The Impact of Early Childcare / Pre-School on School Readiness (Research Paper Sample)

The impact of early childcare/pre-school on school readiness
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Question 1: Parameters of the research
Early childcare is an integral part of the growth as well as development of a child. This period is crucial because young children tend to be influenced more by the people who surround them during their early school years. Parents, guardians and pre-school teachers form the main contributors to the people responsible for a child’s social as well as emotional development because they are the ones mostly around them. The general question therefore is whether pre-school impacts on the social and emotional development of a child? And whether the education prepares the children to adjust to the various social aspects of school?
Pre-school is important because most children who enrol are very young and are yet to develop any social skills necessary for school life. It is therefore important for child to develop socially and emotionally because the development greatly impacts on his or her cognitive development. The early child development is also crucial since it provides the foundation on which young people transform into morally upright adults in the long run. Social as well as emotional development can be defined as the acquisition of an array of skills among others; identifying as well as understanding personal feelings, comprehending other people’s emotional status, establishing as well as sustain relationships, developing the ability to empathise and developing one’s own self control (GLASSMAN et al., 2004). Through a combination of such skills, children are able to succeed in school. They are also able to contribute in school since they learn to follow directions, concentrate and get along with their fellow pupils in school. The quality of education based on the common education programs or curriculum provided also affects greatly the dimension the effectiveness of the education will take. Teachers, parents and caregivers must therefore consider their differences in beliefs and practises to ensure the mode of education fulfils its prepose.
The lack of proper early childhood educating is associated with several problems experienced in schools or even children’s later life. These problems include children dropping out of high school, children developing persistent physical aggression, antisocial behaviour and adolescent delinquency among others. Such problems are however avoidable through effective early childhood education hence laying emphasis on the importance of pre-school to the development of a child through school life.
Question 2: The research question
The research seeks to discuss the importance of pre-school education in relation to the children’s social as well as emotional development, using the current programs or the quality of education offered in different schools. The research also seeks to relate to the people who mostly influence young people including their parents, teachers and caregivers. It will compare their beliefs on what are the major determinants of proper childhood education based on the programs used in schools, the type of education necessary to prepare children socially and the learning environment. The main questions however are; does pre-school help children adjust better to social aspects of school? How does the teaching programs or quality of education affect the social development of a child from the teacher’s or caregiver’s perspective?
Question 3: Clearly explain your epistemological position and your theoretical framework for the research topic you have selected.
Most scholarly work especially behaviourism and cognitivism rely on common knowledge to explain early childhood education. My epistemological stance focuses on constructivism theory. My perception is that knowledge cannot be regarded as uniform among individuals because it’s constructed at a personal level and also varies from individual to individual and in multiple formats. According to theorist Bruner and Vygotysky, personal experiences of a learner or individuals influence interpretation of information in a subjective manner (BRAIN & MUKHERJI 2005). This therefore means that early childhood experiences of a child greatly impact a child’s adaptability to the school environment. The learning program should therefore incorporate a constructive approach in that teachers should take a personal approach to the teaching methodology they apply. My theoretical perspective falls in line with the notion that reality is not created, rather it is constructed. Emotional and social development in a child is an ongoing processes hence the need for flexibility in the learning process to enhance continuous development. The research will therefore focus on trying to make interpretations based on the participants’ perceptions of reality which are derived from interpersonal relationships or social interactions. Through triangulation, the research will analyse the data collected from participants through a qualitative analysis which will encompass use of numerous methods as well as data sources to support the perspective. Since this philosophical perspective considered participants as active and resourceful and not just passive recipients, the frame work will focus on data collection methods that are one-on-one based such as interviews.
Question 4: Identify and explain any ethical issues associated with your research question (100 words)
* The research procedure must take into consideration the psychological or physical status of every participant involved. Participants must be protected from any possible harm.
* The involved parties including the children or their families are entitled to be provided full information concerning the research. They have to get a full disclosure of any possible benefits, risks or any other issues that might directly affect them. This would ensure they participate in the research based on their own consent.
* The participating people including teachers, parents, children or the caregivers must be granted the freedom of not participating and can consider withdrawing from the research whenever they feel they need to.
* The obtained information through the research on the participants should remain confidential. Confidentiality is with regard to personal identity or information through the research materials.
* Questions projected to the participants in the research should be clear and must not be in any way offensive.
Question 5: Methodology/research design
The research methodology to be used is the qualitative analysis. Considering that the research question is based on the grounded theory approach the suitable methodology is the qualitative analysis. This is due to the fact that the questions seek to build a non-existent theory, the research involves social processes that are complex in nature and there is no existence contradictory theory regarding the research question. Having studied related scholarly material relating to the research questions, prior information will be helpful in formulating new theories. This is possible due to the following factors; concepts from other scholarly material will provide a comparison source hence easy comparison of data, familiar information from the other scholarly material enhances the awareness and hence providing a deep understanding of the issues to cover in terms of questions to respondents, existing material will serve as a basis for formulating research questions and finally the existing literature will provide a reference material in case of any decision making as a result of incorrect literature. The qualitative design will provide a deeper insight and address the complexity of the research questions. The purpose for the qualitative analysis is to explain the experiences in a more natural way (SCRUGGS & MASTROPIERI, 2006). The study also aims at collecting sensitive data which is personal to the respondents to increase the understanding of their personal feelings towards the subject matter.
Question 6: Methods for collecting the research data
To develop and utilize the model, the research will in-cooperate a combination of methods namely; case-study approach, focus group and in-depth interviews that are one-on one based. The case study provides for a multiple evidence source hence enabling a study of multiple cases relating to the research questions. The data will be collected through interviews and documentation review. The focus groups on the other hand are aimed at providing a forum for the sample group to exchange or share helpful information. One-on-one interviews will come into play if some respondents prefer a more private forum and they will also help in addressing sensitive subject matters. Through these methods, the data we collect will be helpful in formulating theories as to why teachers or caregivers believe they are right, based on their personal experiences, help equip children with social as well as emotional skills to enhance their cognitive skills. The information will also provide evidence of what their feelings towards the provided curriculum...