This
study evaluated the efficacy of the six-month 3Ts Home Visiting (3Ts-HV)
curriculum, designed to empower socioeconomically disadvantaged caregivers
with evidence-based knowledge and strategies in order to enrich the home
language environment for their young children’s cognitive and language
development. Using a matched pairs randomized controlled trial design,
caregiver–child dyads were randomized into the 3Ts-HV intervention (n = 79)
or Healthy Lifestyle control (n = 78) condition. Analyses of covariance
revealed that compared with their control counterparts, the 3Ts-HV caregivers
were more knowledgeable about early childhood cognitive and language
development, and provided more language exposure for and engaged in more
conversational turn-takings with their child. The 3Ts-HV caregivers also
utilized more praise, explanations, and open-ended questions but less
criticism, physical control, and intrusiveness than their control
counterparts when interacting with their child. Findings provided empirical
evidence supporting the immediate efficacy of the 3Ts-HV intervention in
enhancing caregiver knowledge, the quantity of linguistic inputs, and the
quality of caregiver interactions in the context of low-SES households,
controlling for caregiver education level, language skills, and marital
status.
