Data source: Human Early Learning Partnership
Date range
Description
The Middle Years Development Instrument (MDI) is a questionnaire designed to measure the developmental health and well-being of children in middle childhood. The MDI was developed by researchers at UBC in collaboration with the United Way of the Lower Mainland and the Vancouver School Board. This is a self-report questionnaire completed by children in Grades 4-8 where all the questions are read out loud by a classroom teacher. The questions measure five areas of development and well-being: (1) social and emotional development; (2) connectedness; (3) school experiences; (4) physical health and well-being; and (5) constructive use of time.
For further information on the MDI, including aggregate data inquiries or published information on the MDI visit: http://earlylearning.ubc.ca/mdi/
- Fields available
- Conditions for access to MDI data
For access to MDI data (through Population Data BC) researchers must meet all of the following conditions:
- The researcher must be from The University of British Columbia, the Human Early Learning Partnership (HELP), or an affiliate or partner of HELP.
The researcher must complete a form (in addition to completion of a Data Access Request (DAR)), which outlines how the researcher project relates to the Middle Childhood Development Program of Research. The MDI/HELP Data Steward will have decision-making authority on the relevance to the MCDPR.
Researchers will have to provide an explanations of one or more of the following:
- Explain their project's relevance for the overall MCDPR
- Does the project contribute in some manner to the psychometrics of MDI?
- Does the project expand our understanding of MCD relevant for the MCDPR?
- Does the project contribute in a unique manner that is not identified here?
- Researchers are required to share their results with HELP in order to ensure that their project will contribute to the ongoing work of the program of research.
- Inclusions
The MDI questionnaire is completed by children aged 9-13 (in Grades 4-8) across BC in yearly waves. The data is collected in January-February of the school year, and is done online during class time.
Note: Due to this data collection time, data in the Wave Year ’19-20’ is considered to be “Pre-[Covid] Pandemic”. Similarly, data collected in the Wave Year ’22-23’ is considered to be Pandemic data, as the WHO declared an end to COVID-19 in May 2023.
The MDI assesses children across 5 subcategories:
- Physical Health and Well-Being
- Connectedness
- Social and Emotional Development
- Use of After-School Time
- School Experiences
- Exclusions
Body image related questions were removed in 2019/20. Questionnaires from 2012/13 to 2018/19 have information about body image.
- Data changes over time
The MDI was piloted with Grades 4 and 7 beginning in 2009, Grades 5, 6, and 8 were added beginning with the 2020-21 school year
- Notes
Reports of data are not for comparison within schools and students.
