Growing up in Scotland
Growing up in Scotland is a valuable example of how research can influence and inform practice.
'Before GUS was set up, our only source of data was from a UK study, which only incorporated the results of 2500 children living in Scotland,' says Lesley Kelly of Growing Up in Scotland (GUS). 'Since GUS is solely representing children in Scotland, we have now been able to study 8000 families, which will give us a great deal more data.'
GUS was commissioned by the Scottish Government in 2005, in response to a lack of information regarding the lives of children under the age of 5. The 8000 children were divided into two cohorts. The birth cohort consisted of 5000 children, who have been interviewed annually since birth. The remaining 3000 children were all under the age of 3 at their first interview. This allowed the researchers to make comparisons in their data early on.
Cognitive development
'When interviewers visit participating families they ask a number of questions regarding the child's development,' says Lesley. 'They also measure their height and weight. The children will also have been participating in exercises prior to the visit, which test their vocabulary and problem-solving skills. These results give us an insight into the child's cognitive development.'
In recent years the style of GUS reporting has been adapted. 'For the first two years, we produced lengthy reports, covering all of our findings,' says Lesley. 'More recently, we have moved towards producing shorter reports which provide more detailed, comprehensive information.'
Findings
The topics of these reports have varied, along with their findings, but a recent report on the effects of parent–child interaction on cognitive development generated a great deal of media attention. 'We removed the effect of socio-economic disadvantage, and looked purely at the developmental impact of parents and children spending time together,' says Lesley. 'Activities such as reading and talking produced positive results, reinforcing the notion that, from a young age, parents should be spending time with their children.'
This will be further highlighted in autumn when a social advertising campaign funded by the Scottish Government will appear on television. 'We are hoping our research findings will impact on parents, and encourage them to see the advantages in spending time and engaging with their children.'
More information
All of the report findings are available to be downloaded from the GUS website.
- Posted on 08 September 2009 under Educational research, Research, Issue 16, In this issue.
- Tagged as growing up in scotland, gus, research, cognitive development.
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