Research

          I have never before delved into the research process as much as I am learning to do for this class.  At the beginning of class I was over zealous in my thoughts about the scope of what would make a good research project.  I was not much different than the beginning researcher described in our textbook, “Many beginning researchers tend to be overly ambitious in regard to their research aims” (Mac Naughton, Rolfe, & Siraj-Blatchford, 2010).  After reading and reflecting on our readings this week, I realized the goal of a research project is to concentrate on one part of the “big picture” and that research projects build on other related research projects.  I then realized I had to narrow my research question to something manageable, especially considering my time restraint.  Another insight I gained about the research process is the importance of knowing the definition of terms and understanding concepts.

          The subtopic I decided to focus on for my simulation in the coming weeks is my second subtopic, “Defining how social, motor, and talent skills are developed through certain activities such as dance classes, sports, gymnastics, music lessons, and classes in the arts”.  This subtopic is very broad and covers many topics.  Therefore, after much reflection on the concept of developing a research project, I decided to narrow my subtopic to motor skill development and physical activity.  I think this is at the core or at least beginning of my initial question of whether participation in extracurricular activities correlates with participation in sports and the arts throughout a child’s school experience.

          The reason I chose this topic is because I watched my children participate in extracurricular, non-school related sports, as well as sports in high school.  For the most part, the children that participated in extracurricular sports beginning in preschool also participated in school sports.  Watching my son’s and daughter’s friends develop from playing T-ball and doing tiny tumble class to playing high school sports  made me question how much their prior experiences correlated with their participaton on the high school team.  I now expand my observation to include questioning if early physical activity increases motor skill development.   

         During my search for articles related to my chosen topic, I came across a website that may prove beneficial to others.  It is the National Center for Education Statistics found at:  http://nces.ed.gov/pubsearch.  Please share resources that you feel may be helpful, as I did not find an overabundance of articles related to my research topic.  I am not experienced doing research and welcome any input, insight, advice, or assistance you may offer. 

Reference

Mac Naughton, G., Rolfe, S.A., & Siraj-Blatchford, I. (2010). Doing early childhood research: International perspectives on theory and practice (2nd ed.). New York, NY: McGraw-Hill.