Child Development Research and the Poor Children of America: A Call for a Developmental Contextual Approach to Research and Outreach

Abstract

The number of American children living under persistent and pervasive poverty increases each year. For example, poverty rates are greater among African American and Latino children than among European American children. Yet most studies of child developmentfocus on European American, middle‐class samples and do not consider the actual ecology of children's development. Such studies have limited applicability for developing, delivering, or sustaining policies or programs pertinent to the diverse groups comprising America's poor children. Accordingly, we present a developmental contextual model of child development thatfocuses on diversity and context; that suggests means to synthesize research with policy and program design, delivery, and evaluation; and that promotes both multiprofessional collaboration and research‐outreach partnerships with communities. Finally, to change the developmental trajectories of America's poor children, we call for scientific focus on the issue of how to develop and sustain successful policies and programs.

An Integrative Model for the Study of Developmental Competencies in Minority Children

“…They indicate (1) the conspicuous absence of longitudinal investigations on the normative development of minority children; (2) an emphasis on outcomes rather than on process in what little research is being done on children of color; (3) a lack of attention to intragroup variability and an emphasis on between-group comparisons; (4) a disregard for the diversity inherent in some of the minority group categories in use; and (5) a minimization of the effects of such social stratification derivatives as racism, prejudice, discrimination, and segregation on the development of minority children. These exclusions and lack of attention to crucial aspects of the context in which children's development takes place undermine a more comprehensive scientific understanding of the minority child and raise questions about the validity of empirical knowledge about children in general (McKinney, Abrams, Terry, & Lerner, 1994). Moreover, they hamper our ability to intervene efficaciously and to lessen the deleterious effects of the lessthan-optimal conditions experienced by most minority and other low-income children.…”

An Integrative Model for the Study of Developmental Competencies in Minority Children

“…(2) an emphasis on outcomes rather than on process in what little research is being done on children of color; (3) a lack of attention to intragroup variability and an emphasis on between-group comparisons; (4) a disregard for the diversity inherent in some of the minority group categories in use; and (5) a minimization of the effects of such social stratification derivatives as racism, prejudice, discrimination, and segregation on the development of minority children. These exclusions and lack of attention to crucial aspects of the context in which children's development takes place undermine a more comprehensive scientific understanding of the minority child and raise questions about the validity of empirical knowledge about children in general (McKinney, Abrams, Terry, & Lerner, 1994). Moreover, they hamper our ability to intervene efficaciously and to lessen the deleterious effects of the lessthan-optimal conditions experienced by most minority and other low-income children.…”

An Ethnographic Approach to Understanding Service Use Among Ethnically Diverse Low Income Families

“…The advantages of collaboration in research and service are well documented (McKinney et al, 1994;Gardner, 1993;Schuchardt, Marlowe, Parker & Smith, 1991). But, as we brought together researchers from a variety of disciplines, it became apparent that we did not necessarily share common paradigms or common terminologies.…”

“…Currently, according to McKinney, Abrams, Terry and Lerner (1994), the majority of child development research continues to focus on middle-class European-American children in laboratory settings. The present study uses a conceptual framework that encompasses an ecological perspective (Bronfenbrenner, 1974(Bronfenbrenner, , 1979.…”