Math-Enriching Texts for Early Math Skills Development

(MATH Trial)

Overseen By LeAnn Michaels

Age: < 18

Sex: Any

Trial Phase: Academic

Sponsor: Oregon Health and Science University

Disqualifiers: Developmental delay, Autism, ADHD, others

No Placebo Group All trial participants will receive the active study treatment (no placebo)

Approved in 1 Jurisdiction This treatment is already approved in other countries

Compensation: Varies

Number of Visits: Unknown

What You Need to Know Before You Apply

What is the purpose of this trial?

This trial explores how early math-focused text messages sent to parents can boost math skills in preschool-aged children from under-resourced areas in rural Oregon. The study compares children who receive these texts, called TipsbyText Messages, with those who don't, to determine any differences in early math abilities. It targets parents with a 3- or 4-year-old child eligible for Medicaid, who can communicate in English or Spanish, and who receive care at a participating clinic. As an unphased trial, this study provides a unique opportunity for parents to contribute to educational research that could enhance their children's learning.

Will I have to stop taking my current medications?

The trial protocol does not specify whether participants need to stop taking their current medications. It seems unlikely that medication changes are required, as the study focuses on early math skills development in children.

What prior data suggests that this text intervention is safe for children?

Research shows that TipsbyText messages are safe for families. These messages improve children's skills by sending helpful tips to parents' phones. Studies have found that TipsbyText can enhance reading and math skills in preschoolers.

Parents receive text messages with advice and activities to try with their kids. No reports indicate any negative effects on children or parents from these messages. As a simple text message program, it is considered very low-risk.

In past research, parents found the messages useful and easy to follow. With no physical or medical treatment involved, it is a safe choice for families who want to support early learning. ^{1 2 3 4 5}

Why are researchers excited about this trial?

Researchers are excited about TipsbyText because it offers a novel way to enhance early math skills by using text messages to engage both children and parents. Unlike traditional methods that rely on in-person tutoring or classroom settings, this approach leverages the convenience and accessibility of mobile technology to deliver educational content directly to families' phones. This method could increase parental involvement in their children's learning process and provide continuous, personalized support, potentially making math education more effective and accessible for all.

What evidence suggests that the TipsbyText Messages intervention is effective for improving early math skills?

Research has shown that the TipsbyText program, which participants in this trial may receive, can help young children improve their math skills by increasing parental involvement. Studies have found that when parents receive text messages with math tips, they engage more in their children's learning, leading to better math performance. The program aims to create a supportive learning environment at home, crucial for developing early math skills. Early results suggest that these texts not only enhance math abilities but also aid in other important areas, such as language and social-emotional development. This indicates that TipsbyText could be a valuable tool for building math skills in preschool-aged children, especially in resource-limited areas. ^{1 6 7 8 9}

Who Is on the Research Team?

Jaime W Peterson, MD, MPH

Principal Investigator

Oregon Health and Science University

Lisa Chamberlain, MD, MPH

Principal Investigator

Stanford University

Kendall Dunlop-Korsness, MPH

Principal Investigator

Oregon Health and Science University

LeAnn Michaels, BS

Principal Investigator

Oregon Health and Science University

Susanna Loeb, PhD

Principal Investigator

Stanford University

Are You a Good Fit for This Trial?

This trial is for parents of 3 or 4-year-old children who are eligible for Medicaid, receive care at an ORPRN clinic in rural Oregon, and can communicate in English or Spanish. Parents must be over 18 and able to consent.

Inclusion Criteria

My child is participating, and I am at least 18 years old.

My child and I can communicate in English or Spanish.

Child receives care at a participating Oregon Rural Practice-based Research Network (ORPRN) clinic

Exclusion Criteria

Parent is not able to read text messages

Parent is not able to receive text messages

My child is too sick to take part in the study.

Timeline for a Trial Participant

Screening

Participants are screened for eligibility to participate in the trial

2-4 weeks

Intervention

Participants receive early math text intervention or standard of care

9 months

Regular text messages

Follow-up

Participants are monitored for changes in early math skills, literacy, and parent confidence

4 weeks

What Are the Treatments Tested in This Trial?

Interventions

• TipsbyText Messages

Trial Overview The study tests if text messages with early math tips sent to parents by pediatricians can improve the math skills of preschool-aged children. It compares kids getting these texts versus those receiving standard care.

How Is the Trial Designed?

Group I: Intervention Experimental Treatment 1 Intervention

Children and parents receiving Early Math Texts (TipsbyText)

Group II: Control Active Control 1 Intervention

Children and parents not receiving Early Math Texts (TipsbyText)

TipsbyText Messages is already approved in United States for the following indications:

Approved in United States as TipsbyText Messages for:

• Early math skills development in preschool-aged children

Who Is Running the Clinical Trial?

