Enhancing Research Capacity via Developmentally Appropriate Online Data Collection System

DESCRIPTION provided by applicant Data collection for clinical behavioral and social research has traditionally been accomplished via paper and pencil forms collected in person by telephone or through the mail however recent technological advances have resulted in a multitude of online data collection systems DCS that deploy measures and collect data online More than of all data collection is now being conducted through online surveys Furthermore evidence indicates online data collection offers higher response rates higher quality data and substantial cost savings over traditional methods Unfortunately however none of the current technology products offer developmentally appropriate tools specifically designed for collecting data with children younger than This Phase II SBIR project will continue development and testing of a child friendly data collection system Quest providing game like user interfaces with built in accessibility tools to maximize both engagement and usability for children and enabling researchers to design build and deploy developmentally appropriate surveys for children ages This Phase II SBIR project will build on positive Phase I feedback and support to accomplish three specific aims Fully develop Quest software by finalizing user flows and interfaces embedding recommended software features and functions and integrating researcher and child portal components To ensure maximum usability we will employ an iterative development model incorporating continuous feedback from children and researchers during development of the full product Conduct usability testing with children ages who will be randomly assigned to complete pediatric self report social behavioral measures using one of three data collection methods a paper and pencil b online survey or c Quest Observational data and ratings will be gathered for each method to assess participant engagement motivation attention and usability Conduct pilot testing with pediatric clinical social and behavioral researchers randomly assigned to a Quest or b data collection as usual DCU conditions Researchers will complete ratings of their data collection experience with children over a month period We expect researchers in the Quest condition to report significantly greater a ease of use b data quality c participant engagement d cost savings and e method satisfaction compared to researchers in the DCU condition We also expect them to report the Quest software is a highly innovative b feasible and c valuable for conducting research with children This project will yield a highly innovative affordable product that can be broadly applied in the service of clinical behavioral and social research and for which there is a demonstrated market need In effect this work will support NCATSandapos s Strategic Priorities to build research capacity by addressing the developmental challenges of data collection with children and supporting researchersandapos capacity to collect high quality survey data with children which in turn would support efforts to translate research findings into clinical practice so that health outcomes for children can be enhanced PUBLIC HEALTH RELEVANCE More than of all data collection worldwide is now being conducted through Internet based surveys offering significant advantages over traditional methods such as higher response rates higher quality data and substantial cost savings However none of the current online data collection systems offer developmentally appropriate tools specifically designed to address literacy motivation and attention issues that can lower quality of data collected with children younger than years An integral component of clinical social and behavioral sciences is the collection of survey data When that research involves children it is often beneficial if not essential to collect data directly from the child Howeve the quality of the data collected will drive the degree to which scientific discoveries can be translated into improvements in public healthcare This Phase II SBIR will yield Quest a highly innovative child friendly online data collection system that can be broadly applied in the service of clinical behavioral and social research and supporting NCATSandapos s Strategic Priorities to build research capacity by addressing the developmental challenges of data collection with children which in turn would support efforts to translate research findings into clinical practice so that health outcomes for children can be enhanced