New Bilingual Resource for Making Interviews Easier for Parents
Parent Gauge Response Scale
By: Victoria Jones, Senior Manager of Data, National Head Start Association
Recently, as we were collecting feedback from current Parent Gauge users, we received feedback that sometimes the scale on the close-ended questions is difficult for parents to remember throughout the interview. Particularly for parents who are taking the interview in a language that isn’t their native language, it can be difficult to pay attention to the questions being asked and to remember the response choices.
With help from users in Minnesota, the Parent Gauge team is pleased to announce a new resource for users: a printable response scale!
As an interviewer, this tool is something you can print out and bring with you on your interviews. Reference the handout when you’re explaining the response scale to parents, and then allow them to interact with it as they please. Some may only need it periodically if they need help remembering the options, while others might refer to it for every single question. Some may even prefer to point to the response that is most appropriate for them if they’re not very comfortable speaking aloud. (We still recommend conducting interviews in the language that’s best for the parent, but when this isn’t possible, we hope this is a helpful tool!)
The scale is currently available in both English and Spanish, but we hope to expand it to other languages soon. If you can help your Head Start colleagues by connecting NHSA with a bilingual parent or staffer in your program who can help us accurately translate it, please contact the Parent Gauge team at parentgauge@nhsa.org.
We look forward to hearing how this tool is helpful in your programs or how we could improve it. Please send comments or suggestions to parentgauge@nhsa.org.
Victoria Jones is NHSA’s Senior Manager of Data. Victoria supports the Head Start field’s efforts to advance child and family outcomes by helping Head Start programs move towards a culture of continuous quality improvement. Her portfolio includes leading the Data Design Initiative, working on the Parent Gauge team, and contributing to other projects that directly support practitioners in the field.
