Just Good Developmental Science: Trust, Identity, and Responsibility in Ethnic Minority Recruitment and Retention

Abstract

Given the noted difficulty of recruiting and retaining ethnic and racial minority populations into various kinds of research endeavors (e.g., basic, prevention, intervention, health), they remain underrepresented and thus underserved by the research community as compared to other US groups. As developmental scientists, we often ask questions that imply longitudinal research designs, and thus, issues of attentiveness and responsiveness are paramount to the successful engagement (i.e., recruitment) and sustainability (i.e., retention) of our research with ethnic/racial minority samples. The goal of this chapter is to advance an ongoing dialogue about much of the work researchers of ethnic/racial minority child and youth development do in order to effectually recruit and retain youth and families but that is not often obvious to colleagues and readers of the final products. We frame our discussion with three key broadly significant themes: the role of trust, researcher identity and insider/outsider status, and responsibility. Perhaps most importantly, throughout the chapter, we provide concrete examples of the ways in which developmental scientists are transforming potential recruitment and retention challenges into opportunities in their own research programs.

Keywords: Ethnic minority; Methodology; Racial minority; Recruitment; Retention.