Oregon Health and Science University

Lead Sponsor

Trials

1,024

Recruited

7,420,000+

Stanford University

Collaborator

Trials

2,527

Recruited

17,430,000+

Published Research Related to This Trial

Preschool and primary grade children can learn significant mathematics, but many miss out on these opportunities, leading to a negative trajectory in their math skills.

Interventions aimed at enhancing mathematical learning for children aged 3 to 5 have been shown to have lasting positive effects on their academic success for many years.

NCBI (Pubmed)

pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

Early childhood mathematics intervention. Clements, DH., Sarama, J.[2022]

Adding video and text messages to the Reach Out and Read (ROR) program led to modest improvements in parent-reported literacy activities, particularly in shared reading frequency and attitudes towards reading, among 137 parent-child dyads from low-income Latino families.

Despite these improvements, significant barriers such as competing priorities and lack of social support still hindered the effectiveness of the program, indicating that further strategies are needed to support low-income families in enhancing their home literacy environment.

NCBI (Pubmed)

pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

Enhancing Reach Out and Read With a Video and Text Messages: A Randomized Trial in a Low-Income Predominantly Latino Sample. Jimenez, ME., Crabtree, BF., Hudson, SV., et al.[2022]

A randomized control trial involving 389 children aged 4-5 years demonstrated that interactive math apps significantly improved math achievement compared to standard math practices over a 12-week period.

Both forms of app implementation (as a supplement to regular activities or as a replacement) were equally effective, indicating that these apps can be integrated into existing curricula to enhance early math learning.

NCBI (Pubmed)

pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

Raising Early Achievement in Math With Interactive Apps: A Randomized Control Trial. Outhwaite, LA., Faulder, M., Gulliford, A., et al.[2020]

A community-based study involving 214 pregnant women showed that sending infant feeding knowledge via text messages significantly improved infant growth and reduced anemia prevalence at 6 months postpartum.

Infants in the intervention group had greater length-for-age and head circumference Z scores, and a lower prevalence of stunting and anemia compared to the control group, indicating the effectiveness of mobile health interventions in promoting better infant health outcomes.

NCBI (Pubmed)

pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

[Effects of text message intervention on infant growth and anemia at 6 month old]. Duan, V., Jia Weijun, ., Pang, X., et al.[2018]

In a study involving parents of preschoolers from 17 Maryland child care centers, it was found that parents who identified as non-Hispanic White and had higher education levels engaged more with a wellness intervention website, showing more webpage views and completing more activities.

The findings highlight demographic disparities in website engagement, suggesting that these differences could lead to health inequities in access to wellness information, indicating a need for targeted strategies to improve engagement among underrepresented groups.

NCBI (Pubmed)

pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

Parent Website Engagement and Health Equity Implications in a Child Care-Based Wellness Intervention. Ezran, M., Trude, ACB., Hepworth, AD., et al.[2022]

A specialized training program combined with a digital app significantly improved numerical skills in children with mathematical difficulties, as shown by a study involving 57 participants.

The benefits of this training were not only immediate but also lasted for up to 2 months after the intervention, highlighting the effectiveness of tailored educational approaches for enhancing arithmetic skills.

NCBI (Pubmed)

pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

Response to a Specific and Digitally Supported Training at Home for Students With Mathematical Difficulties. Re, AM., Benavides-Varela, S., Pedron, M., et al.[2023]

A study involving 125 preschool children (ages 3-5) found that early mathematics skills are predictive of later literacy development, suggesting a strong link between these two areas.

The relationship between mathematics and literacy is mediated by children's mathematical language skills, indicating that the ability to use language in a mathematical context plays a crucial role in literacy development.

NCBI (Pubmed)

pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

Why do early mathematics skills predict later reading? The role of mathematical language. Purpura, DJ., Logan, JAR., Hassinger-Das, B., et al.[2020]

Out of 18,145 caregivers who received materials from the Bright by Three program, only 21% enrolled in the Bright by Text program, indicating a significant gap in engagement, particularly among those at higher risk for developmental delays.

Caregivers who were non-minority, had higher education, private insurance, and lived in urban areas were more likely to enroll in the text messaging program, while non-English speaking caregivers were less likely to participate, highlighting the need for targeted outreach to underrepresented groups.

NCBI (Pubmed)

pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

Does a text-messaging program to promote early childhood development reach the highest risk families? Cunningham, M., Bull, S., McNulty, MC., et al.[2022]

A study involving 795 kindergarteners with severe mathematics difficulties showed that those in explicit mathematics treatment classrooms improved significantly more from fall to spring compared to their peers in control classrooms.

Students receiving the treatment were more likely to move from a high risk of severe mathematics difficulties (below the 10th percentile) to better performance levels (at or above the 20th, 30th, and 40th percentiles) throughout the school year.

