Family Engagement
Conditions
Brief summary
This study aims to evaluate the appeal and effectiveness of Sesame Workshop's Growing Together online professional development course.
Interventions
OTHERGrowing Together
Growing Together is a suite of free, online research-informed professional development modules to help early childhood educators promote deeper family engagement and enrich teacher-parent interactions.
Sponsors
Sesame Workshop
Public Health Management Corporation
Study design
Allocation
RANDOMIZED
Intervention model
PARALLEL
Primary purpose
OTHER
Masking
NONE
Eligibility
Sex/Gender
ALL
Age
18 Years to No maximum
Healthy volunteers
Yes
Inclusion criteria
Teachers: * Work in an eligible center with a director who has agreed for the center to participate in the study * Serve as the lead teacher in a classroom with at least 3 four year olds (can be a co-teacher and can teach a mixed age class) * Have access to reliable, high-speed internet * Have an email address that can be shared with researchers * Read English enough to understand course materials and/or surveys * Not have previously accessed the Growing Together course * Be available during the timeframe of the study Parents: * Have a child who is 4 years old or about to be 4 years old during the weeks of the course enrolled in a classroom at least 3 days in a typical week with a teacher interested in participating in the study * Have access to reliable, high-speed internet * Have an email address that can be shared with researchers * Read English enough to understand course materials and/or surveys * Be available during the timeframe of the study
Exclusion criteria
Teachers: * Working in an ineligible center * Working in a center with a director who has not agreed for the center to participate in the study * Not being a lead teacher * Not teaching at least 3 four year olds * Not having access to reliable, high-speed internet * Not willing to share an email address with researchers * Being unable to read English enough to understand course materials and/or surveys * Having previously accessed the Growing Together course * Not being available during the timeframe of the study Parents: * Not having a child who is 4 years old or about to be 4 years old during the weeks of the course * Not having a child enrolled in a classroom at least 3 days in a typical week * Not having a child enrolled in a classroom with a teacher interested in participating in the study * Not having access to reliable, high-speed internet * Not willing to share an email address with researchers * Being unable to read English enough to understand course materials and/or surveys * Not being available during the timeframe of the study
Design outcomes
Primary
| Measure | Time frame | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Family and Provider/Teacher Relationship Quality (FTPRQ) | Up to 12 weeks | Self-report measure (teachers and parents) of the quality of family and teacher relationships. |
| Teachers' Sense of Efficacy Scale | Up to 12 weeks | Teachers' self-efficacy in three areas: student engagement, instructional strategies, and classroom management. |
| Family Involvement Questionnaire (FIQ) | Up to 12 weeks | Multi-dimensional parent-report scale of family involvement in early childhood education, reflecting levels of involvement of parent activity across home and classroom contexts. |
| Activities with Your Child | Up to 12 weeks | Parent report of the frequency with which they or someone in their family engaged in a variety of activities with their child; adapted from the Head Start FACES studies parent interviews. |
Secondary
| Measure | Time frame | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Devereux Early Childhood Assessment for Preschoolers, Second Edition (DECA-P2) | Up to 12 weeks | Behavior rating scale completed by parents and teachers. Provides an assessment of within-child protective factors related to resilience and a screener for behavioral concerns in children ages 3 through 5. |
Countries
United States
Outcome results
None listed