Positive Indicators in Middle Childhood

Positive Indicators in Middle Childhood

Kristin Anderson Moore, Ph.D.

Presented at the ISCI inaugural conference

June 28, 2007

Stages of Childhood

BirthEarly

Childhood

Middle Childhood Adolescence

0-5 6-11 12-17 18+

Emerging Adulthood

Overview of Existing Conceptual Frameworks

• Input/Contextual Models• America’s Promise - The Alliance for Youth: Five Promises• National Research Council• Forum for Youth Investment• Search Institute: 40 Developmental Assets

• Outcome Models• National Research Council• The Five Cs• Boys and Girls Club of America

Caring Adults

ConsistentFair, Monitoring of

Behavior

Safety

Structure

SupportiveRelationships

Opportunities to Belong

Positive SocialNorms

Opportunities for Skill Building

Integration of family,School, and Community

Support for efficacy And Mattering

Opportunity to Give Back

Effective Education

Healthy Start

HighQuality

Instruction

Challenging Experiences

ResourcesAnd

Networks

RoleModels

HighExpectations

AndStandards

HealthyRelationships

Safe andStablePlaces

BasicCare and Services

CaringRelationships

OpportunitiesFor

Contribution

HighExpectations

ConstructiveUse of Time

Boundaries andExpectations

Support

Inputs

Safe Places with Structured Activities

Mixed

Empowerment

Health

SocialRelationships

EducationalAttainment

Emotional and Spiritual

Well-Being

Place inCommunity

MaterialWell-Being

Low-birthWeightbabies

InfantMortality

ChildDeaths

ViolentTeen

Deaths

TeenBirths

HSDropout

IdleTeens

EconomicSecurity

SingleParent

Families

ParentalEmployment

Safety

Competence

Outcomes

Physical

Intellectual/Educational

Psychological

Social Caring

Character

Connection

Competence

Confidence

SelfEfficacy

Ability to beProductive

Ability toNavigate

Ability to Connect

Physical HealthMaintenance

Grades

Helps Others

Leadership

Values Diversity

OvercomesAdversity

Psychological

Social


Civic Engagement

Physical

HopefulFuture

Positive Identity

SelfDetermination

Child Poverty

HealthBehavior

Social Environment

Education

Caring Adults

ConsistentFair, Monitoring of

Behavior

Safety

Structure

SupportiveRelationships

Opportunities to Belong

Positive SocialNorms

Opportunities for Skill Building

Integration of family,School, and Community

Support for efficacy And Mattering

Opportunity to Give Back

Effective Education

Healthy Start

HighQuality

Instruction

Challenging Experiences

ResourcesAnd

Networks

RoleModels

HighExpectations

AndStandards

HealthyRelationships

Safe andStablePlaces

BasicCare and Services

CaringRelationships

OpportunitiesFor

Contribution

HighExpectations

ConstructiveUse of Time

Boundaries andExpectations

Support

Safe Places with Structured Activities

Empowerment

Inputs

INPUTS

Safe, fair,structured places

High expectations, rolemodels, standards and boundaries

Challenging education and skill-building opportunities

Caring, supportive relationshipswith adults and peers

Basic Health andMaterial Resources

Opportunities tocontribute

Competence

Outcomes

Physical

Intellectual/Educational

Psychological

Social Caring

Character

Connection

Competence

Confidence

SelfEfficacy

Ability to beProductive

Ability toNavigate

Ability to Connect

Physical HealthMaintenance

Grades

Helps Others

Leadership

Values Diversity

OvercomesAdversity

Psychological

Social


Civic Engagement

Physical

HopefulFuture

Positive Identity

SelfDetermination

Outcome Domains

Psychological developmentAnd identity, Self-efficacy,

Confidence, Character Social connection, Caring, Helping others

Civic engagement, Leadership

Education,Competence,

Intellectual development

Physical health

• Outcome Domains• Physical health• Educational competence, intellectual development• Psychological development, self-efficacy, confidence, character• Social connection, caring, helping others

• Input Domains• Basic health and material resources• Safe, fair, structured places• Caring, supportive relationships with adults and peers• High expectations, role models, standards and boundaries• Challenging education and skill-building opportunities

Principles for a Monitoring System of Indicators for Middle Childhood

• Indicators need to represent varied domains of development and key development tasks

• Both positive and negative indicators need to be included

• Measures must be reliable and valid but feasible also

• Indicators must track outcomes that are malleable and be able to capture changes

