ABSTRACT

Research Findings: The global COVID-19 pandemic prevented the implementation of in-person summer learning programs designed to improve school readiness for entering kindergartners. Thus, we conducted the current study examining the feasibility, social validity, and preliminary impacts of a virtual summer learning program. Ninety-one preschoolers and their caregivers participated in a 4-week program involving one weekly teacher-caregiver meeting, two weekly Watch Together home learning activities, two weekly Play Together home learning activities, one or two weekly Read Together home learning activities, and one or two weekly teacher-child video chat lessons. Recruitment and participation indicated high levels of interest. Caregivers reported high levels of satisfaction with the program and teachers reported moderate to high levels of child engagement during video chat lessons. Children showed significant gains on emotion knowledge, patterning, and alphabet knowledge. Practice or Policy: This study demonstrates the promise of a virtual kindergarten readiness program and suggests that the combination of educational media and video chat instruction may be effective for promoting children’s skills. A virtual intervention could be beneficial in other contexts, such as in rural areas where it would be challenging for families to participate in an in-person program or for immunocompromised or seriously ill children who are unable to attend in person.

摘要

研究结果：全球 COVID-19 大流行阻止了旨在提高入学准备进入幼儿园的面对面暑期学习计划的实施。因此，我们进行了当前的研究，检查虚拟暑期学习计划的可行性、社会有效性和初步影响。91 名学龄前儿童和他们的看护人参加了一个为期 4 周的计划，包括每周一次的教师-看护人会议、两次每周一次的Watch Together家庭学习活动、两次每周一次的Play Together家庭学习活动、每周一到两次的Read Together家庭学习活动，以及每周一到两节师生视频聊天课程。招聘和参与表明了高度的兴趣。看护人对该计划表示高度满意，教师表示在视频聊天课程中儿童参与度中等至高。儿童在情感知识、模式和字母知识方面表现出显着进步。实践或政策：这项研究证明了虚拟幼儿园准备计划的前景，并表明教育媒体和视频聊天教学的结合可能有效提高儿童的技能。虚拟干预在其他情况下可能是有益的，例如在农村地区，家庭参与面对面的计划或无法亲自参加的免疫功能低下或重病儿童具有挑战性。