Research that Benefits Children and Families—Uplifting Stories

Option 2. If I were to conduct a research study, it would be on-the positive outcomes of play in the development of young children. Play is my focus of study because I believe children are teachable at birth (Zero to Three, 2012). Positive contributions from this study are the social emotional skills and abilities that help preschoolers prepare for kindergarten (NAEYC, 2006), such as:

·         Confidence

·         The ability to develop good relationships with peers

·         Concentrating on and persisting with challenging tasks

·         Attending and listening to instructions

·         Being able to solve social problems, and

·         Effectively communicate emotions

Participants in this study would include three groups of 25 children, parents, and childcare providers. Group 1-actively enrolled in a childcare center that utililitizes play-based curriculum. Group 2-actively enrolled in a home daycare where children are guided by caregiver’s weekly activities log. Group 3-remains home with babysitters. The length of this study is 12 months.

 

Reference

Ostrosky, M.M. & Meadan, H. (2010). Helping children play and learn together. NAEYC: Young Children. p. 104. Retrieved from: http://www.naeyc.org/files/yc/file/201001/OstroskyWeb0110.pdf

Zero to Three: National Center for Infants, Toddlers, and Families. (2012). School Readiness: Birth to Three. Retrieved from:

            http://main.zerotothree.org/site/PageServer?pagename=ter_par_012_think

My Personal Research Journey

For this course simulation, I chose how is play effective in young children’s ability to learn? The answer to this question is important to me because it is my desire that preschoolers connect learning with fun and to see early learners enjoy their years of childhood as they develop social skills that will prepare them for school and life. I believe children will engage in anything that is fun to them without much persuasion from adults. In the classroom, I encourage children to support, praise, and correct one another. In every situation, I look for opportunities to teach through play. This leaves me wondering, if children retain more information through play than curriculum-centered learning?

As I progress through this course, my level of confidence has increase. I am discovering a lot through the assignments and the discussions. There is so much variety in the discussions; I make it a point to read everyone’s thoughts, from doing that I glean ideas that had not crossed my mind. Thanks to all of you, your thoughts and perspectives are very valuable to me.

I surprisingly enjoy doing the research charts; they push me to think deeper into the purpose of research. Recently, I was asked about what I am working on in school and I was able to articulate with confidence specific details about this course – that was a huge thing for me! I understand more about narrowing the research topic to pinpoint an exact issue. As I continue to do that, the search for information in that area is becoming more specific and to the point. I am interested in any sites that discuss the effects of play and learning, so if any of you run across links in connection with this topic, please send them to me and let me know how I can be of help to you. Thanks.