Schedule

Presenters:

• Martha "Marty" Zaslow, Interim Executive Director, Society for Research in Child Development
• Gianluca Esposito, co-organizer, Nanyang Technological University, Singapore and University of Trento, Italy
• Angelo Brandelli Costa, co-organizer, Pontifícia Universidade Católica do Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil

Speaker: Anna Martha Vaitses Fontanari, Pòntificia Universidade Católica do Rio Grande do Sul

On this talk, I will show you associations between having access to gender affirmation and mental health improvement in transgender and gender non-binary youth. Firstly, and briefly, I will conceptualize transgender and gender non-binary identities, and gender affirmation. Secondly, I will talk about my experience recruiting Brazilian transgender and gender non-binary youth, bearing in mind that many are still struggling to reveal their gender identities and, thus, are not yet organized in communities.  Finally, I will show results from a cross-section research exploring the impact of each domain of gender affirmation (social, legal, and medical/surgical) on the mental health of transgender and gender non-binary youth in Southern Brazil.

Chair: Maria Dieci, University of California, Berkeley

Discussant: Joshua Jeong, Harvard University

Selecting appropriate measurement tools and understanding early life determinants is necessary to develop appropriate strategies for improving child development outcomes. However, the majority of the tools used in low- and middle-income countries have been developed in Western contexts, and often require adaptation to capture relevant aspects of children’s environment and development in cross-cultural contexts. The papers in this symposium use data from low-income settings in South Asia and Sub-Saharan Africa to compare parent-reported and observational measures of caregiving environments and developmental outcomes of infants and young children.

The first paper uses data from Pakistan to compare longitudinal differences in two measures of children’s home environment and their relationships to early child development. The second paper examines the psychometric properties of an observational tool to measure father-child interactions and its concurrent validity with child development outcomes in Tanzania. The third paper examines the validity of an adapted parent-report tool to a gold standard child development assessment tool in Bangladesh. The fourth paper examines implications of language used in assessing receptive and expressive vocabulary in multilingual communities in western Kenya. In this symposium, we will discuss the tradeoffs required when selecting measurement tools for evaluating programs and policies, and strategies for triangulating evidence to more comprehensively understand early childhood exposures and outcomes in a global context.

• Paper 1: Concurrent Validity of the Ages and Stages Questionnaire Inventory in Rural Bangladesh
  
  Authors: Helen Osborne Pitchik*, University of California, Berkeley; Fahmida Akter, International Center for Diarrhoeal Disease Research, Bangladesh; Abul Shoab, International Center for Diarrhoeal Disease Research, Bangladesh; Md. Mahbubur Rahman, International Center for Diarrhoeal Disease Research, Bangladesh; Lia C.H. Fernald, University of California, Berkeley; Fahmida Tofail, International Center for Diarrhoeal Disease Research, Bangladesh
   
• Paper 2: Multilingual Assessment of Early Child Development: Analyses from Repeated Observations of Children in Kenya
  
  Authors: Heather Ashley Knauer*, University of Michigan; Patricia Kariger, University of California, Berkeley; Pamela Jakiela, Center for Global Development; Owen Ozier, The World Bank Development Research Group; Lia C.H. Fernald, University of California, Berkeley
   
• Paper 3: Grandmother Involvement in Rural Pakistan: An Observational Study on Child Growth and Development
  
  Authors: Esther Chung*, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill; Ashley Hagaman, Yale University; Katherine LeMasters, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill; Siham Sikandar, Human Development Research Foundation; Joanna Maselko, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill

• Talk 1: Who Benefited from a Growth Mindset Intervention in Indonesia? A Study of Achievement Motivation Profiles
  
  Authors: Diego Catalan Molina*, University of California, Davis; Tenelle J. Porter, University of California, Davis; Samantha De Martino, World Bank Group; Hillary C. Johnson, World Bank Group; Noël Muller, World Bank Group; Elizaveta Perova, World Bank Group; Renos Vakis, World Bank Group; Kali Trzesniewski, University of California, Davis
   
• Talk 2: Lessons Learned and Recommendations for Conducting Early Intervention Research in a Lower-Middle Income Country
  
  Author: Jillian Pierucci*, St. Mary’s University
   
• Talk 3: Maternal Sensitivity and Child Attachment Security in Peruvian Preschool Children Across Different SES
  
  Authors: Magaly Noblega, Pontificia Universidad Católica del Perú; Patricia Bárrig-Jó, Pontificia Universidad Católica del Perú; Katherine Fourment*, Pontificia Universidad Católica del Perú
   
• Talk 4: Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACE), Coping Skills, and Biopsychological Outcomes in Grenadian Workers
  
