Research that Benefits Children and Families—Uplifting Stories

I have a personal story of how research has benefited my life and the relationship I have with my youngest child.

In the 1950’s Mary Ainsworth conducted research using mothers and infants 12-18 months old to study mother-child interaction with the intention to predict behavior later in life based on attachment. This research has been important to the field of physiology in order to help children and families understand parent-child interaction. Identifying what type of attachment an infant has to their caregiver and/or parent is important. Professionals in the field of education have also used the information from this research to help strengthen their relationships with children in the classroom and understand how to help families if there are behavior issues stemming from attachment.

I first heard of attachment theory while in a graduate class for my teacher certification. When the infant mental health specialist that was presenting to the class described attachment theory it really hit home. This research is important to me because when my daughter was an infant we had attachment issues. If Mary Ainsworth had not developed the strange situation used in her attachment research I don’t know if I would have been able to get help for my daughter and I. When we did see an infant mental health therapist she conducted the strange situation with us.

In 1954 some people might have thought it was terrible for Mary Ainsworth to leave an infant in the room alone with a stranger and let them cry until their caregiver return. Obviously she was able to convince mothers why this research was important in order for them to want to participate.

Our therapist videotaped that first session and two more during our work together. I am proud of the growth my daughter and I developed and the bond we share today. Our therapist is now a professor at a leading university with a renowned social work department. Our work, story, and videotapes live on helping students become professionals that will work with children and families as well as conduct research that are relevant and important like the research of Mary Ainsworth.

Research Simulation

My chosen topic for the research simulation is how parental involvement impact children’s education in the classroom. I have chosen three related subtopics are to determine how parents can become involved with their child’s education:

·         Whether home visits by teachers influence parents;

·         What type of support do parents need to become involved;

·         What are some of the barriers parents have in becoming involved in their child’s education?

I chose this topic because I believe that the involvement that is required by federal and state preschools benefits parents and children by including them in the educational process. Involvement such as home visits, field trips, parent workshops and meetings. I believe that if those same strategies to include families were implemented throughout grade levels the education of children would be positively impacted. This research can benefit early childhood programs, schools, educators, and families to further explore parental involvement and its affect on children’s education.

I am concerned that the topic may be too broad. Does anyone have any further suggestions to narrow the scope?