Using interactive nonfiction narrative to enhance competence in the informed consent process with 3-year-old children

ABSTRACT

Ensuring young children’s competence to participate meaningfully in the informed consent process is a troublesome ethical issue. Evolving recognition of the influence of context and relationship, researcher perspective, and researcher responsibility to provide adequate support has advanced understanding of how this might be achieved. Here, we report the findings of the pilot trial of a new approach that used an ‘interactive nonfiction narrative’ to enhance young children’s capacity to provide meaningful informed consent. This innovative approach employs (re)telling strategies and technology (interactive) to convey factual information about the research (nonfiction) via a story (narrative) to promote participant understanding. Case studies of two 3-year-old boys and their mothers captured participants’ understanding of the informing and consent process. Data collection in the child’s home took place over 11 weeks and included conversations with children and semi-structured interviews with parents on three occasions, together with videos of children interacting with the informing story. We found that children understood many of the key concepts, including the research problem and how they could ‘help’ (participate). Children also understood that they could cease their participation, with one boy exercising his right to opt out towards the end of the study.     

Enhancing consent forms to support participant decision making in multimodal learning data research

Advances in the field of multimodal learning analytics (MMLA) research is often accomplished by actively exploring new technologies and techniques related to the collection and analysis of data. Exploration of ethical principles and procedures for governing the use of new technologies and techniques, however, is not as readily pursued. As collected data grow in complexity and invasiveness, potentially, a growing need is arising to scrutinize ethical aspects of MMLA research. In our study, we introduce an informed consent comprehension test for educational technology research and assess the effects of enhancing MMLA consent forms on comprehension of informed consent and on rates of enrollment in a MMLA study. One form is written from a researcher perspective and the other from a participant perspective. Results of the study involving first-year undergraduate students suggest that the overall level of comprehension did not differ between conditions. Yet, the participant-oriented consent form resulted in significantly lower rates of enrollment. Implications for MMLA researchers are discussed.     

Respecting and fulfilling the right of post-primary pupils to consent to participate in trials and evaluative research: a discussion paper

This paper provides an introduction to issues surrounding the participation rights of young people in research and the implications of their growing involvement in research as well as providing a discourse on the ethical implications related to consent. The unique contribution of this paper is that it considers children’s rights in respect to the increasing opportunities for young people to take part in evaluation research. The aim of this paper, therefore, is to acknowledge the growing involvement for young people in research and the implications of ensuring that their rights of participation are respected. Secondly, we will consider the children’s rights legislation and our obligations as researchers to implement this. Finally, we will explore consent as an issue in its own right as well as the practicalities of accessing participants. This paper will postulate that any research about young people should involve and prioritize at all stages of the research process; including participation in decision-making. We conclude by identifying five key principles, which we believe can help to facilitate the fulfilment of post-primary pupils’ ability to consent to participate in trials and evaluative research.     

A tool to record and support the early development of children including those with special educational needs or disabilities

Early intervention is key for children with special educational needs or disabilities (SEND), and therefore early assessment is crucial. Information from parents about children's current ability and their developmental history can make valid and useful contributions to developmental assessments. Parental input is also important in early education for children with and without SEND. In England, recent changes to statutory guidance for early education highlight partnership working with parents, progress checks and continuous observation. The Early Years Developmental Journal (EYDJ), an Early Support tool primarily aimed at families, aims to support early identification and assessment for children with SEND and early education for all children. The article describes Early Support to provide a backdrop and then outlines the purpose, structure and rigorous development process of the EYDJ. Use of the EYDJ to support parents, early years education practitioners, health visitors, developmental assessments and the forthcoming English special educational needs (SEN) reforms is also described.     

Discourses of whiteness and blackness: an ethnographic study of three young children learning to be white

In blatant, but nuanced and often invisible ways, racism continues to exist globally, nationally and locally, implicating us all. The insidious nature of racism is deeply rooted in the lives of young children. In order to interrupt and reverse those practices, we must know how race is constructed during the early years. This study looked closely at the lives of three white children to identify and examine discourses in their worlds that unveiled how they learned to be raced.     

Education for children with a chronic health condition: an evidence‐informed approach to policy and practice decision making

Children managing chronic health conditions face many obstacles which can impede their learning during periods of hospitalisation. In one particular hospital, a team of educators deemed it necessary to take a personalised learning approach in order to maintain students’ educational progress, namely making use of individual learning plans (ILPs). This team adopted an evidence‐informed practice (EIP) approach to the issue in order to persuade administrators of the need for change. The successful implementation of the EIP approach led to the inclusion of the ILP form in patients’ medical records, which is thought to be a first for Australia. Although EIP is regarded highly by practitioners and policy makers, there can be difficulties when implementing this approach. This study aims to identify the enabling features that permit EIP to be successfully implemented and to examine the ways in which EIP can lead to improved practice.     