  Authors: Richard E. Honigman*, Reach Within Foundation; Abishek Bala, Central Michigan University; Isabelle Mueller, University of Massachusetts, Boston; Satesh Bidaisee, St. George’s University; Richard G. Hunter, University of Massachusetts, Boston; Edward Z. Tronick, University of Massachusetts, Boston
   
• Talk 5: Socioeconomic Status, Executive Function, and Academic Achievement in Ghana
  
  Authors: Emily M. Weiss*, University of Pennsylvania; Sharon Wolf, University of Pennsylvania

Chair: Jennifer E. Lansford, Duke University

This symposium focuses on methodological approaches to studying parenting and child development in diverse cultural contexts. The first paper describes how mixed methods approaches that incorporate both qualitative and quantitative methods are particularly useful in understanding development in under-researched settings. The study, conducted in Tanzania, incorporated in-depth interviews with key informants in the field of child protection, focus group discussions regarding local parenting norms, and interviews with men at high risk of continuing intergenerational cycles of violence because of adverse childhood experiences. The second paper describes a longitudinal study of parenting and child development in nine countries: China, Colombia, Italy, Jordan, Kenya, the Philippines, Sweden, Thailand, and the United States. Select findings from the 11 years of annual quantitative interviews are used to illustrate key aspects of the methods, such as cultural adaptation of measures and retaining participants over time in diverse contexts. The third paper uses data from cross-sectional surveys of nationally-representative samples in 24 low- and middle-income countries. Findings from multilevel models are used to illustrate relations between co-resident grandparents and child development, and methodological challenges and opportunities in using large, publicly available datasets are discussed. The fourth paper describes the methodological steps involved in using machine learning with big datasets to understand child development. Illustrative findings related to a large range of predictors of child mortality in low- and middle-income countries are used to introduce this data-driven approach.

• Paper 1: Mixed Methods Approaches for Understanding Parenting and Child Development in Different Cultural Contexts
  
  Author: Susannah Zietz*, Duke University
   
• Paper 2: The Parenting Across Cultures Project: An International Collaboration to Understand Parenting and Child Development Longitudinally
  
  Author: Suha Al-Hassan*, Hashemite University
   
• Paper 3: Global Grandparenting: Understanding the Role of Grandparents across Demographic Contexts
  
  Author: Megan Costa*, Arizona State University
   
• Paper 4: Machine Learning and Big Datasets: Novel Approaches to Cross-cultural Study
  
  Authors: Andrea Bizzego*, University of Trento; Marc H. Bornstein, Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development and Institute for Fiscal Studies; Gianluca Esposito, Nanyang Technological University and University of Trento

• Poster A1: Educational Aspirations and Expectations of Left-behind Children in Rural Areas in China
  
  Author: Xiaodi Chen*, University College London
   
• Poster A2: Moving Beyond Income: Dimensions of Deprivation and Threat in the Context of Poverty Uniquely Predict Child Internalizing Problems
  
  Authors: Lilly Bendel-Stenzel*, University of Iowa; Meriah L. DeJoseph, University of Minnesota; Daniel Berry, University of Minnesota; Clancy Blair, New York University
   
• Poster A3: Lessons Learned While Studying Ethiopian Children’s Social-Emotional Functioning and Academic Achievement
  
  Author: Carlos Valiente*, Arizona State University
   
• Poster B1: Educational Wishes and Expectations of Indonesian Adolescent Students
  
  Authors: Hillary C. Johnson*, World Bank Group; Noël Muller, World Bank Group; Samantha De Martino, World Bank Group; Diego Catalan Molina, University of California, Davis; Kali Trzesniewski, University of California, Davis; Renos Vakis, World Bank Group; Elizaveta Perova, World Bank Group
   
• Poster B2: Leveraging Kenyan Stakeholders to Understand Existing Resources and Readiness for Implementing a Parenting Program
  
  Authors: Martha Nkechi Ishiekwene*, Georgia State University; Lisa Armistead, Georgia State University; Jenelle Shanley, Pacific University; Victoria Mutiso, Africa Mental Health Research and Training Foundation; Christine Musyimi, Africa Mental Health Research and Training Foundation; Darius Nyamai, Africa Mental Health Research and Training Foundation
   
• Poster B3: Learning Environment and Early Childhood Education in Jordan
  
  Author: Suha Al-Hassan*, Hashemite University
   
• Poster C1: Impact Evaluation of "All Can Succeed," a Growth-mindset Intervention for Adolescent Students in Indonesia
  
  Authors: Kali Trzesniewski*, University of California, Davis; Hillary C. Johnson, World Bank Group; Diego Catalan Molina, University of California, Davis; Samantha De Martino, World Bank Group; Renos Vakis, World Bank Group; Noël Muller, World Bank Group; Elizaveta Perova, World Bank Group
   
• Poster C2: Impacts of Early Intervention Resources on Young Children with Hearing Loss:  China and U.S.A.
  
