Research that Benefits Children and Families

    A topic I would choose to study would be implementing effective early childhood programs and rigorous, age- appropriate curriculum for older toddlers to help with the development of academic and social skills. I would choose this topic because I have a two year old son, and he amazes me with things that he has learned early on because he has been taught and introduced to these new concepts. For instance, he has learned his name starts with a Kk/ and will even try writing it. I would be intrigued to see if we start implementing early education programs and curriculum for toddlers, the advancements we could have for children that would be more school ready. Also I think it may show how appropriate education can help build a child’s cognitive and social skills if we start even early in age.  

My Personal Research Journey

The topic I have chosen for my research simulation is teacher strategies that are useful for maintaining high quality preschool or prekindergarten classrooms. I have chosen this as my simulation because I currently serve as a teacher for pre-kindergarten at Fort Worth ISD in Fort Worth, Texas. I work with children that would be considered at-risk and would love to learn new insights about maintaining a high quality classroom. As a teacher I endure a lot of situations that may be behavioral concerns, learning disabilities, children in temporary living situations, and other situations that affect the many children I serve.  I figure researching this topic will help me become well-rounded and become a better educator for the children and their families.  From constructing the research chart, I learned how to better analysis a research article. Also I am starting to learn more about certain terms used with research. I feel that “A Practical Guide to Reading Research Articles” and the course book have been instrumental in the process of becoming better at understanding research terms and how to become competent in doing research. If any colleagues have any advice or further resources to help with my topic, feel free to comment. Thanks in advance!

Resources that have been helpful:

Lepuschitz, J.K. (2011). A practical guide to reading research articles. Laureate Education Inc., Baltimore, MD. 

 Doing Early Childhood Research: International Perspectives on Theory and PracticeAppendix 1, “Getting Our Terms Right”  Mac Naughton, G., Rolfe, S.A., & Siraj-Blatchford, I. (2010). Doing early childhood research: International perspectives on theory
and practice (2nd ed.). New York, NY: McGraw-Hill.