 |
|
|
|
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) |
||
Click on the links below for help with some frequently asked questions.
What is TEDS trying to find out? We’ve looked at how children develop their skills in language and thinking in their early years. Now we’re trying to get a picture of changes that are taking place as the children grow older and develop into adults. Overall, TEDS is interested in the way that nature and nurture work together in children’s development. Studying twins helps us to understand how genes and the environment influence development in children’s thinking, language and behaviour. Click on Research to find out more, see our Publications List and read some of our articles published in the scientific journals. In 2006 we won an award from the Medical Research Council that will fund us for the next 5 years at least. We hope to stay in touch with all of you as the children become adults! Questions about the 2009 study What does the 2009 study involve? The 2009 study involves two main components:
Relevant details are being sent out to families during Autumn 2009. The 2009 family booklets/questionnaires Some families will already have received paper copies of the booklets. Other families will be asked to complete the questionnaires on line, instead of on paper. The use of on line questionnaires is a new development for TEDS, which we are keen to pursue because it will result in substantial reductions in administration and costs. Each family will be asked to complete 3 questionnaires: the parent booklet and two child booklets. In addition, if your children were born between September 1994 and August 1995, you will also be asked to fill in a Teacher Assessment and Language questionnaire. If you have been sent the paper versions, you should also have received a paper consent form and a freepost return envelope (no stamp needed). If you are asked to complete the questionnaires on line, you will be sent a letter containing login details. If you wish to log in now, go to the login page; you can read more about the on line questionnaires on the associated information page. When you log in for the on line questionnaires, you will be asked to complete an on line consent form, so a paper consent form is not needed. The 2009 web based activities Families who have received paper booklets will receive a separate mailing with details of the children's web based activities. Families being asked to complete the questionnaires on line will receive details of the children's web based activities at the same time. The details you receive will include a username and password (this is the same for both children). Note that the username and password will be the same as those used for the on line questionnaires. When you log in, as in previous studies, you will be asked to fill in an on line consent form before the children are allowed to proceed with the activities. We are keen to get all the information as soon as possible so that our researchers can begin the analyses We are all so busy, how can we fit this in? We understand that families are very busy. The online children's activities, are designed so that the children can log in and do as much or as little as they want to in one session. The same is true of the on line questionnaires - they do not need to be filled in all at once. We hope that this flexibility will make it easier to fit in the questionnaires and activities around everything else! Questions about filling in booklets My answer is in between the boxes, can I cross somewhere in between? We will not be able to use answers where you have placed the cross between boxes. Please try to select the answer that is most appropriate or leave the question blank if you feel it’s unsuitable to select one of the answer options given. I don’t feel able / don’t wish to answer the question If there are any questions which you feel unable to answer, or would prefer not to, it’s fine to leave those blank (this is true of both the paper and on line versions). Any information that you are able to give us is very valuable. I’ve used ticks instead of crosses As long as you have kept your ticks neat, i.e. part of the tick is in the box and no part of the tick is going into a neighbouring box, then your questionnaire will be fine to return as it is. Although a dark coloured ink is best, as long as your answers are clear it doesn’t matter if you have not used black ink. Problems with Web Based Activities I'm having problems logging in You can only log in to our website if we have asked you to complete some activities. We will write to you giving you your personal login details at this time. The login details are the same for both children. Once they are logged in they should click on their name to access their activities. If you are taking part in a current study and have lost your logging in details or are having problems entering them please call us on the freephone 0800 317 029 and we will be happy to help you. Please note that we will not change your logging in details midway through a study. If you have been able to log in before but can’t now, please try again, retyping your details carefully and without any spaces between the characters. If you are using the number keys on the number pad on the right hand side of the keyboard, please make sure that ‘Num Lock’ has not been switched on. The activities are not working on our computer We would like to try to help you solve any difficulties you are having with getting our activities to work on your computer. The TEDS