In January 2007, each student in FSoS 5014, Introduction to Quantitative Family Research Methods, was asked to summarize and evaluate information about a secondary data set used in the family field. The following summary was prepared by Jessie Everts Tripoli.
Study Purpose: The NICHD Study of Early Child Care and Youth Development was designed to study the relationship between child care and children’s development.
Principal Investigators: Willard Hartup (UMN) Steering Committee chair, 31 Principal and Co-Principal investigators from universities around the US and England.
Years during which data were collected: Phase I: 1991-1994, Phase II: 1995-2000, Phase III: 2000-2005, Phase IV: currently underway.
Number of waves of data: 3 completed, fourth underway.
Ages of participants at each wave: Phase I: birth through three years, Phase II: 54 months through first grade, Phase III: second through sixth grade, Phase IV: ages 14 and 15.
Participants (type and number) from whom data were directly collected: 1364 families with healthy newborns were recruited from hospitals associated with 10 US universities. The researchers followed a random sampling plan, to ensure representation of families in which mothers did and did not plan to work or go to school within the baby’s first year of life; economic, educational, and ethnic diversity; and one- and two-parent families. Families were excluded if the mother was under 18, the family planned to move from the area within 3 years, the child was born with disabilities (or was kept in the hospital for more than 7 days), or the mother did not speak conversational English. 1103 of these families continued to Phase II of data collection, and 1077 continued to Phase III.
Types of data (survey, interview, observation, records, etc.): observation, interview, questionnaire, and assessment.
Strengths of data set:
1) Data collected in a variety of environments (home, child care, (later, school), and lab), and with a variety of measures: observations in home, child care, school, and lab; phone interviews every 3 to 6 months; and assessments given in all four environments.
2) The study followed an explicit, complex schedule of assessments in order to ensure consistent data collection.
3) The researchers gave 68 entire assessments to the family within the first 36 months of the child’s life, 70 assessments during ages 54 months through first grade (about 17% repeated measures, 83% new (age-appropriate) measures), and 116 assessments between grades 2 and 6 (about 28% repeated measures). There is a wealth of data.
4) The study includes data across many areas—physical health, environment, parent-child relationships, academic functioning, social skills, daily routines and activities, ethnic identity, parental relationship, family finances, parenting philosophies, spirituality, etc.
Weaknesses of data set:
1) So many measures were given, the study as a whole lacks a cohesive purpose. Major hypotheses of the study are not available through the website, but would be helpful in conceptualizing and organizing information about the data.
2) Only 3 assessments were used in all three phases (Child Behavior Checklist (CBCL), Home Observation for Measurement of the Environment (H.O.M.E.) Inventory, and Personal Assessment of Intimacy in Relationships (PAIR))—other patterns must be extrapolated from results of different assessments over different ages.
3) Details of sample not available—demographics, description of retained families vs. non-retained, how sample sites were selected (these may be available with the data, but are not outlined on the website).
Accessibility of data to the research community: The data can be used by any doctoral level researcher associated with a university (or supervisee of such). There is a lengthy application with 16 pages of stipulations, guidelines, and subagreements, which must be completed by potential researchers for use of the data.
Usefulness of data set for family research: This data set is potentially extremely useful. There is a wealth of information available within this data set. Even without using the data, the forms and manuals for the study are helpful for other researchers. The breadth of assessments, schedule for completion, and variety of environments, seem to have been well-planned and justified. Over 140 publications and presentations have used this data set since the first phase data became available in 1993.
Information on website: Study summary, information on investigators, application for data, information about phases (collection instruments and timelines, instrument charts, instrument documentation, assessment forms, manuals)
How to gain access to data: The application can be obtained from http://secc.rti.org/apply.cfm
Posted by vonko002 at January 31, 2007 4:11 PM