Project Activities
In Year 1, the research team will develop the PD approach and related intervention components based on user and expert feedback. In Year 2, the team will implement the suggested changes and field test the revised model. In Year 3, single-case design studies will be used to identify the level of coaching needed to best support provider use of PC TALK. In Year 4, a randomized controlled trial will be used to determine the promise of the refined PC TALK intervention – with the new PD model, coaching, and tools – for improving provider implementation fidelity, parent fidelity of language strategies, and children's language outcomes.
Structured Abstract
Setting
This research will take place in home-based Early Head Start as well as early intervention programs, funded by Part C of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA), in Kansas.
Sample
Participants will include 76 providers (Part C early interventionists and Early Head Start home visitors) along with 204 infants and toddlers (ages 10-24 months) with or at risk for disabilities and their families. Of these participants, 60 providers and 180 child-parent dyads will participate in the pilot study.
A PD model and associated coaching and tools will be developed to improve implementation of PC TALK. PC TALK is a manualized set of language-promoting strategies and tools that home visitors and interventionists use to guide caregivers in promoting children's communication skills through natural interactions in daily routines. In addition to the manual, PC TALK uses video demonstrations of strategies, poster reminders, activity cards, self-checklists, an observation system to measure fidelity, and use of technology supports (in particular, text message reminders and the Talk Round Town mobile app for real-time, location-specific prompts to use intervention strategies). During this project the overall PD framework and coaching will be developed along with the associated resources and materials. The preliminary model includes group PD sessions, video tutorials, and group coaching with feedback on fidelity. The researchers will also improve the technology-based resources to support implementation fidelity, including a new mobile app to enhance parent-child interaction measurement (for parent fidelity and child communication).
Research design and methods
The first 2 years of the project will involve iterative intervention development, including expert and end-user feedback about the intervention's usability as well as field testing that incorporates formative feedback. More specifically, in Year 1, researchers will gather feedback on components of the PD model as well as the feasibility and usability of the critical PC TALK intervention and PD components through surveys and focus groups with expert researchers, early interventionists, and home visitors. In Year 2, the PC TALK intervention and associated PD training, coaching, and materials will be revised based on feedback from focus groups and user surveys, and the refined model will be field tested by providers working with families to determine its acceptability and usability. Researchers will also complete the development of a mobile app to collect data on parent-child communication interactions, the Promoting Communication Observation Tool (PCObs). In Year 3, the research team will conduct two multiple-baseline single-case design studies to test the refined PD framework and determine the optimal coaching frequency for improving provider implementation of PC TALK. In Year 4, the research team will conduct a randomized controlled trial to pilot test the whole intervention and PD framework. Providers will be randomly assigned to the intervention group or to a control group. Those in the intervention group will receive the PD and coaching and implement PC TALK over a period of approximately 9 months. The research team will collect data at 3-month intervals to determine implementation fidelity compared to the control group as well as the associations between provider implementation fidelity, parent fidelity of language strategies, and growth in child language outcomes.
Control condition
For the pilot study, providers in the control group will participate in general training workshops that focus on child language development and promotion but will not learn the PC TALK strategies or receive coaching and access to related tools.
Key measures
For the initial iterative development process in Year 1, data will be collected through focus groups and questionnaires. For the field testing in Year 2, the research team will use a variety of measures to assess implementation fidelity, including the Coaching Implementation Checklist for coaching fidelity, the PC TALK Intervention Checklist (coding observations) for provider fidelity, observation of coaching sessions, and web analytics of engagement with video tutorials and use of the mobile app. Focus groups and questionnaires will be used to examine acceptability, feasibility, and clarity of training and coaching. In Year 3, researchers will use the same intervention and coaching implementation checklists as Year 2, as well as a social validity questionnaire that will be collected from providers at the end of the single-case design studies. Measures for the Year 4 pilot study will use the same intervention and coaching implementation checklists and social validity scale, as well as the Evidence-Based Practice Attitude Scale to assess the openness of providers to adopt EBPs, the Promoting Communication Observational Tool (PCObs): Parent Fidelity, web analytics to document delivery of text message prompts, a family demographic interview, and a provider survey to assess professional background. Primary child language outcomes for the pilot study will be measured through the Early Communication Indicator (observational progress monitoring tool), Preschool Language Scale – 5th Edition (auditory comprehension and expressive communication), PCObs: Child Communication (observations of parent-child communication interactions), and Language Environments Analysis (LENA; digital language processor and speech recognition tool).
Data analytic strategy
Data from the Year 1 focus groups will categorized, coded, and used to identify themes related to the intervention's acceptability, feasibility, and clarity. Questionnaire data will be combined with the qualitative data to triangulate responses. For Year 2, data from observations, surveys, and focus groups will be compiled and summarized for the research team to use in making revisions. Survey data will also be analyzed descriptively. The single-case design studies in Year 3 will be analyzed using visual analyses and calculation of effect sizes. Multilevel growth curve analysis will be used for the Year 4 pilot study to examine the extent to which the PD and coaching framework improve providers' implementation fidelity, and the relationships between provider fidelity, parent fidelity, and children's language growth.
People and institutions involved
IES program contact(s)
Project contributors
Products and publications
Products: The products of this project will include a fully developed PD model for early interventionists and home visitors who implement PC TALK with families and evidence of its promise for improving language outcomes in infants and toddlers with or at risk for disabilities. The project will result in peer-reviewed publications and presentations as well as additional dissemination products that reach education stakeholders such as practitioners and policymakers.
ERIC Citations: Find available citations in ERIC for this award here.
Project website:
Questions about this project?
To answer additional questions about this project or provide feedback, please contact the program officer.