site has been designed for use with relatively up to date versions of the most popular web browsers. The activities will work with the following web browsers: PC Users: We recommend that you use either Internet Explorer version 5.5 or later, or Firefox, or Google Chrome, or Netscape Navigator version 7 or later. If you contact us we can send you how to update your Internet Explorer or download the Firefox browser. See option 3) in the section below. MAC Users: We recommend that you use Firefox or Netscape Navigator version 7 or later. This website will not work properly with Mac versions of Internet Explorer. It will work with the Safari browser, although in some of our activities, you will sometimes need to move your mouse/cursor around a bit to get the cursor to change into a hand when you want to click on something. For Mac OS 9, Netscape is the best browser. Mac OS X users should use Firefox, Netscape 7. If you let us know, we can send you a CD to install Netscape 7 on your MAC. The activities are getting stuck, they won’t download It may be helpful to reinstall
Flash on your computer. This allows your computer to view the animations
and graphics in our activities 3) If the problem is still occurring, try clicking on this link: http://www.mozilla.com/en-US/firefox/ and downloading Firefox (please be aware that it may take a few minutes for the page to appear)
Flash and Firefox are both from well-known and reputable companies - many TEDS families have successfully downloaded these in the past, and we have never received any complaints about them causing any kind of problems. Please call the freephone 0800 317 029 or email teds-project@kcl.ac.uk to let us know of any problems Please note: We will only approach you with questionnaire if we have permission from the children’s parents. Why is a teacher’s perspective so important? At TEDS we are interested in various aspects of children’s development. We collect information from the twins and their parents, but a teacher’s perspective is vital in providing an overall picture of the child, as teachers are independent from the home environment. Children’s behaviour at school can be quite different from their behaviour at home, so you can provide us with unique information that is extremely valuable in our research. We send the questionnaires to the child’s form tutor because we hope this will provide a more balanced perspective. It may be that a child is particularly good at a certain subject, which might mean that they are more outgoing and confident in these lessons. Alternatively, if a child finds a particular subject difficult, they may behave differently. We hope that their form tutor will see the child in a more balanced environment, even if it is for shorter periods of time. How were the questions developed? Most of the questions we use are established research tools whose validity has been proven. Why are you sending reminders? If you do not wish to complete the questionnaire, we ask if you would kindly send the blank questionnaire back to us in the freepost envelope provided. We will then record that you have opted out, and we will not send any more reminders. We send reminders because sometimes the questionnaires get lost on their way to you, either in the post or once they have reached the school. Is the questionnaire confidential? The questionnaires are sent directly back to us and are kept strictly confidential. Can I get more information about the research? We are happy to send you additional information such as newsletters and research articles that have been written using the data that we have collected. You can also find a summary of these on our publication page. Questions about filling in the questionnaires How do I use the on line questionnaire? You will need the username and password that has been sent to you. Go to this link www.teds.ac.uk/teacher and follow the instructions there. Please call the freephone 0800 317 029 or email teds-project@kcl.ac.uk to let us know of any problems I have lost my log in details, what should I do? Call the TEDS freephone number (0800 317 029) or email us at teds-project@kcl.ac.uk Can I fill in the questionnaire on paper instead of on line? Yes, please call our freephone number (0800 317 029) or email us at teds-project@kcl.ac.uk to request a paper copy. Is the on line questionnaire the same as the paper questionnaire? Yes, the questions are identical. We are very grateful for any information that you can give us. Please answer any questions you feel able to and return the questionnaire. If you feel unable to answer any questions, please return the questionnaire to us blank. My answer is in between the boxes, can I cross somewhere in between? We will not be able to use answers where you have placed the cross between boxes. Please try to select the answer that is most appropriate or leave the question blank if you feel it’s unsuitable to select one of the answer options given. I don’t feel able / don’t wish to answer the question If there are any questions which you feel unable to answer, or would prefer not to, it’s fine to leave those blank and return the booklet to us. Any information that you are able to give us is very valuable. I’ve used ticks instead of crosses As long as you have kept your ticks neat, i.e. part of the tick is in the box and no part of the tick is going into a neighbouring box, then your questionnaire will be fine to return as it is. Although a dark coloured ink is best, as long as your answers are clear it doesn’t matter if you have not used black ink. |
