Evaluation of a parent-delivered early language enrichment programme: Evidence from a Randomised Controlled Trial

Journal article

Background

It is widely believed that increasing parental involvement can improve children’s educational outcomes though we lack good evidence for such claims. The current study evaluated the effectiveness of a parent-delivered early language enrichment programme.

Methods

We conducted a randomized controlled trial (RCT) with 208 pre-school children and their parents living in socially diverse areas in the UK. Families were allocated to an oral language programme (N=103) or an active control programme targeting motor skills (N=105). Parents delivered the programmes to their child at home in daily 20-minute sessions over 30 weeks of teaching.

Results

Children receiving the language programme made significantly larger gains in language (d=.21) and narrative skills (d=.36) than children receiving the motor skills programme at immediate posttest. Effects on language were maintained 6 months later (d=.34), and at this point the language group also scored higher on tests of early literacy (d’s=.35 and .42). There was no evidence that the movement programme improved motor skills.

Conclusions

This study provides evidence for the effectiveness of a parent-delivered language enrichment programme. Further large-scale evaluations of the programme are needed to confirm and extend these findings.

Authors: Burgoyne, K; Gardner, R; Whiteley, H; Snowling, M; Hulme, C

• Publication status: Published
• Peer review status: Peer reviewed
• Publisher: Wiley
• Journal: Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry
• Volume: 59
• Issue: 5
• Pages: 545-555
• Publication date: 2017-09-20
• Acceptance date: 2017-08-21
• DOI: 10.1111/jcpp.12819
• EISSN: 1469-7610
• ISSN: 0021-9630
• Keywords: education; motor skills; RCT; early literacy; parents; language