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Supporting Parents to Support Children: A U.K. Randomized Controlled Trial Testing a Text Message Intervention to Cultivate the Home Learning Environment

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Title: Supporting Parents to Support Children: A U.K. Randomized Controlled Trial Testing a Text Message Intervention to Cultivate the Home Learning Environment
Language: English
Authors: Fionnuala O'Reilly, Susanna Loeb, Alice Farrell, Gaia Scerif (ORCID 0000-0002-6371-8875)
Source: Journal of Educational Psychology. 2026 118(1):12-34.
Availability: American Psychological Association. Journals Department, 750 First Street NE, Washington, DC 20002. Tel: 800-374-2721; Tel: 202-336-5510; Fax: 202-336-5502; e-mail: order@apa.org; Web site: http://www.apa.org
Peer Reviewed: Y
Page Count: 23
Publication Date: 2026
Document Type: Journal Articles
Reports - Research
Education Level: Early Childhood Education
Preschool Education
Descriptors: Intervention, Family School Relationship, Family Environment, Foreign Countries, Handheld Devices, Program Evaluation, Early Reading, Reading Achievement, Social Development, Emotional Development, Well Being, Child Behavior, Behavior Problems, Questionnaires, Screening Tests, Preschool Children, Preschool Education, Parent Student Relationship, Telecommunications, Student Characteristics, Socioeconomic Status, Special Education, English Learners, Special Needs Students
Geographic Terms: United Kingdom (England)
Assessment and Survey Identifiers: Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire
DOI: 10.1037/edu0000973
ISSN: 0022-0663
1939-2176
Abstract: A stimulating and supportive home learning environment helps children to be cognitively and emotionally ready to learn by age 5. Despite the growing availability of parenting resources, the attainment gap between affluent and disadvantaged families continues to widen across many developed nations. Tips by Text is a 12-month text message program originally developed in the United States to help parents integrate developmental activities into daily routines with their children. Designed for 4- to 5-year-olds, the messages aim to support language, literacy, numeracy, and socioemotional skills. We adapted and tested the Tips by Text program in a large-scale randomized controlled trial involving 109 schools in England from 2019 to 2021 (n = 3,649). Due to COVID-19, postintervention data collection faced approximately 70% attrition on the primary outcome measure, resulting in a final analytical sample of n = 753. Despite this, the retained sample was comparable to the original U.S. study, allowing us to proceed with analysis. In this study, we replicate the primary impact analysis conducted by the original randomized controlled trial evaluators and extend it to examine whether the intervention had differential effects on children facing various challenges, including socioeconomic disadvantage, language barriers, special educational needs, or multiple overlapping risk factors. Our analysis found no significant improvements in reading-related skills or socioemotional outcomes nor any meaningful differences in response to the program based on these subgroups. The high level of attrition limited the study's power to detect effects, underscoring the need for further evaluation, which is currently underway.
Abstractor: As Provided
Entry Date: 2026
Accession Number: EJ1507454
Database: ERIC
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  Data: <searchLink fieldCode="AR" term="%22Fionnuala+O'Reilly%22">Fionnuala O'Reilly</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="AR" term="%22Susanna+Loeb%22">Susanna Loeb</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="AR" term="%22Alice+Farrell%22">Alice Farrell</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="AR" term="%22Gaia+Scerif%22">Gaia Scerif</searchLink> (ORCID <externalLink term="https://orcid.org/0000-0002-6371-8875">0000-0002-6371-8875</externalLink>)
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  Data: American Psychological Association. Journals Department, 750 First Street NE, Washington, DC 20002. Tel: 800-374-2721; Tel: 202-336-5510; Fax: 202-336-5502; e-mail: order@apa.org; Web site: http://www.apa.org
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  Data: A stimulating and supportive home learning environment helps children to be cognitively and emotionally ready to learn by age 5. Despite the growing availability of parenting resources, the attainment gap between affluent and disadvantaged families continues to widen across many developed nations. Tips by Text is a 12-month text message program originally developed in the United States to help parents integrate developmental activities into daily routines with their children. Designed for 4- to 5-year-olds, the messages aim to support language, literacy, numeracy, and socioemotional skills. We adapted and tested the Tips by Text program in a large-scale randomized controlled trial involving 109 schools in England from 2019 to 2021 (n = 3,649). Due to COVID-19, postintervention data collection faced approximately 70% attrition on the primary outcome measure, resulting in a final analytical sample of n = 753. Despite this, the retained sample was comparable to the original U.S. study, allowing us to proceed with analysis. In this study, we replicate the primary impact analysis conducted by the original randomized controlled trial evaluators and extend it to examine whether the intervention had differential effects on children facing various challenges, including socioeconomic disadvantage, language barriers, special educational needs, or multiple overlapping risk factors. Our analysis found no significant improvements in reading-related skills or socioemotional outcomes nor any meaningful differences in response to the program based on these subgroups. The high level of attrition limited the study's power to detect effects, underscoring the need for further evaluation, which is currently underway.
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