Recruiting

Media Engagement

Sponsor:

Ohio State University

Code:

NCT06796790

Conditions

Media Effects on Literacy Gains in Young Children

Eligibility Criteria

Sex: All

Age: 3 - 4

Healthy Volunteers: Accepted

Interventions

Media instruction

Storybook intervention

Study Details

Brief summary:

The goal of this study is to determine whether an intervention to support caregivers in engaging with their children while using educational media together can improve children's early literacy skills, compared to an aligned shared book reading intervention and to no intervention. Given that early literacy skills predict children's later academic learning, this home intervention, which aims to shape the communication patterns surrounding a common, family-friendly activity, has the potential to positively influence the trajectory of low income children's academic success. The investigators propose that amedia based activity will reduce barriers and increase adherence therefore increasing literacy skills over time.

Conditions

Media Effects on Literacy Gains in Young Children

Study ID

NCT06796790

Start date

Jul 11, 2025

Status verified date

Feb, 2026

Completion date

Aug 31, 2029

Anticipated

Primary completion date

Aug 31, 2029

Anticipated

Eligibility Criteria

Eligibility Criteria

Sex: All

Age: 3 - 4

Healthy Volunteers: Accepted

Inclusion Criteria:

  • between 42 and 57 months at enrollment
  • minimally verbal in English
  • caregiver sufficiently proficient in English
  • does not have severe intellectual disability

Exclusion Criteria:

  • under 42 months
  • over 57 months at enrollment
  • severe intellectual disability
  • not proficient in English

Study Design

Enrollment

450 participants

Anticipated

Allocation

Randomized

Intervention Model

Parallel Assignment

Primary purpose

Prevention

Interventions and Outcome Measures

Arms

experimental: Media instruction

Caregivers will be asked to implement joint media sessions with their child four times per week for 12 weeks using lightly adapted versions of the commercially-available Super Why! program, which focuses on early literacy skills, including alphabet knowledge, rhyming, spelling, and print concepts. Sessions are anticipated to last 20 minutes. Caregivers will be trained by researchers on explicit strategies to use to promote children's learning. Caregivers will digitally log every session and audio record 1 session each week.

active comparator: Storybook instruction

Caregivers will be asked to implement joint storybook reading sessions with their child four times per week for 12 weeks using adapted versions of the commercially -available Super-Why! storybooks, which focus on early literacy skills including alphabet knowledge, rhyming, spelling, and print concepts. Sessions are anticipated to last 20 minutes. Caregivers will be trained by researchers on explicit strategies to use to promote children's learning. Caregivers will digitally log every session and audio record 1 session each week.

no intervention: Business-as-usual control

Caregivers will be asked to log any joint learning activities they engage in with their child but will not be provided with any specific materials or instructions.

Interventions

Media instruction

Caregivers will be asked to implement joint media sessions with their child four times per week for 12 weeks using lightly adapted versions of the commercially-available Super Why! program, which focuses on early literacy skills, including alphabet knowledge, rhyming, spelling, and print concepts. Sessions are anticipated to last 20 minutes. Caregivers will be trained by researchers on explicit strategies to use to promote children's learning. Caregivers will digitally log every session and audio record 1 session each week

Storybook intervention

Caregivers will be asked to implement joint storybook reading sessions with their child four times per week for 12 weeks using adapted versions of the commercially -available Super-Why! storybooks, which focus on early literacy skills including alphabet knowledge, rhyming, spelling, and print concepts. Sessions are anticipated to last 20 minutes. Caregivers will be trained by researchers on explicit strategies to use to promote children's learning. Caregivers will digitally log every session and audio record 1 session each week.

Primary outcome measure

  • Print concept knowledge [ Time Frame: At pretest after enrollment and at posttest after the 12 week intervention period ]
  • Alphabet knowledge [ Time Frame: At pretest after enrollment and at posttest after the 12 week intervention period ]
  • Name Writing [ Time Frame: At pretest after enrollment and at posttest after the 12 week intervention period ]
  • Phonological Awareness [ Time Frame: At pretest after enrollment and at posttest after the 12 week intervention period ]
  • Word reading [ Time Frame: At pretest after enrollment, at posttest after the 12 week intervention period, at 3-month follow up, at 6-month follow-up, and at 12- month follow up ]
  • Spelling [ Time Frame: At pretest after enrollment, at posttest after the 12 week intervention period, at 3-month follow up, at 6-month follow-up, and at 12- month follow up ]

Central Contacts and Locations

Central contacts

Eileen L Donnally, Master of Science

614-247-5897donnally.7@osu.edu

Rebecca A Dore, PhD

(614) 247-7488dore.13@osu.edu

Locations

The Ohio State University Crane Center for Early Childhood

Recruiting

Columbus, Ohio, United States, 43201

Contacts

Eileen L Donnally, Master of Science

614-247-5897donnally.7@osu.edu

Rebecca A Dore, PhD

(614) 247-7488dore.13@osu.edu

Principal Investigator:

Rebecca A Dore, PhD

More Information

Sponsor

Ohio State University

Last update posted

Feb 23, 2026

Last verified

Feb, 2026

Keywords

  • Literacy
  • Media
  • Shared reading
  • Poverty
  • Parents
  • Intervention
  • Preschool
  • Television

Trial information was received from ClinicalTrials.gov and was last updated on 2026-09-10. This information was provided to ClinicalTrials.gov by Ohio State University on 2026-02-23.