Lessons from a preschool intervention study carried out during the Covid-19 pandemic

Abstract

The article describes how a series of adaptions enabled us to carry out a controlled intervention study in 15 preschools, with 420 children and about 40 preschool teachers, during the Covid‑19 pandemic restrictions. The original overarching aim of the study was to develop and evaluate an early math intervention supporting children from low-SES environments to develop basic mathematical skills. The two main research questions addressed preschool children’s early math development using a digital play-&-learn game (anonymized), and the pedagogical impact of an integrated teacher resources package. Four guiding principles complemented the research questions: accumulation of new knowledge, collaboration & participatory design, experimental control & ecological validity, and real-world applicability. The focus of this article is on how data collections methods and analyses were adapted to handle the constraints induced by Covid‑19 without deviating from the original research questions and the four guiding principles. The adaptions clearly entailed methodological limitations. Yet the study demonstrates the possibility to conduct a remotely controlled effect study encompassing both ecological validity and real-world applicability