The effect of expertise-based training on the quality of digital stories created to teach mathematics to young children

This study investigated the effect of expertise-based training (XBT) on the quality of digital stories created by early childhood education (ECE) pre-service teachers. The participants of the study were 69 pre-service teachers from the ECE Department. The study was experimental, utilizing a static-group pre-test/post-test design, supported with qualitative data. Data were collected through analysis and evaluation of digital stories, open-ended questionnaire, and journals. During analysis, an independent t-test was conducted and open coding analysis was applied. The results showed that the XBT group teachers earned significantly higher scores on their digital stories than the traditional group. Moreover, the XBT group focused more on the details of digital story creation, such as emphasizing the purpose of the story during each component; choosing an appropriate tone of voice; using pictures, including characters as Pepe, Kayo, and The Smurfs; and defining key words then applying pictures accordingly.     

Characteristics of Swedish preschools that provide education and care to children with special educational needs

In Sweden, preschool inclusion is embraced and preschools are open for children both with and without special educational needs. The purpose of this study was to examine the characteristics of a number of preschool units in Sweden that provide education and care to children with special educational needs with regard to organisation, resources and quality. The purpose was also to provide reflections on the usefulness of different structured observation rating scales designed to assess preschool quality. Eight preschool units located in four Swedish districts were visited. A total of sixteen 5-year-old children with special educational needs/disability and forty typically developing children of the same age participated. The data sources were structured observation rating scales (Early Childhood Environment Rating Scale, Caregiver Interaction Scale and Inclusive Classroom Profile), ABILITIES Index questionnaire, unstructured observation, interviews, conversations and documents. Two overall typologies of preschool units were identified: the comprehensive units enrolled children with various special educational needs/disability, while the specialised units enrolled children with the same disability. The staff resources were greater in the specialised units. The overall quality in the observed units ranged from low to good. In units educating children with a disability diagnosis, the quality was never low. None of the preschool units was scored as having a good inclusive environment. The structured observation rating scales complemented each other and covered, in part, different quality aspects of the units. The study shows that there is a large variation in quality between the units and that there is a need to further develop the quality of the preschool units and of the services for children with special educational needs in Swedish preschools.     

A comparison between a Neuro-Physiological Psychotherapy (NPP) treatment group and a control group for children adopted from care: Support for a neurodevelopmentally informed approach to therapeutic intervention with maltreated children

BackgroundLittle evidence exists regarding outcomes of therapeutic interventions for maltreated children who are removed from their birth families and then adopted. This study follows on from a previous evaluation of the Neuro-Physiological Psychotherapy (NPP) model, which found significant, positive and sustained post-treatment change.ObjectiveTo compare the outcomes for the NPP intervention group to those of a control group.Participants and settingParticipants were families who received the NPP intervention and families who, following assessment, did not receive the NPP intervention as recommended.MethodsGroups were matched in terms of demographics and presentation at assessment. A comparison of outcomes took place using ANCOVA.ResultsSignificant differences were found between group measures of Behavioral Regulation Index (moderate effect size, Cohen’s d = .435; F(1, 1505) = 14.476, p = .000) and Global Executive Functioning (BRIEF) (small effect size, Cohen’s d = .147; F(1, 3506) = 7.771, p = .008); mental health difficulties common in maltreated children (ACC/ACA) (small effect size, Cohen’s D = .212; F(1, 1100) = 6.197, p = .020) and externalizing behavior (CBCL) (small effect size, Cohen’s D = .025; F(1, 686) = 5.420, p = .025). A comparison of parent responses on quantitative aspects of a structured interview using chi-square analysis revealed significant differences between the groups on relationship quality (x2 (2, N = 53) = 10.453, p = .005 with a medium effect size, Cramer’s V = .444), disruption (x2 (1, N = 54) = 4.998, p = .025. The effect size was medium with Cramer’s V = .304), parental separation rates (x2 (1, N = 45) = 9.474, p = .002. The effect size was moderate with Cramer’s V = .459) and several indicators for longer-term social inclusion. The results are discussed in the light of the model’s neurodevelopmental and sequential approach, which focuses on sensory integration, affect regulation and therapeutic life story work alongside parent and school support.ConclusionsImplications regarding current treatment guidelines for this population are discussed; and a call is made for interventions which actively consider and address the neurodevelopmental impact of maltreatment.