IV. Research Fundamentals

As child life remains situated within the healthcare profession and includes clinical training as a part of its’ foundation, the ability to understand the research process and methods which undergo the steps taken in child life interventions is fundamental. Many of the foundations of child life include a research based approach, such as APIE in which clinicians assess, plan, intervene, and then evaluate their success or need for adjustments. This practice follows a similar pattern to that of the scientific method and allows clinicians to actively tweak their approach, always in pursuit of best practice for the patients and families which they serve. Additionally, the ability to write and produce scholarly work is a skill which allows child life professionals to communicate and advocate for their skill base. Using research proposals or evidence based practices can also help advance a department through presentation of grant proposals, conferences, or educational modules. 

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As a part of my completion of a Master’s of Science in Child Life and Family Centered Care, I participated in a research methods course during the summer of 2022. In this course, we learned about the foundations of Qualitative, Quantitative, and mixed methods research studies, with the ability to create a research proposal at the end of the semester. To best understand the overlap between child life and research I chose to research the costs to enter the child life field and pursued a mixed method study involving surveys, financial reports from the ACLP, and self reports from Certified Child Life Specialists. This practice allowed me to better understand the steps involved in creating and formatting a research proposal/study and helped me think about the ways I may want to use this practice in my future professional career.