NCBI (Pubmed)

pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

Kindergarteners at Risk for Severe Mathematics Difficulties: Investigating Tipping Points of Core Mathematics Instruction. Doabler, CT., Clarke, B., Kosty, D., et al.[2021]

A study involving 193 preschoolers demonstrated that using 4 digital learning app games significantly improved numerical skills in children, particularly in groups that initially performed poorly in mathematics.

The research highlights the importance of cognitive precursors, such as magnitude comparison and number line estimation, in developing early mathematical competence, supporting the need for targeted educational interventions.

NCBI (Pubmed)

pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

Contributions of the psychology of mathematical cognition in early childhood education using apps. Mera, C., Delgado, C., Aragón, E., et al.[2022]

The Calcularis 2.0 program significantly improved arithmetic operations and number line estimation in 67 children with developmental dyscalculia after a minimum of 42 training sessions over 13 weeks, with benefits remaining stable for 3 months post-training.

Children with lower math anxiety and no additional reading or spelling disorders showed the most improvement, suggesting that individual factors should be considered when implementing such training programs.

NCBI (Pubmed)

pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

Efficacy of a Computer-Based Learning Program in Children With Developmental Dyscalculia. What Influences Individual Responsiveness? Kohn, J., Rauscher, L., Kucian, K., et al.[2020]

In a study of 176 children with learning difficulties, it was found that numerical competence and processing speed were key factors influencing calculation performance from first to third grade.

Numerical competence was identified as the only significant predictor of calculation development over the three years, highlighting its importance in early math instruction for at-risk children.

NCBI (Pubmed)

pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

A longitudinal study on predictors of early calculation development among young children at risk for learning difficulties. Peng, P., Namkung, JM., Fuchs, D., et al.[2019]

In a study of 361 kindergartners, specific early markers such as procedural and conceptual counting knowledge, as well as skills in seriation, classification, and magnitude comparison, were identified as indicators of potential mathematical learning disabilities.

The research found that 77% of children at risk for mathematical disabilities could be detected based on their performance in these early arithmetic tasks, highlighting the importance of early screening to prevent future learning challenges.

NCBI (Pubmed)

pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

Screening for mathematical disabilities in kindergarten. Stock, P., Desoete, A., Roeyers, H.[2019]

Adults believe that engaging young children in numerical activities is very important for their development, and most have observed children participating in some form of numerical activity.

The study highlights a gap in adults' knowledge about promoting specific skills like verbal counting and number composition, suggesting that targeted workshops could enhance their understanding and ability to support children's early math skills.

NCBI (Pubmed)

pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

Exploring adults' awareness of and suggestions for early childhood numerical activities. Levenson, ES., Barkai, R., Tirosh, D., et al.[2022]

Citations

1. tipsbytext.stanford.edu tipsbytext.stanford.edu/research

What does our research show? | Tips·by·Text Our research demonstrates that the Tips·by·Text program increases parents' involvement at home and school, ultimately leading to learning gains for children ...

2. tipsbytext.stanford.edu tipsbytext.stanford.edu/

Tips·by·Text Our innovative texting program supports parents and caregivers in creating positive educational environments and building social-emotional skills.

3. withpower.com withpower.com/trial/phase-early-math-learning-4-2023-47484

Math-Enriching Texts for Early Math Skills Development ... This trial examines if sending text messages with math activities to parents can improve early math skills in preschool-aged children in rural Oregon. Show more.

4. isrctn.com isrctn.com/pdf/48644807

Evaluation of Tips by Text (a text messaging programme to ... Our study will assess whether Tips by Text has an impact on language development and self-regulation of children. Who can participate? All ...

5. researchgate.net researchgate.net/publication/360343722_Tips_by_Text

(PDF) Tips by Text Tips by Text seeks to improve children's literacy, language, numeracy, and socio-emotional skills by providing information and strategies ...

6. pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/34544847/

A Text-Based Intervention to Promote Literacy: An RCT TipsByText, a text-message-based program for caregivers of young children, improves literacy of children in preschool.

7. tipsbytext.stanford.edu tipsbytext.stanford.edu/sites/g/files/sbiybj27996/files/media/file/tbt_too_little_too_much.pdf

Too Little or too Much? Actionable Advice in an Early ... This study analyzes whether the content and frequency of delivery affects the impact of a text- messaging program for parents of preschoolers aimed at ...

8. dera.ioe.ac.uk dera.ioe.ac.uk/id/eprint/41257/1/Tips-by-Text-Final.pdf

Tips by Text - Digital Education Resource Archive (DERA) 'Tips by Text' builds upon pre-existing work that explores the value of text-based parental interventions as a relatively low cost way of ...

9. isrctn.com isrctn.com/ISRCTN48644807

Evaluation of Tips by Text (a text messaging programme to ... Tips by Text programme delivers a 9‑month text curriculum to the parents of Reception children, sending 3 texts per week with the goal of improving 4 – 5 year ...