Research
Research at the Child Development Center for Learning and Research has a mission to (1) advance the field of basic knowledge regarding human development through original, empirical, developmentally-relevant research with all the Center populations (children, teachers, classrooms, and seniors in our partner program, Adult Day Services); (2) use research to improve or enhance the lives of children and their families; (3) educate a new generation of students and scholars in developmental, educational and evaluation science; and (4) consult with and educate the larger community about new findings that have relevance for families with young children.
We place the highest premium on ethical conduct in doing our research and communicating our results. We adhere to the federal and University standards for conducting research with human subjects.
We conduct three main types of inquiry at the Center: basic developmental research, intervention/curriculum research, and evaluation studies. Faculty studies for 2008 - 2009 include:
Intervention/Curriculum Research
- Interactive Taijii: Exploration of an Educational Multimedia Arts Game to Enhance Self-Regulation and Motor Skills in Elementary
School Children (I. Bukvic, I. Bradburn, M. Komelski, D. Gracanin, K. Parkes)
- Effects of Music Instruction on Young Children’s Development and Cognitive Skills (K. Parkes, Music Ed.; I. Bradburn, CDCLR)
- An Inquiry into Shared Reading in Preschool Classrooms (V. Fu, L.A. Wolf, CDCLR)
- An Inquiry into Intergenerational Environmental Science Learning (V. Fu, L.A. Wolf, CDCLR; I. Schepisi, Adult Day Services)
- Concept of Word and Letter Knowledge: What Kind and How Much Letter Knowledge is Beneficial to Concept of Word Learning? (H.A. Mesmer, School of Education)
- Intergenerational Community Capacity Project (S. Jarrott, C.Smith, Human Development)
Evaluation Research
- Building Child and Family Policy Research Data Capacity for the Commonwealth of Virginia: An Integrated Model (A. Schroeder, I. Bradburn, M. Chang)
- Evaluation of the Commonwealth of Virginia’s Preschool Pilot Initiative (I. Bradburn, J. Hawdon, D. Sedgwick)
- Evaluation of the Preschool Single Point of Entry Collaboration between TAP/Head Start and the Roanoke City Public Schools (I. Bradburn, K. Deater-Deckard)
- Evaluation of the Building Children’s Futures/Smart Beginnings Virginia (I. Bradburn, K. Deater-Deckard)
- Evaluation of the Child Development Associate Degree Program (V. Fu)
Student research is also encouraged. If you are interested in learning more about our research programs, please contact Isabel Bradburn, Ph.D., Research Director, at isbrad@vt.edu.