The effects of teaching primary caregivers to conduct formative assessment on caregiver–child social interaction and children’s developmental outcomes

Abstract

The purpose of this research was to examine the effects of teaching primary caregivers to conduct formative assessment procedures on the development of social interactions between themselves and their infants who were born prematurely and had low birth weight, and who were from economically disadvantaged families. Children’s overall development including communication skills was also investigated. A single subject multiple baseline design was applied across settings and participants. Different from most previous studies with professionals as the assessment and intervention providers, the current study trained parents and/or grandparents as the core individuals in conducting formative assessment in the home setting. Social interaction between the primary caregiver and the child was videotaped, coded, and analysed. Findings suggest that teaching caregivers to conduct formative assessment with regular support from professionals has a positive impact on caregiver–child social interactions and the child’s communication skills and overall development.

Keywords:

• formative assessment
• low birth weight
• prematurity
• social interaction