On October 24th highlights from the Middle Years Development Instrument were presented by Dr. Kimberley Shonert-Reichl at the UBC HELP’s Fall Research Expo 2012. The Middle Years Development Instrument maps and Community Summaries for 2011-12 are now online and new communities featured this year include Kootenay Lake, Revelstoke, Chilliwack, New Westminster, Coquitlam, Sunshine Coast, Boundary, and Fraser-Cascade.
The MDI is a survey that children fill out in Grade 4. It asks about their experiences and includes questions about 5 areas of development: social and emotional development, connectedness, school experiences, physical health and well being, and constructive use of after school time. The following are some key points from the research brief:
- Studies of children in their middle years have found that around 13% of children report being “alone” during the after-school hours, from 3 to 6 o’clock
- Children involved in structured after-school activities are more likely to have higher academic achievement, higher self-esteem, and fare better overall than those who are not
- Children who say they have more family and community supports in their lives are more likely to be thriving
- Positive relationships with adults at home and in school, as well as with peers and friends, are the strongest predictor of children’s social and emotional competency, academic motivation, mental and physical health, optimism, self-esteem, and happiness.
The MDI is a useful tool to be used by government, educators and policy decision-makers. The goal of HELP is to implement the MDI across the province.
(Source: www.bccf.ca)