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Subject Guide for Child and Family Development
Contents:
IntroductionChild and family development (CFD) focuses on enhancing individual and group development using proactive, preventive, and self-correcting strategies. Viewing individual development holistically, the context of families, communities, and the global society are examined across the life span. All ages and stages of development including biological, cognitive, emotional, and social processes are studied. Training and research embrace the concept of helping individuals and groups reach their full potential in constantly challenging and changing environments. Look at the entries on Child Development and Human Development in the online Encyclopedia Britannica for more information. The literature of child and family development is divided up primarily between books and journals. While other kinds of information may also be useful (such as dissertations, conference proceedings, Web sites, etc.), you will want to focus on the book and journal literature. Reference books, such as encyclopedias and dictionaries, are helpful in providing definitions and overviews of a particular topic. Other books may be useful when you want to get a summary of the research in a certain area. But journal articles will make up the bulk of your library research. There are several reasons for the primacy of journals in child and family development, including the fact that journals are more timely than books, journal articles are subject to peer review, they always have the same format (APA style), they are specialized and focused, and they generally answer specific questions with empirical research. Critical thinking skills are important when evaluating information sources in child and family development. Some useful guidelines to follow when determining appropriate sources for your literature review include the following: The source should be original research and should be published in a professional (peer-reviewed) scholarly journal or in a book from a well-known publisher. In addition, it should be written by an expert in the field, it should use sound methodology, and should be fairly recent. Using information that is old, non-authoritative, or derivative will not support your research. Top of page Contact InformationLinda Muroi can be contacted at lmuroi@rohan.sdsu.edu Dictionaries and EncyclopediasEncyclopedia of
marriage and the family.
Encyclopedia of human development and education: theory, research, and
studies. Encyclopedia of parenting theory and research.
Encyclopedia of adolescence.
Top of page Finding books
Child and family development books and journals are located throughout the SDSU Library, due in part to the unique nature of the Library of Congress classification system, but also due to the multidisciplinary nature of the field. Books in child and family development are found both in the BF section and the HQ section (3rd Floor of Love Library) as well as in the RC section and the RJ section (5th Floor). Journals in psychology are primarily found on the 1st Floor of Love Library, in both Current Periodicals and Bound Periodicals. Older bound volumes are found on the 5th Floor. Both books and journals must be located with a Library of Congress call number. These can be found by performing a Title search in the PAC. Look for books in the PAC (the library's
online catalog). Use terms beginning with "Child
Development" or other terms that begin with or incorporate the words "child"
or "children" (such as "Child
Psychology," "Parent
and Child," or "Cognition
in Children." under Subject. Broader terms include "Human
Growth," Developmental
Psychology, and Life
Cycle, Human." Specific terms such as "Adolescence,"
"Infants," or
"Aged" may also
be used. If you have trouble finding a relevant subject heading, try the "Words"
search option or check the Library of Congress Subject Headings
books for the proper subject term. Finding articlesMany databases (or indexes) of journal articles have information pertinent to child and family development. Some useful ones are Academic Search Premier, ERIC, Sociological Abstracts, Social Services Abstracts, GenderWatch, AgeLine, and Child Abuse, Child Welfare and Adoption Database. The SDSU Library also receives the print version of Child Development Abstracts and Bibliography, which publishes abstracts from professional journals and reviews books related to the growth and development of children. Ask at the reference desk for assistance in locating and using these tools. However, the most important database in child and family development is PsycInfo. PsycInfo is an index containing references and summaries of the world's journal, dissertation, and book literature in psychology and related disciplines. It indexes journals in 27 languages, and covers 1887 to the present. However, only abstracts of articles are available online. To find the full text of an article, look up the title of the journal in the PAC to get the call number and location. Most child and family development journals in print will be located either in the Current Periodicals section or the Bound Periodicals section, both on the 1st Floor. The calls numbers will primarily be in the RC and RJ sections or in the BF and HQ sections. StatisticsStatistical handbook on adolescents in America.
See also the AARP website. See also U.S. Census Bureau Top of page HandbooksLibrary Use: Handbook for
Psychology, 3rd ed.
Tests and measures
Measures for Clinical Practice: A Sourcebook, 2nd ed.
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