A trial of a language and literacy intervention in Danish day care centers: The SPELL study

A randomized controlled trial of a large scale systematic and explicit language and literacy intervention in Danish day care centers: The SPELL study

Status

Active, not recruiting

Phases

Unknown

Study type

Interventional

Source

ISRCTN

Registry ID

ISRCTN04394487

Enrollment

8380

Registered

2014-02-17

Start date

2013-01-01

Completion date

Unknown

Last updated

2015-01-13

For informational purposes only — not medical advice. Sourced from public registries and may not reflect the latest updates. Terms

Conditions

Language delay or language impairment in children aged 3-5 Mental and Behavioural Disorders

Interventions

SPELL is a 20-week intervention which provides an explicit scope and sequence of language and literacy education over 40 lessons implemented at an intensity of two per week. Each lesson is implemented

and a weekly refresher session in which the two educators working in each classroom conduct small assignments to assist implementation of this knowledge in class. In SPELL Basic + Learning activities

Eligibility

Sex/Gender

All

Inclusion criteria

Inclusion criteria: We will recruit children in 128 daycare centers.

Exclusion criteria

Exclusion criteria: The only exclusion criterion pertains to children with developmental delays that may be integrated in day care centers

Design outcomes

Primary

Measure	Time frame
1. In children, language and literacy measures (vocabulary, narratives, phonological awareness, letter identification). These outcomes are measured pre-post intervention. 2. In educators, an instructional support measure (classroom assessment scoring system). This outcome is measured pre-post intervention. 3. In parents, quality of home learning (only arm with home-aligned activities). This outcome is measured pre-post intervention	—

Measure

Time frame

1. In children, language and literacy measures (vocabulary, narratives, phonological awareness, letter identification). These outcomes are measured pre-post intervention. 2. In educators, an instructional support measure (classroom assessment scoring system). This outcome is measured pre-post intervention. 3. In parents, quality of home learning (only arm with home-aligned activities). This outcome is measured pre-post intervention

—

Secondary

Measure	Time frame
In children, socio-emotional development measure (strengths and difficulties questionnaire). This outcome is measured pre and post intervention.	—

Countries

Denmark

Outcome results

None listed

Source: ISRCTN (via WHO ICTRP) · Data processed: Feb 4, 2026