Jessica Rich & Susan Walker, Ph.D. National Council on Family Relations November 3-6, 2010

Transcription

1 Jessica Rich & Susan Walker, Ph.D. National Council on Family Relations November 3-6, 2010

2 Large number of online parenting websites and programs Increasing number of parents turning to the Internet for support 70% of U.S. parents with a child under age 18 use the Internet; almost 45 million online parents (Allen & Rainie, 2002) Know very little about effectiveness of online parenting resources

3 Analyze methodologies used in evaluations of online parent education Identify the goals and objectives of online parent education programs Determine ability of online parent education to achieve program objectives

4 Literature search and review Two phases Established literature databases, no limit on publication date Unpublished conference presentations to expand sample Resulted in 14 documents (11 published) Reviewed documents for the following: Program design Program description and purpose, target population, delivery format Evaluation techniques Design methods, variables, level of evaluation (based on Jacobs 5-tier model), participants Stated conclusions Concerns and limitations

5 Description/purpose 10 focused on increasing general parent knowledge and healthy parent-child relationships 4 targeted interventions (e.g. reducing drinking behavior in college age children) Not always stated within evaluation Target populations 5 targeted parents with children of a specific demographic (e.g. parents of 9-12-year-olds, parents of pre-schoolers with disabilities) 6 targeted a specific parent demographic (e.g. separating parents, adolescent mothers, Chinese or African-American parents) Delivery format 5 private programs; 9 publically accessibly 5 structured formats; 9 general browsing Most included a mix of articles, discussion forums, and videos (e.g. text, media, and interactivity)

6 Design Methods Self-report surveys most common, followed by discussion forum analysis Some use of interviews, website statistics, comparison to control groups Variables and Evaluation Level Focus on use features, demographics, completion rates (tier2) and satisfaction (tier 3) Also attempts to look at social support, discourse themes, perceived knowledge/behavior change (tier 4) Participants Website visitors or program users Usually parents (some families, some non-parents) Usually mothers, White, well-educated, and married

7 General user satisfaction with format, usefulness, usability, content quality Consistent reports of increased parenting knowledge, confidence, and self-esteem Stated evidence of social support themes Declining log-in and visitor rates over time Mixed results in terms of behavior changes Increased pre-post parent modeling of eating fruit, but no differences in parent modeling of eating vegetables or low fat food or in parent encouragement to eat fruits or vegetables No significant between group differences in drinking behavior at any time point; within group difference with a significant increase in drinking behavior in the control group

8 Concerns/Limitations Limited sample sizes Limited sample diversity Low survey response rates High pre-post survey attrition Program conceptual bases often unstated Focus on use and satisfaction Lack of standardized survey questions

9 Off to a good start Variety of formats and available programs Taking first steps in evaluation General user satisfaction Still have work to do Few published evaluations Methodological limitations Limited samples (size, diversity, response rates) Few attempts to measure objectives or outcomes Few statements about how to use evaluation to improve programming Future directions More evaluations! More publications! Use of experimental design, pre-post tests, creation of standardized evaluation tools?

10 Thank you! Jessica Rich Susan Walker, Ph.D.

11 Allen, K. & Rainie, L. (2002). Parents online. Washington, DC: Pew Internet American Life Jacobs, F. H. (2003). Child and family program evaluation: Learning to enjoy complexity. Applied Developmental Science, 7(2), Steimle, B.M. & Duncan, S.F. (2004). Formative evaluation of a family life education web site. Family Relations, 53,

12 Tier 1: Web site preimplementation The target audience is identified, and members of that audience are consulted to determine the type of Web site needed Tier 2: Web site utilization To know whether a program (or Web site) is actually being used, and if so, to what extent and by whom Tier 3: Visitor satisfaction Collecting visitor satisfaction feedback, usually through the use of a survey, in an effort to improve a program early in its development Tier 4: Progress toward objectives Assess Web site visitor perceptions of knowledge gains and modification of attitudes and gather stories revealing changes put in place as a result of Web site information. Tier 5: Web site impact Assess long-term outcomes efforts often span more than a year, and when possible, use experimental or quasi-experimental designs Steimle, B.M. & Duncan, S.F. (2004). Formative evaluation of a family life education web site. Family Relations, 53,