Implementing implementation science in a randomized controlled trial in Norwegian early childhood education and care.

The study investigates how theories of implementation were used in the Agder RCT study, where the purpose was to develop and scientifically test a new educational kindergarten programme to give children a better and smoother transition to school. The aim of this study is to show how the theory of implementation can help make such changes in kindergarten better and more effective.

The results show that the Agder RCT study developed a thorough theory of change and a detailed implementation framework. This, together with clearly defined core components from the kindergarten field, contributed to high-quality implementation. The results indicate that the implementation was successful at both child and kindergarten teacher levels. The researchers believe the study shows the value of planning randomised controlled trials with a comprehensive theory of change and implementation framework.

The research design spanned three years and included the development, implementation and evaluation of a kindergarten plan. An implementation framework helped organise the process. 701 children from 15 municipalities in the Agder region participated in the study.

Størksen, I., Ertesvåg, S. K. & Rege, M. (2021). "Implementing implementation science in a randomized controlled trial in Norwegian early childhood education and care". International journal of educational research, 108:101782.