The Talking Time programme includes 15-minute classroom sessions delivered by teachers or teaching assistants three times per week for 14 weeks to groups of 20 children.
It also comprises of training, mentoring and professional networking activities for these staff, aimed at equipping them to create a high-quality language-learning environment in their classrooms.
Results from a small pilot trial indicate that Talking Time can have positive effects on both children’s language and the language-learning environment of the classroom, supporting the case for undertaking this larger randomised controlled trial. Standardised assessments will be used to compare their outcomes in terms of children’s oral language competence and socio-emotional development, as well as the quality of the language-learning environment. Background data on the child, teacher and nursery or school will also be analysed to explore any factors that might limit programme effectiveness.
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