Information about Multiply Education Research Trials for Learners
The Government has invested in the delivery of a programme of research to better understand what works in helping adults build their confidence with numbers.
Confidence with numbers helps people in all aspects of their daily lives and we want to learn which interventions work best.
What is a Randomised Controlled Trial and Quasi-Experimental Trial and why is this happening?
Randomised Controlled Trials (RCTs) represent a robust approach to testing whether a policy or programme works. They involve allocating learners, classes or organisations at random to either a new initiative in teaching or to a control group. If you are allocated to a control group, you will not be asked to deliver the intervention but would be expected to follow your business-as-usual practices and of course will still play crucial role in the trial. Outcomes for learners, such as course completion or exam results, are then compared to see if a significant difference has been made. The random allocation to treatment or control groups means that other factors that could influence learner outcomes are controlled for so researchers can be confident that changes in learner outcomes are due to the intervention being tested.
Quasi-Experimental Trials (QEDs) are similar to RCTs in that they involve comparing the outcomes of learners who have received the intervention being tested with those who have not. However, the key difference is that allocation to treatment or control groups is not random. Rather, the control group is identified from the wider population of providers or learners who have not received the intervention but who have similar characteristics to those who have. Known differences between treatment and control groups are then accounted for in the analysis. If you are recruited to take part in a QED trial, you will not be randomly allocated to treatment or control groups – you will be assigned to the treatment group and expected to deliver the intervention being tested.
The findings from the trials will be used to inform decision-making about where investment in adult numeracy is best made to really make a difference for adults and communities. Participation offers an opportunity for you to help in shaping future government policy.
How will being part of a Trial affect me?
If you are part of the group receiving the intervention being tested, you will experience a well-developed initiative that has been identified as offering the potential to make a positive difference. The person leading the course will be fully trained to support your learning.
You may be asked to complete surveys about your experience and / or be invited to take part in an interview about it. If you agree to take part in an interview with a member of the research team, you will be given a £30 shopping voucher as a thank you for your time and contribution.
You will be provided with full information on the trial at the start, including the purpose of the research and how your data will be collected, stored, and used. This will make it clear that your data will be used for research in a way that will preserve your confidentiality and anonymity. You will be able to withdraw your consent at any time during research and data collection and we will make you aware of how to do that. If you decide that you do not want to take part in the trial, this will not affect your current or future access to adult learning provision. All information will be provided in the clearest possible way so that you fully understand what you are signing up to.
CURRENT TRIALS
Find out about trials that are actively recruiting.
How we use and protect your data
The purpose of the programme of trials is to evaluate interventions at a large scale and data collected for each trial will not be used for any other purpose. The trials will compare outcomes for learners in treatment and control groups, but there will be no comparisons made between individual organisations or teachers.
At an organisational level, we will ask for your contact details so that we can contact you when needed to arrange training, send you a survey or invite you to take part in an interview.
During the trial period, we will also ask organisations to send the evaluation team the contact details of any learners who opt out of taking part in the trials, so they can make sure they are removed from the analysis. For those learners who are taking part in the trials, we will ask for their contact details so we can send them a survey or invite them to take part in an interview about their learning experience.
Finally, we will ask organisations to collect data on learner attendance and compliance with any homework tasks, so we can take into account the ‘dosage level’ (i.e. the amount of intervention received) in the analysis and see if this makes any difference to the results. All of these asks will be covered through appropriate data sharing documentation. The full details of this will be included in the specification of an individual trial.
To find out further information about how government will use your data, please access this link.
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