Research that Benefits Children and Families

Share a positive example of the effects of research on children and/or families


When I conducted a qualitative research project with two of my former students I believe it had  positive effects on them and their families.  I personally had an added component to discuss with parents and they felt I was giving their child "special attention".  I think parents believing I was giving their child special attention and the fact that I chose their child made them more aware of what was occurring in the classroom and they paid more attention to their child's work. Please note that I had the opportunity to loop with my class from second to third grade and was able to conduct research on the writing workshop model.  So I worked intensely with their child with their writing and parents saw a big difference in the development of their child's work not only in the writing but across the board.  Whether it was because I had looped with the class and had a keen sense of areas of weakness and was targeting those or getting one-on- one attention helped I really don't know.  But I choose to believe that the research I was conducting had a positive effect on the children and their families.

My Personal Research Journey

I have chosen to look at factors that determine when and if a child meets their developmental milestones.  The factors I will look at will be bilingualism, gender, and # of siblings.  This was not an easy topic to select but the one that hits closest to home.  As  a parent of an 8 month old and a 2 year old I am always wondering if what my children are saying and doing appropriate for their age.  I think many parents have this concern and as educators we can help parents and families by being more knowledgeable in this area. 

As a new parent I made sure to meet their health needs by visiting the doctor.  When I started to take my daughter to the doctor, they had a completely computerized system where they asked me developmental questions and if my child was meeting them.  They would write my responses and gave suggestions also on how to meet certain milestones.  For example, they encouraged some tummy time to build my daughters upper body strength.  I thought it was great but unfortunately, each time I went to an appointment I was seeing a new doctor.  I wasn't comfortable with this, so I switched doctors and what a difference it was.  Medically, my doctor is great but she does not have this computerized system in her office.  So I feel, that I have to be the one asking the questions and be better informed about developmental milestones.  The doctor isn't sitting down with me and asking me a plethora of questions concerning development like the previous clinic. 

Now as an educator, I think I am a little well-versed with what is expected and when (especially with taking courses through Walden) but not all parents are.  I think there needs to be a bigger push for education in this area.  Some doctors press for a child meeting milestones by a certain point while others take a more laissez-faire attitude about it.   They tell parents don't worry, give it more time.  The reality is for some kids they don't have time to wait.   I think there should be a more systematic system in place to catch developmental delays early before a child starts school.  This should be standard and maybe my research can help this along.