ISSBD and Child & Family Blog Partner to Train Scholars in Science Communication.
January 8, 2025
The International Society for the Study of Behavioral Development (ISSBD) and the Child & Family Blog (CFB) have launched a new collaborative project to teach early career scholars across the world, particularly in the Global South, how they can best communicate child development science to parents and carers in their communities.
Both organisations are deeply committed to sharing the science of child development. Parents and caregivers need evidence-based information to help children cope with the multiple threats to development, such as wars, the overuse of media, and a mental health crisis that has increased since COVID-19. Child development is a science that cares. It illuminates not only how parents and carers matter and play a critical role in the development of their children, but also how parents and carers can best support children as they grow up in an increasingly troubled and dangerous world.
Too much valuable knowledge about child development for parents and caregivers remains hidden within the academy, especially in the majority world, which includes the Global South. Yet researchers, especially those new to the field, are eager to learn how to bring developmental science out to the world. We wish to share what we call edible science, scientific information that is accessible, digestible, and usable to the general public. This project will teach younger researchers across the world, particularly in the global south, how they can communicate the science to parents and caregivers in their own communities. Early career researchers are excited to learn how to turn research findings into accessible science that will reach the general public.
As part of this collaboration, the two organisations will host a series of webinars designed for early career scholars. These sessions will explore science communication techniques, featuring global researchers and science communicators who share successful strategies for engaging local communities.
Reflecting on the partnership, Dr Malti, President of ISSBD, stated:
“The ISSBD is honoured to collaborate with the Child & Family Blog. This new partnership includes an exciting webinar series which targets early career scholars from ISSBD. With this initiative, the ISSBD plans to support training in dissemination research and knowledge transfer. This cooperation will nurture our shared goal to disseminate developmental science, both globally and locally. We look forward to promoting the skills development of our early career scholars and further contributing to knowledge transfer.”
Prof Michael Lamb, President of the Child & Family Blog, states:
“Since its birth, we have been determined to ‘give science away’, by ensuring that reliable and important research findings are made accessible and meaningful to those who are eager to benefit from that information, especially parents and those who work for them. This new partnership with ISSBD will allow us to communicate more effectively outside the affluent educated groups in the Minority Work that we have tended to reach in the past.
About ISSBD
Founded in 1969, the International Society for the Study of Behavioural Development (ISSBD) is a global organization dedicated to advancing the understanding of human development. With members from over 70 countries, ISSBD brings together researchers, practitioners, and scholars from diverse disciplines and approaches to explore the people, places, and practices that shape development.
About Child & Family Blog
Founded in 2015, the Child & Family Blog, reports to non-academic audiences – parents, practitioners and policymakers – important advances in child development knowledge published in leading academic journals. It aims to answer questions that people are asking online, aiming to be visible and relevant to people using online search engines. The Blog has an international board of directors and all professors of child development. The partnership with ISSBD is a big step forward for the organisation, as it seeks to communicate child development knowledge more globally and beyond the internet directly into communities.
For additional information about ISSBD-CFB collaboration or the upcoming webinar series, whether you are a researcher or a science communicator please contact:
ISSBD’s President, Tina Malti: tina.malti@uni-leipzig.de
Child & Family Blog Operational Manager, Duncan Fisher: editor@childandfamilyblog.com
