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Beginning Your Research SimulationâFrom General Topic to Subtopics

Through simulations people become familiar with processes, try them out safely, and understand them more clearly. This week, you begin the creation of a âResearch Simulationâ that will build continually throughout this course. The overall intent of this assignment is to provide you with the practical, hands-on experience of doing research. This experience will also enhance your ability to be a critical consumer of research.

The first step in conducting research is identifying a research topic. You took this first step when you reflected on and shared the general early childhood topic in which you are interested in the Discussion. Take time to consider this topic again. As you begin this series of research simulations, your first task, too, is to narrow this general topic into three subtopics. For instance, if the topic you are interested in is social-emotional development, you might narrow it down to these three subtopics: 1. Ways to foster healthy social emotional development in toddlers 2. How the arts help children develop social-emotionally in healthy ways 3. The influence of sibling relationships on preschool childrenâs social-emotional development.

Listen closely to yourself, to the questions you want to ask about young children or families or early childhood in general, and choose sub topics that reflect and are supported by your professional and/or personal passion.

For this Assignment, prepare a document that contains the following elements:

• Restate your general early childhood research topic
• Articulate three related subtopics
• Explain:
• • Your professional and personal reason(s) for choosing these three subtopics
  • Three ways you anticipate that researching these topics might be significant for young children, their families, and/or the field of early childhood

Assignment length: Approximately 1 page