Credit Bonnie Kittle via Unsplash
A new study is seeking the involvement of Australian secondary school teachers to better understand the academic outcomes of children born preterm.
The Centre for Research Excellence in Newborn Medicine at the Murdoch Children’s Research Institute, in partnership with Monash University’s Turner Institute for Brain and Mental Health, is running the unique PremmieEd project.
PremmieEd aims to understand the experiences and perceptions of teachers, as well as parents and carers, on the development of children born preterm, particularly regarding their schooling and learning.
Children born preterm (before 37 weeks) are at increased risk of academic difficulties at school, particularly in maths and reading. The earlier the birth, the greater the risk of problems.
However, not all babies born preterm will experience difficulties and many will have little to no difficulties at school.
Study principal investigators, Dr Leona Pascoe and Dr Simonne Collins from the Murdoch Children’s Research Institute and Turner Institute for Brain and Mental Health, have recruited over 200 teachers, but need another 50, particularly secondary school educators.
Early childhood, primary and secondary school teachers from across Australia are invited to take part in this study. Dr Pascoe believes the project has great potential to support educators in their work and foster positive school outcomes for these children.
“Findings from the study will help us understand what teachers know about preterm birth outcomes, their perceived need for specific training to support these children, and their preferences for how training should be delivered,” she said.
All teachers from across Australia are invited to complete a short, anonymous, online survey about their knowledge of the development and learning needs of children born preterm.
Parents and carers of children born extremely preterm (before 28 weeks) and at term (37 weeks or greater) will also be recruited through existing birth cohorts from the Victorian Infant Collaborative Study (VICS).
Parents and carers will complete an online survey about their child’s education experience, and the perceived role preterm birth plays in their child’s schooling.
Click here for more details on the PremmieEd website.
