The Login Page
When parents were invited to take part in the 10 Year study, they were sent their personalised login details (username and password), with a guidance sheet (pdf) containing instructions for logging in. The instructions included a link to the home page of the TEDS web site, which at the time of the study had a "Log In" button which took participants directly to the 10 Year web test login page.
On the login page, a parent was required to enter the username (or "TEDS ID") and the password, as supplied to them by TEDS, then to click on a "Go" button. If the username and password were entered correctly, the parent would be logged in. On the first login, the parent would continue to the consent page (see below). On subsequent logins, having previously consented, the parent would be taken to a page containing links to the menu of activities for each twin (see 10 Year web tests for details).
The Consent Page
The consent page is reproduced below, as it would have appeared to parents after first logging in. To complete the consent form, a parent was required to tick the box and then click on the "Continue" button. The parent would then be presented with the on line parent questionnaire.
Each parent was required to complete the consent form once and only once, before being able to continue with other web activities. If a parent logged in but did not complete the consent form, then the consent form would be presented again at the next login. There was no way of by-passing the consent form to continue with the other activities. After a family had completed the consent form, it would not appear again on subsequent logins.
Note that in the reproduced consent page below, the tick box and Continue button are for demonstration only, and they do not perform meaningful actions. The links to the "demonstration" and "information sheet" will take you to the relevant sections of the page below; in the original 10 year consent page, these links were to separate pages.
TEDS Web Study
If you would like to take part in the TEDS 10 Year Study please tick the box in the form below and then click on the continue button. You can click on demonstration if you would like to see a quick preview of the activity.
Once you are logged in, the twins should complete the activity without help and with as little distraction as possible.
Thank you very much for your help and interest. If you have any further questions, please e-mail us on Teds@iop.kcl.ac.uk or call us on FREEPHONE 0800 317029
The Demonstration
The "demonstration" was provided for parents, to give them a short demonstration of the types of web activities that would be presented to their twins. This demonstration was accessible via links on the on line consent form and information page (both of which are described elsewhere on this page). The aim was to ensure that parents would be fully informed about the nature of the twin web tests, before giving consent.
The demonstration included audio content and animations, which cannot be reproduced here. However, here is an outline of the contents of the demonstration:
- Screen 1 - Welcome to TEDS.
The following sentences were presented both using audio and using on-screen text:
"Welcome to TEDS online research! We have developed some web based activities. These activities have been designed to look at maths, reading comprehension, problem solving and general knowledge. We will show you some examples of the activities your children will be participating in." - Screen 2 - Examples.
These were animations lifted from the existing test tutorials, as presented to the twins.
Example 1: first section of the Ravens Matrices demo
Example 2: first section of the Picture Completion demo - Screen 3 - View all demos.
"Click the arrow to see examples of the other activities on the site!"
Clicking on the arrow took the parent to another page, with links to all the complete demos (tutorials) for the web tests.
The Information Page
The on line information page is reproduced below, as it would have appeared to parents. This page was accessible via links from the on line consent form (see above). The content of this on line information page was the same as the content of a paper information sheet, which was sent to parents along with their login details.
Note that in the reproduced information page below, the links to the "demonstration" and "consent form" will take you to the relevant sections on this page; in the original 10 year information page, these links were to separate pages.
TEDS 10 Year Study
We are inviting you and your twins to take part in our online research. The information below should help you understand why this study is being done and what it will involve.
What is it about?
You have already helped us to study lots of aspects of development through questionnaires, face to face visits and over the telephone. Now that TEDS children are older, we are interested in finding out more about their progress through some web based activities. These activities have been developed to look at Maths, Reading comprehension, Problem solving and General knowledge.
What does taking part involve?
You will login to the website and complete a short questionnaire about yourself. Your children will then be asked to complete a range of online activities. You can see a short demonstration of the activities by clicking here. Once each task has been completed, it will be replaced by a ‘bonus game’ that the children can come back to play as many times as they want.
We have designed these activities to make sure that children of all levels will feel comfortable. They will stop automatically when it becomes too difficult for the child. The activities vary in length and can be completed in a number of separate sessions. We have already asked some children to try out these activities and they have told us they enjoyed doing it. To thank your children for their time and attention, we will send them a gift voucher each.
What happens to the findings of the research study?
Your children’s results will be kept strictly confidential. The results will be analysed and reports written for scientific journals. We hope that our work will lead us to a better understanding of how all children develop and learn. In the longer term, better understanding of this could help children who experience difficulties.
We would like to help. What do we do next?
Use the link below to complete the consent form which shows that you agree to your children taking part. The twins will be able to see the activities that are available to them by clicking on their name, for example, 'Activities for Andy' and should then work their way down the list of activities (by clicking on them) in order, starting from the top. When they have finished an activity, the children will have the chance to play a game just for fun. A member of our team will call you to see how you are getting on and help with any difficulties. Our thank you vouchers will be sent automatically when both twins have completed all the activities.
Do we have to take part?
It is up to you and your children to decide whether or not to take part. If you do take part, you are free to withdraw at any time without giving a reason.
Thank you very much for your help. If you have any questions or would like to tell us what you thought please e-mail us at Teds@iop.kcl.ac.uk or call us on FREEPHONE 0800 317029