Emerging Minds Longitudinal Evaluation and Research Network (LEARN) Study

About the Emerging Minds LEARN Study

To help us learn more about the context and experience of those using Emerging Minds learning and practice resources, we are launching a new research project – the Emerging Minds Longitudinal Evaluation And Research Network (LEARN) study. The LEARN study will help us continue to provide useful and effective workforce development resources for Australian professionals. If you work with children, parents or families in any role or setting that could support or influence their mental health and social and social wellbeing, we invite you to join our study. You don’t have to be familiar with Emerging Minds to join the study. Alternatively, you may have already completed a course with us or referred to our resources – we are interested in understanding the experiences of all professionals to help us design resources and learning opportunities for a diverse workforce.  

To be part of the study, you don’t necessarily have to do anything different – we seek to understand the experience of practitioners, workers and leaders in their setting. We offer a range of learning resources and learning programs and will invite you to join these opportunities from time to time. However, it is entirely up to you what you choose to engage with – there is no set learning you have to do as part of this study.   

This is a paid research opportunity and has received ethics approval from Monash University Human Research Ethics Committee (Project ID:48131). To find out more, keep reading below and view our explanatory statement. 

What will I need to do if I join the study?

All you need to do to participate in the study is: 

  1. Read our explanatory statement which outlines the study and our responsibilities as researchers.
  2. Register as a participant by completing the short registration form which will collect basic information about you and your work setting (we will keep this information confidential – find out more about how we will use the information you provide us in the explanatory statement).  
  3. Complete the first survey which will ask you about your work context and to rate your current capabilities across a range of topics relevant to working with children, parents or families and their mental health and social and emotional wellbeing. 
  4. Complete an online survey every six months (for up to three years).
  5. And you may be invited to participate in a small online focus group held annually to explore in more depth your learning and practice experiences. Focus groups will take up one hour and will be recorded to create a transcript for analysis. 

Payment

Surveys will be conducted every six months and upon completion of each survey participants will be offered a $20 e-gift card for Woolworths Group. Focus group will be held annually and participants will be offered a $50 e-gift card for each hour of participation. Participants are eligible for payment at the completion of an activity.

What will Emerging Minds do with the information I provide?

The privacy and confidentiality of study participants is important. Information about study participants and their data will be kept secure. Researchers will use email addresses to match survey responses over time, however, data will be de-identified before analyses. This means they will not know who the data was collected from. If you complete online courses through our learning platforms, we will match your engagement across those platforms with survey responses. Again, this information is de-identified for analysis.   

As a valued study member, we will update you with feedback on the progress of the study and findings that emerge along the way.

How will my participation help?

Many roles can influence and support children’s mental health and social and emotional wellbeing, and we know there are many different workforces that can and do provide this support directly or indirectly. Whether you work with infants, children, parents and carers, families or parents to be – there are many ways you have the opportunity to support children’s mental health. But, we know that it takes more than individual practice to achieve good outcomes – workplaces and the systems around us impact how we work. Your participation in this study will help us design workforce development opportunities that reflect the contexts of many different settings and roles. 

The findings of this long-term research study (three years) will form the basis of reports to the Commonwealth Department of Health, Disability and Ageing (our funder) or in publicly available formats including a summary on our website, in journal articles or as part of conference presentation. Data used publicly will only ever be in aggregate, de-identified form, meaning you will not be named or identifiable in any way.

How can I register for the study?

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