  Authors: Yaoying Xu*, Virginia Commonwealth University; Christine Spence, Virginia Commonwealth University; Alison King, Longwood University
   
• Poster C3: Improving Inclusive Education in Tanzania through the Public Schools and Non-Governmental Organization Partnership
  
  Authors: Ozden Pinar-Irmak*, University of Massachusetts, Boston; Angi Stone-MacDonald, University of Massachusetts, Boston

• Talk 1: What Matters Most for Early Child Development? Evidences from a Backward District of India
  
  Authors: Rayhan Sk*, Jawaharlal Nehru University; Anuradha Banerjee, Jawaharlal Nehru University
   
• Talk 2: Content and Covergent Validation of MODULO DIT Version 2: A Questionnaire to Evaluate Early Child Development in Peru [WITHDRAWN]
  
  Authors: Magaly Noblega*, Pontificia Universidad Católica del Perú; Jose Velásquez, Universidad Peruana Cayetano Heredia; Henry Cabrera, Noatum Logistics; José Negrón, Ministry of Development and Social Inclusion, Peru; Ariela Luna, Ministry of Development and Social Inclusion, Peru
   
• Talk 3: Assessing Child Development Through Report of Brazilian Mothers
  
  Authors: Denise R. Bandeira*, Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil; Monia Aparecida Silva, Universidade Federal de São João del-Rei, Brazil; Euclides de Mendonça Filho, McGill University
   
• Talk 4: Validation of a Parent-report Tool with Interactions for Developmental Screening in Low-resource Settings
  
  Author: Juan Giraldo, Sr.*, Universidad de La Sabana, Colombia
   
• Talk 5: Studying Probiotics and Cognition in an African City: Findings and Lessons on Cross Cultural Research
  
  Authors: Bonnie Erin Brett*, Radboud University, the Netherlands; Carolina De Weerth, Radboud University, the Netherlands

• Talk 1: Understanding parents' perceived value of children in urban and rural Chinese families
  
  Author: Xiang Zhou*, Purdue University
   
• Talk 2: Parent Perceptions of Barriers to Academic Success in Iraq
  
  Authors: Catherine Oberle*, University of California, Davis; Zeina Afif, World Bank Group; Gonzalo Pons, World Bank Group; Kali Trzesniewski, University of California, Davis
   
• Talk 3: Effects of a developmental screening tool administered by parents in children at risk in low-resource settings
  
  Author: Juan Giraldo, Sr.*, Universidad de La Sabana, Colombia
   
• Talk 4: Math Learning, Out-of-School Enrichment, and Low-Performing Schools:  A Case for Solution-Based Research
  
  Authors: Heidi Kloos*, University of Cincinnati; Macey Cartwright, University of Cincinnati

Speaker: Silvia H. Koller, Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil

The North-South division has repercussions for both science production and application of knowledge. Northern researchers usually define global research agendas and determine release and analysis of results. Theories and methodologies are usually imported from the North to be used as a basis for research in the Global South. The understanding of contexts, histories, cultural processes are essential for producing and applying research knowledge accordingly to specific continent-related characteristics, organizations, and conditions. Local scientists are the ones who have the appropriated legitimacy to translate research knowledge into sensitive interventions. An equitable involvement of Southern as well as Northern researchers may produce a more complete set of knowledge in the studies of human development, as well as to the international research community across all disciplines, policymakers and the wider public. Latin Americans and Africans, for example, have a perspective of publishing in international journals and preparing excellent researchers in their universities to spread out the knowledge they are producing in their regions. Worldwide attention at the human development perspectives are focusing in finding a balance between global and local models, theories, and applications. Awareness of the limits of dominant mainstream models, and an increasingly diverse population each make these discussions timely. This presentation will outline some of mechanisms for internationalizing teaching, research and application at individual and institutional levels, and how to promote the Global South research on child development to the world.

Speaker: Prerna Banati, UNICEF, Senegal

Longitudinal research has proven beneficial to the development of effective public policy and the design of effective public programs that many governments in high income countries have invested heavily in them. Their value is demonstrated through their ability to show the persistence of factors that impact children’s lives, unpack underlying drivers and determinants, capture the dynamic nature of development, provide an assessment of the timing of development windows, and help determine ‘what works’ in program and policy interventions. By sharing findings from the Global Longitudinal Research Initiative (GLORI), a peer group of over thirty longitudinal studies hosted by UNICEF, as well as findings from her upcoming volume ‘’Sustainable Human Development Across the Life Course: Evidence from Longitudinal Research in Children and Adolescents’’ by Policy Press/Bristol University Press, the presenter will share reflections on the relevance, sustainability, utility and uptake of longitudinal research in low and middle income settings.