Volunteers Needed for Study by TAMIU Professors

Texas A&M International University needs volunteers to participate in a study designed to examine long-term behavioral and academic outcomes for youth.

Approximately 300 boys and girls ages 11 – 14 are needed for the Laredo Longitudinal Study. Parental permission is required.

“We are in the initial phases of a longitudinal study involving 11 – 14-year-olds and following them for five years to examine factors that influence behavioral and academic outcomes,” announced Dr. Christopher J. Ferguson, TAMIU assistant professor of psychology.

Dr. Ferguson is conducting the study along with Dr. Claudia E. San Miguel, assistant professor of criminal justice and Dr. Richard D. Hartley, assistant professor of criminal justice.

“Youths and their parents will answer questions related to family environment, media consumption, mental health and positive and negative behaviors. Each year the youth will be re-evaluated in regards to their academic and behavioral performance. This design will help us understand what factors are most important in determining youth success and which are less important,” explained Ferguson.

Participants will be required to fill out a set of surveys, which will take about 30 – 45 minutes. Once a year, for five years, a smaller set of surveys, about 15 minutes to fill out, will be sent to the families to check their progress.

“We’ll be enrolling people continuously, although hopefully by early Fall we’ll have our sample,” Ferguson said.

For more information, contact Ferguson at 326.2636 or cferguson@tamiu.edu, Dr. San Miguel at 326.2529 or csanmiguel@tamiu.edu or Dr. Hartley at 326.2604 or rhartley@tamiu.edu

Journalists who need additional information or help with media requests and interviews should contact the Office of Public Relations, Marketing and Information Services at prmis@tamiu.edu