WRAT3, it can be a valuable tool in the determination of learning ability or learning disability. The WRAT3 was intentionally designed to eliminate the effects of comprehension. When dealing with areas of learning disabilities, especially reading, it is essential to determine whether the problem is due to an inability to learn the codes that are necessary to acquire the skill or whether the problem is due to an inability to derive meaning from the codes. Since the WRAT3 scores are free from the contaminating effects of comprehension, it is possible to compare WRAT3 standard scores with comprehension standard scores from other tests such as Wechsler scales. One can then determine precisely where the individual is having difficulty and can prescribe those remedial or educational programs that will target treatment for the specific defect. The WRAT3 allows the administrator to differentiate between students who lack the coding skills to learn the mechanics of reading from those who may be good readers but whose problem is an inability to comprehend or to get meaning. Another valuable use of the WRAT3 is the informal assessment of the kinds of errors the individual makes on the three subtests. This is done primarily through observing and recording the mistakes and determining what types of error patterns emerge. This information can then be used in planning the instructional needs of the individual. The grade level ratings on the WRAT3 subtests can be used to give a general indication of the instructional level of the individual.
description: The data files contain data regarding the WRAT 3 raw reading score, as well as a scaled reading score.
description: none
description: Response Rates: The overall response rate for Wave 1 of the Longitudinal Cohort Study was 75 percent or 6,228 participants. The response rates by cohort were: 76.2 percent (1,269) for Cohort 0 76.6 percent (1,003) for Cohort 3 75.0 percent (980) for Cohort 6 75.9 percent (828) for Cohort 9 74.3 percent (820) for Cohort 12 71.6 percent (696) for Cohort 15 70.3 percent (632) for Cohort 18
description: Presence of Common Scales: Wide Range Achievement Test scaled reading score
description: Stratified probability sample.
description: Datasets: DS0: Study-Level Files DS1: Cohort 6 DS2: Cohort 9 DS3: Cohort 12 DS4: Cohort 15 DS5: Cohort 18
description: Children, adolescents, young adults, and their primary caregivers, living in the city of Chicago in 1994.
description: face-to-face interview(1) The Murray Research Center conducted the initial data and documentation processing for this collection. (2) At present, only a restricted version of the data is available (see RESTRICTIONS field). A downloadable version of the data is slated to be available in the near future.