The Queen Rania Foundation (QRF) is pleased to announce the publication of the report Parental Behavior in the Early Years - Phase 2, conducted in collaboration with The Behaviour Change Collaborative. The research aim was to identify the language and messaging styles that resonate with parents of children below 6 in Jordan. The findings build on an earlier national study related to parents’ barriers and motivators.
Both phases will inform a national parental behavior change campaign to promote literacy behaviors, such as reading and talking, with the aim of creating literacy-rich home learning environments in Jordan so that children enter the first grade ready to become fluent Arabic readers.
The research study included 24 in-depth interviews with Jordanian and Syrian mothers and fathers from across the Kingdom with children below the age of 6. These were followed by eight focus group discussions in which sample videos were to parents to glean whether they could encourage parents to do the activities and behaviors demonstrated in the videos and receive feedback on how they can be improved.
Here are three key findings from the research on what tone, framing, and formatting resonated with parents:
- Tone: Use suggestive, factual messaging, and include both scientific and emotional appeals. An interesting key finding that came up was that parents’ preferred the use of the child’s voice in the messaging. This might also reinforce the joy and bonding experience it will deliver.
- Framing: Use positive messaging which resonates with parents’ values (loving their children and wanting them to develop, learn and be successful) and link them with easy activities parents believe they can successfully do.
- Formatting: Use short and engaging videos so parents can see themselves – parents the same gender with child the same age as the target audience enjoying the activity in the same kind of setting the parent is in. Use spouse, mother or mother-in-law in communications to demonstrate social approval to position behaviours as relevant, desirable, appropriate and easy to do while demonstrating emotional benefits of the interaction for parent and child.
Read the full report for more findings and for a sneak peek of the messaging we tested and if you’re thinking of planning your own social behavior change communications campaign, don’t forget to check out the messaging guide at the end of the report!
