Imagine the impact of research on this...

For this assignment I chose option 2:

Something I'm very passionate about is teaching young children how to read!  With the means and the knowledge to conduct a study that positively impacts young children and their families I would complete a longitudinal study regarding the impact preschool has on early reading abilities.  My focus would be on low socioeconomic status children and families.  I would follow the participants and their reading ability growth from preschool through 3rd grade. 

A study in the area of literacy and young children would positively impact young children and their families because it would provide data to support policies that fund preschool programs.  Early childhood professionals and advocates could present the findings to decision-makers who enact policies in the field.  Findings in this study could increase accessibility, equity, and quality in early programs for low socioeconomic status families and children.

Research Topic Simulation

This week I chose the topic of teacher/program quality and completed a literature review of 3 articles.  I chose this topic for several reasons, but mainly because of my current position in the field.  I am a Master Teacher for PreK-2nd grade.  In this position I facilitate all of the primary educator professional development and complete four evaluations per teacher, per school year.  The evidence I gather from teacher evaluations has prompted me to ask the question, How does teacher quality impact student achievement? many times.  The student achievement data and my evidence from evaluations tells me it has a great impact, but I have always wanted to find out what research findings say.

As I have been constructing my research chart, I have found many words that I have known and used in other contexts; however, when they are used in conjunction with research they play an important role.  Words like validity, triangulation, and reliability.  I have enjoyed taking the time to "loo up" these words and rewrite them in my own words.  I believe my research chart will be a great support when completing and writing about research.

Have any of you located any supportive research tools or resources that you can share?  If so, please let me know, as I am eager to continue on y research journey.