When I Think of Research....

         I have learned a great deal from this research course. Independent and dependent variable, qualitative and quantitative research, design methods, equity. I learned about the societal benefits from subjecting children to greater than minimal risks in research and how our society will benefit from the results of this type of research conducted. I also learned that researchers are required to maintain confidentiality but not at the risk of a child’s safety. Researchers are also considered mandated reporters. If he/she suspects that a participants is being abused they may need to override and breach the participants confidentiality.

                

        Overall my ideas about research have been enhanced. I underestimated the amount of work it takes to create a research topic. The planning, designing and conducting research takes time. When discussing the process of research design there is lists of factors that need to be considered. First, choosing and refining a topic is key. The entire research project will surround this question, so it is important to make sure that the question can be researched and is understandable. In doing that framing research questions with the idea of non experimental or experimental research needs to be taken into consideration. Figure out you will create an experiment or if you will research something that has already been done for further clarification. Once you have determined the type of research you want to conduct then establish a time, place and individuals for the research. After that chose a method of data collection and analysis. Then evaluate the possible restrictions on the design, test results, and compare your results to past research. I have a new appreciation for researchers and their diligence. 

      I was challenged with both the topic and the design of my stimulation study. In my research I was able to turn my research question into a hypothesis. Is Kangaroo Care the best attachment hospital practice performed by parents to help premature infants achieve viability? Which eventually got changed to: What extent does frequent use of Kangaroo Care (KC), a hospital attachment practice, performed by parents of premature infants benefit an infant’s health? Narrowing down my question was actually the most challenging.

Thanks to Professor Dartt, and each and everyone of my classmates for an enjoyable course!

 

Research that Benefits Children and Families

I've had the chance of having one experience with children/families and research. This took place back in 2012 the National Opinion Research Center with the University of Chicago. The study took place in 10 Chicago Public Schools involving 400+ children ages 3-5. The study examined school readiness skills in literacy and math subjects with preschoolers and the development of an assessment tool for teachers and caregivers to support effective instruction. I believe this helped families knowing that the instruction of their children could ultimately be improved. The amount of effort to make the study possible included an array of steps which I was not involved but handled by research experts. My role in the study was administrating the assessment tool and working directly with the children; However, I was aware of ethics behind the study. Informed consent was gained from every child that participated in the study and there was not greater than minimum risk. Children may have experienced slight discomfort during the assessments if they did not know the answers but overall risk was low. Each assessment was timed and there was a maximum number of assessments that students could take in one day. In the end this study was a positive learning experience for myself. I was exposed to the project interdisciplinary collaboration among researchers, practitioners and methodological experts and a team of child development experts, early learning practitioners, curriculum and assessment developers, and methodologists. Check out the link to the project overview.

http://www.norc.org/PDFs/Getting%20on%20Track%20Early%20for%20School%20Success/Project%20Overview-%20Getting%20on%20Track%20for%20Early%20School%20Success%20.pdf

My Personal Research

It was amazing to witness our baby weighing 1 pound 3oz and beating all odds. Before she was born we were told chances of her living was 50/50. And when she was born Kennedy Jones was born severely premature at 23 weeks. Being born so premature she had to endure 2 surgeries, develop skin, learn how to breath, eat, and more. Everyday was a fight for her. But she fought strong for 6 months in the Intensive Care Unit also known as the NICU. Our miracle inspired me to research prematurity. My subtopics include: Resilience of premature infants,  causes of prematurity and post partum depression.