Child Development

Research

Research is an integral part of the ASCDL. We invite faculty and student research applications related to infants, toddlers, preschoolers, families, sibling issues, staffing issues, program administration and early childhood programming and curriculum, and other related topics. This section provides the research process and application within the ASCDL.

ASCDL Research Policy

The faculty and staff of the ASCDL invite and welcome research protocols that include our children, families, staff, and facility. Some general guidelines are

  • Applications should be submitted at least four weeks before the study is scheduled to begin to allow for approval of both the ASCDL board and the human subjects process.
  • No project may be scheduled during the last two weeks of any given semester.
  • The purpose of submitting proposals is to provide information to the screening committee enabling them to evaluation the research in terms of ethics and of time, space, staff, and effort required of the ASCDL.
  • Some restrictions are imposed to prevent the over-use and resulting over-sophistication of the children and to limit the amount of time demanded of the children for adult-oriented tasks.
  1. Who may apply?
    1. Faculty of California State University, Chico and faculty of other institutions of higher education.
    2. Graduate students and undergraduate students of exceptional ability who are sponsored, directed, and supervised by specific faculty members. Undergraduate student’s applications for projects may have lower priority.
  2. A research proposal on the appropriate application form must accompany every request to the use the facility or children as subjects including the use as subjects for photography, art work, and other brief usage. The proposal must include
    1. Purpose of the Study
    2. Method
      1. Procedure (include amount of time and specific dates when researchers will be working in the facility or with children from inception to completion).
      2. Instrumentation (e.g. apparatus, equipment, specific test to be used, including when possible a copy of the test).
    3. Time required of the people of the ASCDL including children, parents, staff, including orientation of researchers, recruiting children and other needs unique to the research.
    4. Other resources required of the ASCDL.
    5. All student research sponsored by the faculty must delineate the control, direction, and supervision to be exercised by the faculty member.
    6. Provisions for progress reports (if the investigation will cover an extended period of time or seems otherwise necessary).
    7. Submission of a final research report that allows the CD and the ASCDL Programs to relate the results to interested individuals.
    8. Submission of individual children’s findings, when appropriate, or a summary of the study’s findings in a form to be given to parents.
  3. Every proposal must contain a statement indicating specifically how the investigation will provide for and protect individual’s rights, including their right to privacy, and the right to protection from real or potential psychological, emotional, physical and /or social harm. The investigator should include a statement of how these data will be treated in compliance with the Family Education Rights and Privacy Act.
  4. Research funded by sources other than the state general funds may be charged a user’s fee. All investigators in direct contact with children must submit a certificate of freedom from tuberculosis prior to contact with the children, complete an orientation to the facility and/or the specific classrooms where research will be conducted, and complete any additional paperwork needed for purposes of state licensing and national accreditation. Investigators may be required to be accompanied by an authorized agency representative
  5. The screening committee for all proposals will include the chair of the Child Development Department, director of the ASCDL, one member of the child development faculty, and one parent of a child in the ASCDL (when possible).
  6. This policy on the Use of Children as Subjects in the ASCDL complies with the University’s Human Subjects Policy.
Dr. Lindsey Nenadal, Lizbeth Navarro, Guadalupe Carolina Vazquez, Madeline Mauldwin, Maricella Garcia diana and 2 students