Publication date: 3 March 2025
DOI: https://doi.org/10.14324/111.9781800082786
Number of illustrations: 15
Reading Randomised Controlled Trials
Opening the book
Robert Savage (Author), Amy Fox (Author), Anneka Dawson (Author), Helen Gray (Author), Clare Huxley (Author)
In early 2021-22, the Flexible Phonics reading intervention, a large-scale randomised controlled trial, took place in 118 schools in England and involved nearly 3,000 children. This study aimed to provide valuable insights into the success of largely school-based education trials. The Flexible Phonics trial proved to be not only an important experiment in improving children’s literacy, but a case study in which the methodology of single randomised controlled trials in education can be considered.
Reading Randomised Controlled Trials investigates the complexities of conducting randomised controlled trials in the field of education and how they can be seen as a cultural activity. The book emphasises the human operations, decision-making, and actions that drive such trials, which are often overlooked in published reports. Through the case study of Flexible Phonics, the book highlights the key differences between scaled educational trials and other types of trials, such as pharmaceutical trials. The additional focus on early childhood literacy is of significant educational importance, particularly in the context of UK school partial closures in 2020 and 2021 during the Covid-19 pandemic. Reading Randomised Controlled Trials is ultimately a unique resource on the implementation of randomised controlled trials in authentic school contexts and for the sustained improvement of practice in education.
List of figures
List of boxes
Glossary and abbreviations
Foreword, by Janet Vousden
Preface
Acknowledgements
1 Introduction to randomised control trials
2 Introduction to Flexible Phonics
3 Planning and delivery of Flexible Phonics
4 Intervention training and support for schools
5 Involving schools in the conversation: practitioners as partners
6 The formal process of evaluation
7 Evaluation findings
8 Lessons to be learnt for greater impact
References
Index
DOI: 10.14324/111.9781800082786
Number of illustrations: 15
Publication date: 03 March 2025
PDF ISBN: 9781800082786
EPUB ISBN: 9781800082816
Hardback ISBN: 9781800082809
Paperback ISBN: 9781800082793
Robert Savage (Author)
Robert Savage is Dean, Faculty of Education York University Canada.
Amy Fox (Author)
Amy Fox is Senior Research Fellow at the Institute of Employment Studies, Brighton
Anneka Dawson (Author)
Anneka Dawson is Head of IES Trials Unit and Pre-16 Education at the Institute for Employment Studies, Brighton.
Helen Gray (Author)
Helen Gray is Chief Economist at Learning and Work Institute, Leicester.
Clare Huxley (Author)
Clare Huxley is Senior Research Fellow at the Institute of Employment Studies, Brighton.
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03 March 2025
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