3/28/02

Chris Faile, 334/844-5964 )

AUBURN STUDY TO FILL INFORMATION GAP IN RURAL CHILD DEVELOPMENT

AUBURN -- Do children growing up in economically distressed areas develop the same social skills as children in more affluent regions? Do they form similar values and beliefs?

Those are the type questions that two Auburn University family studies researchers hope to answer in a study of children in Alabama's Black-Belt region.

The researchers chose this part of the state because most studies in these areas of child development and socialization involve mostly urban, white, middleclass samples. They say that Hale County will provide them with the diversity needed to expand the body of knowledge now available.

To fund the project, Gregory Pettit, Alumni professor, and Brian Vaughn, Human Sciences professor in Auburn's College of Human Sciences, have submitted a proposal to the National Science Foundation's Children's Research Initiative.

"The goal of our investigation is to collect information about the ways children acquire knowledge about themselves and other people, and the different ways that they view relationships between themselves and others," Vaughn said.

"Essentially, we want to study how children form beliefs that allow them to become successful at home, in school and then later on, in the workplace," Pettit added.

The AU researchers hope to develop an information resource to assist policy-makers and others who create programs to benefit children.

"Our research will provide information to help program development start from a solid foundation of scientific knowledge rather than on intuitions about needs and best practices," Vaughn said.

"The proposal is our response to a new program sponsored by the National Science Foundation's Children's Research Initiative," Pettit said.

The NSF launched the initiative because it believes there is a serious lack of theoretical knowledge regarding children's growth and development, according to the researchers. NSF also encourages multi-disciplinary research.

Pettit and Vaughn have asked 10 faculty members from the Department of Human Development and Family Studies, and 10 from other departments to participate in the project. They also have recruited an advisory board comprising eminent scientists from throughout the nation.

"These scientists will help us set long-term goals and provide guidance," Pettit said.

The researchers also are capitalizing on a community relationship that Auburn already has in this area of West Alabama.

"Hale County serves as an ideal location for this study because it is the site of Auburn's College of Architecture, Construction and Design's Rural Studio," Pettit said. "Because of this, we are able to build upon the university's well established reputation in the community."

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CONTACT: Pettit, 334/844-3228; and Vaughn, 334/844-3249.