Evaluation of a School-Based Attention Training Programme for Improving Concentration

Not Applicable

Completed

• Conditions: Attention Concentration Difficulty

• Registration Number: NCT04698577
• Lead Sponsor: University of Limerick

Brief Summary

This study evaluates a school-based attention training programme for improving sustained attention in children.

Detailed Description

Sustained attention is an elementary attentional function that is essential for effective learning and functioning in school. Poor sustained attention is a relatively common problem in childhood with as many as 24% of children exhibiting frequent inattention. Children with attentional difficulties are at increased risk for a variety of negative educational outcomes, including lower standardised grades, dropping out of school and repeating a year. This evidence highlights the need to develop interventions aimed at enhancing students' sustained attention capacity. Current school-based interventions for student attention problems include intervention strategies targeting behavioural, academic and self-regulation. However, none of these interventions aim to enhance attentional capacity. Attention network training (or attention training) has been identified as a potentially promising intervention for enhancing attentional capacity. This pilot study aimed to evaluate the preliminary efficacy of a theory-driven attention training programme, Keeping Score!, in improving students' capacity to sustain attention in a school setting. Training was based on sustained updating. Children engaged this process by mentally keeping score during an interactive face-to-face game without external aids. The study used a cluster randomised design. Students (N = 36) were assigned based on their class group to either the 6-week attention training programme (n = 18) or an active control (n = 18). Outcome measures were assessed at baseline, immediately after training and an approximate 6-week follow up.

Study Timeline

• Study Start: 2018-11-26
• Primary Completion: 2019-05-30
• Study Completion: 2019-05-30
• Study First Submitted: 2020-12-23
• Status Verified: 2021-01
• Study First Submitted QC: 2021-01-04
• Last Update Submitted: 2021-01-04
• Study First Posted: 2021-01-07
• Last Update Posted: 2021-01-07

Recruitment & Eligibility

• Status: COMPLETED
• Sex: All
• Target Recruitment: 36

Inclusion Criteria

• 4th and 5th class students
• aged 9 to 11 years
• parent consent and participant assent

Exclusion Criteria

Study & Design

• Study Type: INTERVENTIONAL
• Study Design: PARALLEL

Primary Outcome Measures

Name	Time	Method
Change in scores on the Vigil subtest of the Test of Everyday Attention for Children - Second Edition (TEA-Ch2).	Baseline (pre-training), post-training at approximately 6 weeks after baseline and study completion at approximately 12 weeks after baseline.	The Vigil subtest of the TEA-Ch2 is a measure of sustained attention. Participants were required to count slow, irregularly paced stimuli. Participants completed 10 trials. The outcome variable was the total number of correct trials. Higher scores indicate a better outcome.
Change in scores on the Sustained Attention to Response Task (SART) subtest of the Test of Everyday Attention for Children - Second Edition (TEA-Ch2).	Baseline (pre-training), post-training at approximately 6 weeks after baseline and study completion at approximately 12 weeks after baseline.	The SART subtest of the TEA-Ch2 is a measure of sustained attention. Participants were required to respond (press the spacebar) to every shape (go-trial) that appeared on screen but not to respond to a triangle (no-go trial). There were 20 no-go trials. The outcome measure was errors of commission (no-go trial responses). Lower scores indicate a better outcome.
Change in scores on the Cerberus subtest of the Test of Everyday Attention for Children - Second Edition (TEA-Ch2).	Baseline (pre-training), post-training at approximately 6 weeks after baseline and study completion at approximately 12 weeks after baseline.	The Cerberus subtest of the TEA-Ch2 is a measure of sustained attention. Participants were required to listen to short clips and respond (press the spacebar) to a target auditory stimulus while ignoring other sounds. Participants completed 15 trials. The outcome measure was mean reaction time in msecs weighted for accuracy. Lower scores indicate a better outcome.

Secondary Outcome Measures

Name	Time	Method
Change in scores on the Operation Span subtest of the Adaptive Composite Complex Span (ACCES).	Baseline (pre-training), post-training at approximately 6 weeks after baseline and study completion at approximately 12 weeks after baseline.	The Operation Span subtest is a measure of working memory. Participants were required to evaluate maths problems while memorising letters. Participants completed 6 trials. The number of stimulus-problem pairs within a trial varied between two and eight. The outcome measure was the total number of stimuli correctly recalled. Higher scores indicate a better outcome.
Change in scores on the Digit Span Backwards subtest of the Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children - Fifth Edition (WISC-V).	Baseline (pre-training), post-training at approximately 6 weeks after baseline and study completion at approximately 12 weeks after baseline.	The Digit Span Backwards subtest is a measure of working memory. Participants were required to repeat a dictated string of numbers in the reverse order. The task was discontinued when the participant failed to answer both trials of a set correctly. The outcome measure was the total number of correctly recalled trials. The maximum total score is 18. Higher scores indicate a better outcome.
Change in parent ratings of executive function behaviour on the Behaviour Rating Inventory of Executive Function - Second Edition (BRIEF-2).	Baseline (pre-training), post-training at approximately 6 weeks after baseline and study completion at approximately 12 weeks after baseline.	The BRIEF-2 assesses everyday behaviours associated with executive function in the home environment. Parents rated 63 items on a three-point Likert scale (0 = never, 1 = sometimes and 2 = often). The following indices were used: Behaviour Regulation Index (BRI), Emotion Regulation Index (ERI), Cognitive Regulation Index (CRI) and Global Executive Composite (GEC). Lower scores indicate a better outcome.
Change in scores using the Symmetry Span subtest of the Adaptive Composite Complex Span (ACCES).	Baseline (pre-training), post-training at approximately 6 weeks after baseline and study completion at approximately 12 weeks after baseline.	The Symmetry Span subtest is a measure of working memory. Participants were required to evaluate whether geometric shapes were symmetrical while remembering spatial locations. Participants completed 6 trials. The number of stimulus-problem pairs within a trial varied between two and eight. The outcome measure was the total number of stimuli correctly recalled. Higher scores indicate a better outcome .
Change in scores on the Digit Span Forward subtest of the Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children - Fifth Edition (WISC-V).	Baseline (pre-training), post-training at approximately 6 weeks after baseline and study completion at approximately 12 weeks after baseline.	The Digit Span Forwards subtest is a measure of short-term memory. Participants were required to repeat a dictated string of numbers in the same order. The task was discontinued when the participant failed to answer both trials of a set correctly. The outcome measure was the total number of correctly recalled trials. The maximum total score is 18. Higher scores indicate a better outcome.

Trial Locations

Locations (1)

Department of Psychology, University of Limerick; 🇮🇪 Limerick, Ireland