COGNITIVE MAPPING FOR ILOOKOUT FOR CHILD ABUSE: AN ONLINE TRAINING PROGRAM FOR EARLY CHILDHOOD PROFESSIONALS.

This article delineates the theory and framework for an innovative child abuse training program for mandated reporters called 'iLookOut'. iLookOut is an online learning delivery system that utilizes mastery learning and self-determination theory in the Core Training program, along with spaced retrieval and retrieval practice in a follow-up micro-learning program that reinforces learning from the Core Training. A cognitive mapping model provides the structure for documenting and organizing the learning content in both the Core training and the follow-up micro-learning program. The article provides a conceptual framework for designing and implementing effective and efficient online learning programs.

Generalizing findings from a randomized controlled trial to a real-world study of the iLookOut, an online education program to improve early childhood care and education providers' knowledge and attitudes about reporting child maltreatment.

In recent years, real-world studies (RWS) are gaining increasing interests, because they can generate more realistic and generalizable results than randomized controlled clinical trials (RCT). In 2017, we published a RCT in 741 early childhood care and education providers (CCPs). It is the Phase I of our iLookOut for Child Abuse project (iLookOut), an online, interactive learning module about reporting suspected child maltreatment. That study demonstrated that in a RCT setting, the iLookOut is efficient at improving CCPs' knowledge of and attitudes towards child maltreatment reporting. However, the generalizability of that RCT's results in a RWS setting remains unknown. To address this question, we design and conduct this large RWS in 11,065 CCPs, which is the Phase II of the iLookOut. We hypothesize replication of the earlier RCT findings, i.e., the iLookOut can improve CCPs' knowledge of and attitudes toward child maltreatment reporting in a real world setting. In addition, this RWS also explores whether demographic factors affect CCPs' performance. Results of this RWS confirmed the generalizability of the previous RCT's results in a real world setting. It yielded similar effect sizes for knowledge and attitudes as were found in the earlier RCT. Cohen's d for knowledge improvement was 0.95 in that RCT, 0.96 in this RWS; Cohen's d for attitude improvement was 0.98 in that RCT, 0.80 in this RWS. Also, we found several significant differences in knowledge and attitude improvement with regard to age, race, education, and employment status. In conclusion, iLookOut improves knowledge and attitudes of CCPs about child maltreatment prevention and reporting in a real-world setting. The generalizability of the initial RCT findings to this RWS provides strong evidence that the iLookout will be effective in other real world settings. It can be a useful model for other interventions aimed at preventing child maltreatment. Clinical trial registration for the original RCT: NCT02225301 (ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier).