FAQs
What is the study about?
Children's lives have changed in the past few decades. Children have many more technological options for learning and recreation than other generations. They may also be less likely to engage in unstructured free play or walk or bike to school. The impact of these changes on children's learning and development is largely unknown. Most research has relied on subjective data about how children spend their time.
Our study will be one of the first in the world to collect data using wearable cameras. It will help us understand how children interact with the world, learn, and develop. Parents can also learn more about how their children spend their time.
Where will the study take place?
School Participation
If you have signed up through a school, the study will take place at your child’s school. We will organize a meeting day with your child’s school each year (for example, if you start in 2023 we follow up in 2024 and again in 2025). During this meeting we will provide your child with all the materials you need to take part in this study.
Community Participation
If you have signed up through the community, you and your child can choose a location and time that is convenient for you. We will ask to meet with you once each year (for example, if you start in 2023 we follow up in 2024 and again in 2025). During this meeting we will provide you with all the materials you need to take part in the study. We can offer to meet at your home, or you can choose to meet us at one of ACU's Campuses. Campuses are in North Sydney, Strathfield, or Blacktown.
If we visit your private home, we will ask that you are present for the duration of our visit. If you attend an ACU campus, we will reimburse you for public transport or parking costs.
What are participants being asked to do?
School Participation
We will ask parents of children in Years 2-4 (children aged 7-10) to take part at three time points in: 2024, 2025 and 2026. We will organise a meeting with your child’s school at each timepoint. We will collect data over a continuous period of eight days each year. We will provide you with all the equipment and instructions you need to complete the study.
We will ask you to complete a 15-20-minute questionnaire. You will repeat this again 12 months later and 24 months later. We will also invite a small number of parents to take part in an interview at the end of the study.
We will ask your child to wear a camera on four of the days of the week. We will ask them to wear a wrist-worn activity tracker for the full eight days of the study at each timepoint. We will ask your permission to send a text message each morning during the study. This text will be a reminder of what you need to do each day.
At the end of the eight days, we ask that your child returns the equipment to their teacher so we can collect the equipment. Here, you will have the opportunity to organise a meeting with our team to review and delete any images taken with the camera.
Community Participation
We will ask parents of children in Years 2-4 (children aged 7-10) to take part at three time points in: 2024, 2025 and 2026. We will organise a meeting with you at each timepoint. We will collect data over a continuous period of eight days each year. We will provide you with all the equipment and instructions you need to complete the study.
We will ask you to complete a 15-20-minute questionnaire. You will repeat this again 12 months later and 24 months later. We will also invite a small number of parents to take part in an interview at the end of the study.
We will ask your child to wear a camera on four of the days of the week. We will ask them to wear a wrist-worn activity tracker for the full eight days of the study at each timepoint. We will ask your permission to send a text message each morning during the study. This text will be reminder of what you need to do each day.
At the end of the eight days, we will arrange another meeting to collect the equipment. Here, you will have the opportunity to review and delete images taken with the camera.
What is the activity and sleep monitor?
We are asking children to wear a ‘GENEActiv’ accelerometer. This is a watch-like device which measures the child’s movement. This device will tell us how much time the child spends sitting, being active, or sleeping. The device is “always on” but the child or parent/carer may remove it at any time. If the child needs to remove the device, we ask that they put it back on at the next possible moment.
We would like the child to wear the tracker all day for 8 days, including when they go to bed at night. Children do not need to remove the watch at school. The device is waterproof, so the child can wear it in the shower or swimming pool. It does not have GPS and cannot track the child’s location.
What is the wearable camera?
We will ask children to wear a small, lightweight camera. Your child will wear the camera during waking hours on four separate days. This including three weekdays and one weekend day in the first year and again 12 and 24 months later (e.g., 2023, 2024 and 2025). The purpose of the camera is to record what the child can see throughout the day. The camera takes pictures every 20 seconds (no video or audio).
We would like your child to wear the camera as much as possible during those four days. But your child may remove or turn off the camera at any time for any reason. Reasons to turn off or take off the camera include when your child (1) feels uncomfortable, (2) is in a place where photography is inappropriate or prohibited (e.g., bathroom, swimming pool), or (3) is asked to by another person.
Children will also not wear the camera on school grounds. On weekdays, we only ask that children wear the camera before and after school.
A research assistant will show you how to turn off and remove the camera. We will make sure the child understands by practicing the steps a few times. We will also answer any questions you or the child may have.
I am concerned about privacy - how will privacy and confidentiality be protected?
The researchers will follow strict protocols to ensure any personal information remains confidential. We will de-identify the data and store it in a secure electronic database. Any physical questionnaires or other materials with sensitive information will be destroyed. We will treat images collected by the wearable cameras with the strictest confidentiality. We use imaging blurring technology to blur all faces in the images as an added measure of privacy. You will be able to review your child’s images and delete any image for any reason. To maintain privacy of third parties, no parents or any other party will be able to receive a copy of the images. The wearable cameras are also encrypted. Only the researchers will be able to access the camera data. This will prevent any unauthorised access in the event a camera is lost or misplaced.
Only a few researchers will access the images for coding and analysing the data. This data will be stored for at least 10 years. But we will not publish any data that would allow any individual to be identified. Any publications or presentations related to this study will provide only summary data. Other researchers outside our team will not be able to view any images.
How much time will the study take?
Parent(s)/Carer(s)
You will need about 15 minutes to complete the questionnaire at each of the three time points (e.g., 2023, 2024 and 2025). We will also invite a small number of parents to take part in an interview. The interview will take approximately 30 minutes and will take place at the end of the study.
If you ask us to visit your private home, we will request you to be present at all times for the 30-minutes we are in your home. You can use this time to complete the parent questionnaire. If parents choose to review images, this will take place during our second visit and may take more time.
Children
Children will need 30-minutes to complete their measures at each time point (e.g., in 2023, 2024 and 2025). Children will complete a 5-minute question and answer session at the first time point. We will show them how to operate their camera and allow children to ask any questions they may have. They will also answer a questionnaire and complete a cognitive test on an iPad. This test will measure their attention control, reaction time, and other similar processes.
Children will also wear the activity tracker for eight days and the camera for four days at each time point. We will invite a small number of children to take part in an interview at the end of the study.
Are there any risks for participants?
The questionnaires and devices are commonly used in research. They are safe for children. The camera may make your child feel discomfort knowing they are being recorded. Others may act differently around them when the camera is on. Others might also feel uncomfortable knowing that their picture could be taken. We will adhere to an ethical framework to minimise these risks. The framework was developed by at Oxford University. One of the researchers on our team, Dr Aiden Doherty, was one of the original developers of this framework.
We will give clear instructions for wearing the camera. This includes instructions for when to take the camera off. We will provide you with a recital card to show to anyone who may ask questions about the camera. This recital card will state:
“I am part of a research study that is looking at my environments. I am wearing a camera that takes a picture every 10 seconds. But the camera is not trying to take pictures of individual people”.
The recital card will also state that the images will not be released to the public. And, that they can only be accessed by members of our research team after faces have been blurred. We will also provide the research team’s contact information. Those with questions or concerns will be encouraged to contact us directly.
We are obligated to follow lawful orders and provide data when required. We will report serious crimes that are captured in any of the images. This may include images that suggests a serious crime, a child being harmed or is at risk of being harmed. We will report this to our ethics committee and the appropriate Government agency.
What are the benefits of the study?
This study will help us understand how children spend their time and engage with their world. Our aim is to identify the aspects of a child’s life that lead to better learning and development.
We will provide you with a summary report of the findings at the end of the study. This report will not provide any data about individual participants (children or parents). But it will provide an overview of study findings, written in non-technical language. We also plan provide the NSW Department of Education with a report of our finding. We hope that this study can influence policy development and teacher professional learning.
We will provide you with a small token of appreciation for participating in our study. You will receive one $20 supermarket (Coles or Woolworths) gift card at each timepoint. The gift cards will be delivered digitally to you.
Can participants withdraw from the study?
Participation in the study is voluntary. If you agree to take part, you can also choose to withdraw from the study at any time. A decision to withdraw will not damage your relationship with the university. If you choose to withdraw, we will ask for you consent to keep the any data already collected. Without your consent to keep the data, we will delete it. All identifiable data will be destroyed at the end of the study. So, we cannot delete your data after the study’s conclusion because we will not know which data is yours.