Objectives
This paper will first share findings from the RCT (Mooney at al., under review); second, reflect on the findings using qualitative data gathered from a process evaluation; and third explore what a modified intervention premised on a clearly defined theory of change might look like.
Method
There were two stages to the research:
• Stage 1: RCT involving 116 children in foster care in Northern Ireland between the ages of 7-11 years old;
• Stage 2: a process evaluation involving in-depth interviews with the programme designer, 20 foster carers and 11 foster children.
Measures
Stage 1
The Neale (1997) Analysis of Reading Ability (NARA) that measures the accuracy, comprehension and rate of reading in pupils from the ages of 6 to 12 years.
Elementary Reading Attitude Survey (McKenna and Kear, 1990): Pupils self-reported their own enjoyment of reading for leisure and in school. Pupils rated each aspect on a 4-point scale using four Garfield the cat pictures.
Data analysis
Stage 1
Linear regression (for continuous outcome variables) and binary logistic regression for the single question measures (i.e. Do you like school? and Do you like reading?) were used for the trial element of the study. For each outcome variable, the child’s post-test score was the dependent variable and the child’s respective pre-test score and a dummy variable indicating whether they were in the intervention or control group were added as independent variables. The exploratory analysis of the differential effects of the programme for subgroups (age, gender, type of care and level of achievement) was undertaken by extending these basic models with the addition, in each case, of a variable representing the subgroup and an interaction term between that subgroup variable and the dummy variable for intervention/control group membership.
Stage 2
Thematic analysis of qualitative data organised around the carer/child engagement with and enjoyment of the parcel from its arrival at the foster carer’s house.
Results
The presentation will present the results from Stage 1 and Stage 2, focusing on the impact of the book gifting scheme on the literacy skills of children in foster care and highlighting findings from the process evaluation that help contextualise and make sense of the RCT findings.
Implications
Will be discussed on 3 levels: evidence based interventions and looked after children (Flynn et al., 2010; Osborne et al., 2012); interventions and logic models; future policy and research priorities for children in foster care.
References
Flynn, R., Marquis, R., Paquet, M., Peeke, L. and Aubry, T. (2012) ‘Effects of individual direct-instruction tutoring on foster children's academic skills: A randomized trial’, Children and Youth Services Review, 34 (6), pp. 1183–1189.
McKenna, M.C. and Kear, D.J. (1990) ‘Measuring attitude toward reading: A new tool for teachers’, The Reading Teacher, 43(8), pp.626-639.
Mooney, J., Connolly, P. and Winter, K. (under review) ‘Effects of a book gifting programme on literacy outcomes for foster children: A randomised controlled trial evaluation of The Letterbox Club in Northern Ireland’, Children and Youth Services Review.
Neale, M. D. (1997) Neale Analysis of Reading Ability – Revised, Windsor: NFER-Nelson.
Osborne, C., Alfano, J. and Winn, T. (2010) ‘Paired reading as a literacy intervention for foster children’, Adoption and Fostering, 34(4), pp.17-26.
Education and qualification of children and young people in care , Program evaluation and quality in child welfare