• Indicators should balance well-being and well-becoming

Bedrock IndicatorsWell-being

Difficulty speaking English

Blood-lead levels

Asthma

Behavioral/emotional problems

Food security

General health status

Activity limitation

Overweight

Diet quality

Mortality

Mathematics and reading achievement

Context

Race and ethnicity

Foreign-born parent

Family structure and living arrangements

Poverty

Secure parental employment

Current health insurance coverage

No usual source of health care/no medical home

Extra-curricular activities/out-of-school care

Parent education

Recommended Indicators for Middle Childhood

Child OutcomesPositive1. School Engagement

2. Self-regulation

3. Healthy behaviors

4. Social skills/competence

5. Reads for pleasure

Negative6. Intolerance

7. Depressed/poor mental health

8. Overweight

9. Lonely/lacks friends

10. Behavior problems

Inputs/ContextsPositive11. Parent-child relationships

12. Parent health behaviors

13. High-quality out-of-school opportunities

14. School supportiveness

15. Peer encouragement for positive behaviors

Negative16. Depression/parental mental health

problems

17. Dangerous neighborhoods

18. Negative peer behaviors

19. Self-care

20. Lack of teacher engagement

School Engagement

• Definition and importance

• Malleability

• Measurement• Parent Report

• Teacher Report

• Student Report

National Survey of America’s Families (NSAF) Adult Interview• Cares about doing well in school.• Only works on schoolwork when forced to.• Does just enough schoolwork to get by.• Always does homework.

RAPS-TE: The Teacher Report of Student Engagement for Elementary School• In my class, this student seems tuned in.• This student comes to class unprepared.• This student does more than required.

RAPS-SE: The Student Self-Report for Elementary School• Ongoing school engagement subdomain• I work very hard on my schoolwork.• I don’t try very hard in school.• I pay attention in class.• I don’t work very hard in school.• When I’m in class I just act as if I’m working.• How important is it to you to do the best you can in school?

(Very, sort of, not very, or not at all important)

Healthy Behaviors• Definition and importance

• Evidence of Malleability

• Measurement

National Survey of Children’s Health (NSCH)How often does (he/she) wear a helmet when riding a bike, scooter,

skateboard, roller skates, or rollerblades? Would you say never, sometimes, usually or always?

During the past week, on how many nights did (CHILD) get enough sleep for a child (his/her) age?

During the past week, on how many days did (CHILD) exercise or participate in physical activity for at least 20 minutes that made (him/her) sweat and breathe hard, such as basketball, soccer, running, swimming laps, fast bicycling, fast dancing, or similar aerobic activities?

America’s PromiseIn a typical day, how many times does your child eat a piece or serving of fruit?

In a typical day, how many times does your child eat vegetables?

During the past seven nights, on how many nights did your child get enough sleep for a child her/his age?

Social Skills/Competence


• Evidence on malleability

• Measurement

National Survey of Children’s Health (NCSH)

• [He/She] shows respect for teachers and neighbors.

• [He/She] gets along well with other children.

• [He/She] tries to understand other people’s feelings.

• [He/She] tries to resolve conflicts with classmates, families, or friends.

Tolerance



• Measurement• Measure development is needed

National Promises PollHow much is this like you?

I get along well with people of different races, cultures, or religions.

Behavior Problems



• Measurement

NSCH[He/She] argues too much.

[He/She] bullies, or is cruel or mean to others.

[He/She] is disobedient.

[He/She] is stubborn, sullen, or irritable.

Contextual Indicators

Parent-Child Relationships• Definition and importance


• Measurement

Parent-Adolescent Relationship ScaleIdentification with parents

I think highly of him/her.

S/he is a person I want to be like.

I really enjoy spending time with him/her.

Perceived parental supportivenessHow often does s/he praise you for doing well?

How often does s/he criticize you or your ideas?

How often does s/he help you do things that are important to you?

How often does s/he blame you for her/his problems?

How often does s/he make plans with you and cancel for no good reason?

Neighborhoods



• Measurement

NSCH:How often do you feel [CHILD] is safe in your community or neighborhood?

“People in this neighborhood help each other out.”

“We watch out for each other’s children in this neighborhood.”

“There are people I can count on in the neighborhood.”

“There are people in this neighborhood who might be a bad influence on my child/children.”

“If my child were outside playing and got hurt or scared, there are adults nearby who I trust to help my child.”

America’s Promise:How often do you think your child is safe going to or from school?

How often do you think your child is safe in your community or neighborhood?

How often do you think your child is safe in the after-school programs she/he is in?

How much do you agree or disagree with the following statements:

Our neighborhood has safe parks or playgrounds for children to play in during the day.

In our neighborhood, people watch out for each others’ children.

Conclusions

• Middle childhood is a neglected developmental stage.

• Important constructs can be identified.

• Measures of critical constructs for middle childhood are scarce and scattered, and psychometric work is very limited.

• Development and testing of good measures is urgently needed.

Research in the Service of America’s Children

www.childtrends.org

www.childtrendsdatabank.org

Documents

Positive Indicators in Middle Childhood