Positive Research in Children

There are many reasons why someone partakes in performing a research study.  Research studies enlighten us on many facts relating to the character of a human beings.  Studies from the quality of programs in early childhood education, the use of medication and the results, and more are used in finding imperative information on a particular subject.  Studies can be performed to answer curiosity, to document medical facts and findings, societal change, and more.  In my opinion if the research study does not cause harm, then we have indeed gained a positive impact.  Knowledge of whether there was no change, change, or different result is vital and should be considered positive research.  If one is willing to take the steps to perform a research study, then there is a question somewhere we need to understand.  As no study is every exact, because that would be plagiarism. Therefore all studies in my view are positive, even if no change or knowledge was gained.  Research studies have created great insight into many areas of children.  We can go back to the findings and see what we have gained or what has changed.  Studies from years ago hold value to this day, as their findings are accurate and led to understanding today.

            A positive research study that is from the past I reviewed a few years ago gave me hope in raising my children.  As a mother where is the real handbook for raising children?  Yes there are many helpful books, articles, sites, and more that help guide us through the years of younger children.  What I have found to be the most difficult of all is every child is different and many factors weigh on those character traits that make each child unique.  I have three boys and they are similar in some ways, but most often they are completely different.  Nevertheless when science and research present facts that our biological body is particularly hard-wired to work a certain way, then we have many answers to the questions we may ponder,  For example a positive study that is dated, but is in fact vital information in todays study of many fields, such as psychology, sociology, science and more.  Howard Gardner is an accreditive researcher in many studies.  His earlier work was the question of multiple intelligences, which sheds great light into the world of development.  The study he completed in 1998 on the impact of peers in the lives of children verse parents gave me peace of mind to say.  As I described above being a parent is not easy and we learn with each child, each experience, and more.  Knowing the findings in this study conclude that parents and peers are complementary.  “Parents are more important when it comes to education, discipline, responsibility, orderliness, charitableness, and ways of interacting with authority figures.  Peers are more important for learning cooperation, for finding the road to popularity, for inventing styles of interaction among people of the same age” (Myers, 2013, p. 147).  Knowing that children need their peers in contributing to development of their self-identity and more.  Also understanding that in the end we can contribute to the environments our children encounter, for the most.  Understanding how we as parents can impact our children is vital in my eyes, so any knowledge I can obtain is valuable.  Research can inform us of many facts that we ponder or can gain from.     

            The chosen topic for the research simulation that I will partake in during this course through Walden University is childhood crisis.  The topic childhood crisis can be extremely broad, thereforth I have selected three subtopics to funnel my topic of interest.  The subtopics of childhood crisis are as followed: 1. healthy early childhood development.  I am referring to all aspects of development: physical, mental, emotional, social, and beyond.  The fact is biology of a child intertwines the characters of its’ mother and father, parental grandmother and grandfather, as well as maternal grandmother and grandfather.  These characters do not define the child unless their experiences demonstrate those traits, such as temperament, adaptivity, and more.  The vital source in understanding healthy development of a child allows us the opportunity to better understand the need for healthy experience in a holistic approach.  When adversity is presents to a child, their response and the response they are taught will determine whether this adversity will create maladaptive in development.  This maladaptation marks our experience and creates development concerns.  Understanding what it takes to create an environment that promotes healthy living in infancy and beyond is vital for many reasons, as the one I will address, childhood crisis.  2. Crisis children face.  Not every child will experience the same things from life.  Some may have opportunities to go on family vacations with very loving parents, and so forth.  Or one can experience a lonely childhood with limited exposure to others.  Perhaps a child whom faces the death of a parent or both.  Or the child who is starving and homeless.  There are many crises a child can be faced with.  Some of these crises vary with culture.  For example immigration, religion, and so forth.  Understanding that a child can face the same adversities as an adult, without the perception of an adult is vital in promoting healthy development in childhood.  Becoming prepared as a community, as well as the family unit can determine whether a child will overcome the crisis they have been faced with.  3. Lastly the subtopic of crisis intervention and readiness in childhood.  Educating and teaching families how to cope themselves, as well as the tools to prepare them for assisting their children in overcoming any crisis they encounter is vital for healthy life.  When one is prepared for an obstacle, the obstacle is not as bad as if we were lost in functioning after the event.  Though there are services to offer crisis intervention and therapy, many may not seek services or acknowledge the need for help.  A crisis is a challenge for many adults, children rely and dependent on an adult for everything.  Therefore we need to be as healthy as we can for the child, so we can also promote healthy development.

            The topic childhood crisis is very dear to me.  I am an adult whom suffered from many childhood adversities and reap those crisis to date to say.  I lost my mother at age 6, very strict/stern father, several other deaths, and other obstacles to say.  I currently suffer from many mental illness as they are called.  I personally like to classify them as imperfections.  As humans we all have imperfections.  Nevertheless I feel with proper support and knowledge to myself and my family, I many not have anxiety, PTSD, and depression.  As I have grown up and became educated on many topics, I have found clarity and understanding to the imbalances I have.  Due to the obstacles I face, I vowed to never allow my children to face any difficult adversity if I could control it.  Well, as life happens a bad marriage in many ways led to an ugly divorce.  Ironically my very first major research paper I had to complete at Liberty University in obtaining my BS in psychology, crisis counseling, was on the effects of divorce and children.  I of course know that the situation I was in was hazardous for myself and children and that indeed is unhealthy.  So in other words I have a passion to help any child and family in overcome any emotional adversity, physical adversity, social adversity, mental adversity, or any adversity that life presents them.  Preparing and educating the community, to include the parents in the tools of crisis intervention is prime in making an impact to the childhood crisis and the marks it leaves.

            With the topics I have selected could anyone give me an insight on the best route to obtain information?  The best sources for these topics?  I have read the following articles related to healthy development in early childhood, my first subtopic.  What would be your insight? 

References:

Burvyte, S. (2011, November 1). Individual’s resistance to social crises acquired in childhood.     Journal of Pedagogy and psychology, (4). DOI: 10.2478/v10195-011-0041-6.

Comaskey, B., Noralou, R., Brownell, M., Ennis, M., Chateau, D., Chelsea, R., & Ekuma, O.       (2017, May 24). Maternal depression and anxiety disorders (MADA) and child development: A Manitoba population-based study. PLOS One, 12(5). DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0177065.     

Myers, K. (2012, January 20). Marking time: some methodological and historical perspectives on            the ‘crisis of childhood’. Research Papers in Education, 27(4). 409-422.            DOI:10.1080/02671522.2012.690237.