Parent Child Talk Study

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An Investigation into Parent and Child Conversations across Situations: Online Study

Why is this research important?

This research is looking at how parents and children talk across different settings and over time. Due to COVID-19, our research practices have undergone significant changes to minimise risk to researchers and participants and so we are now using online tools to help us answer our questions about conversations at home!

What does the research involve?

In this research, we are looking at how parents and their children talk together across different settings, so we will be asking you to take part in three different tasks.

• The first task will involve you and your child reading a picture-book together. We will ask you to read this as you normally would and to work through it at your own pace.
• The second task will require your child to draw with you for five minutes. We will ask you to play together as you normally would if we were not there.
• The final task will also take five minutes to complete and requires you and your child to talk together while your child enjoys a small snack. We ask that this is something quick and easy for you to prepare and that you know your child enjoys, perhaps their favourite sandwich or some fruit.

We are also trying to learn about children’s social and thinking skills. Once these three five-minute tasks are complete, with your assistance, we will ask your child to take part in a series of fun online games involving stories and pictures.

Regular comfort breaks will be offered between tasks, but if you or your child feel you need an additional break at any point, please do not hesitate to let us know.

Each session will last approximately one hour, during which time you will take part in the above tasks. The study lasts approximately 6 weeks, so we ask that you bear this in mind when booking your first video call with us.

Are there any risks involved?

There are no risks involved in this research, and there are no direct benefits to your participation. Although, we hope that by studying many parents and their children, we can gain a greater understanding of the special nature of parent and child conversations. You will receive a small ‘thank you’ gift for your time with us (£20 voucher upon completion of all three video calls with you and your child).

Is our data anonymous?

All identifiable information will be kept confidential and will only be accessible by members of the research team at the University of Birmingham. Any personal details that you’ve provided to us, including names, contact numbers and addresses, will be stored in a secure and restricted location, separate to any responses or recordings of you or your child. The video call itself will be conducted using Zoom, for which the University of Birmingham holds a license. All recordings conducted through Zoom will be saved to a University server only. These recordings will be stored electronically on password-protected computers that can only be accessed by members of the research team.

Can I withdraw from the study?

Your participation in this study is completely voluntary and you are free to stop at any point you wish, for whatever reason. You do not have to disclose this reason to the researcher or anybody else. There will be no consequences for leaving, and you can even withdraw once the session has completed if you wish to. You can withdraw all of your data by getting in touch with us at any time, up until one month after our call with you. After this point, all data will be anonymous and you will no longer be able to withdraw.

If you have any questions or concerns, please ask the researcher before your session begins, or, if you prefer, contact us via email.