ERIC Number: EJ1297765
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2021-Jul
Pages: 29
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-0305-0009
EISSN: N/A
Available Date: N/A
Parent Education to Improve Early Language Development: A Preliminary Evaluation of LENA Start™
Elmquist, Marianne; Finestack, Lizbeth H.; Kriese, Amanda; Lease, Erin M.; McConnell, Scott R.
Journal of Child Language, v48 n4 p670-698 Jul 2021
Parents play an important role in creating home language environments that promote language development. A nonequivalent group design was used to evaluate the effectiveness of a community-based implementation of LENA Start™, a parent-training program aimed at increasing the quantity of adult words (AWC) and conversational turns (CT). Parent-child dyads participated in LENA Start™ (n=39) or a generic parent education program (n=17). Overall, attendance and engagement in the LENA Start™ program were high: 72% of participants met criteria to graduate from the program. Within-subject gains were positive for LENA Start™ families. Comparison families declined on these measures. However, both effects were non-significant. Between-group analyses revealed small to medium-sized effects favoring LENA Start™ and these were significant for child vocalizations (CV) and CT but not AWC. These results provide preliminary evidence that programs like LENA Start™ can be embedded in community-based settings to promote quality parent-child language interactions.
Descriptors: Parent Education, Language Acquisition, Linguistic Input, Child Language, Children, Program Effectiveness, Parent Child Relationship
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Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Research
Education Level: Adult Education
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A
What Works Clearinghouse Reviewed: Does Not Meet Evidence Standards
WWC Study Page: https://ies.ed.gov/ncee/wwc/Study/90406
Author Affiliations: N/A