A research study was carried out to find out whether children perform better in terms of social competence, cognition, and language. This research was carried out by investigators from NHCHD (National Institute of Child Health and Human Development) Early Child Care Research Network, whose aim was to focus on the single basic question. The investigators were from Rockville Pike, Bethesda. Children are supposed to be grouped in groups of 6 to 20 to facilitate development. Several states where the research study was done did not follow the required standards. NHCHD provided an opportunity for the states to understand the consequences for children whose centers don’t meet the recommended standards in child care.
The number of children who participated was 1364. The sample was taken based on diverse social and ethical backgrounds, multiple ages, and child care. The families that participated were recruited through hospitals for the newborn babies, the health, and age of the mother. They also reflected on educational, economic, and ethnic diversity. Some families however refused to participate in the study. Children were observed and the child-staff ratios were recorded from the beginning to the end of the cycle. The care giver was supposed to have at least a college degree.
The design used for the study was conditional random sampling. Families participating were grouped into clusters that had similar characteristics. The groups included newborns from hospitals, mothers’ diverse backgrounds, the care giving environment and families who were not likely to move until the study was completed. The variables used were child care variables, family variables and child outcome variables. The variables were measured using a data analysis plan where different variables for different states were measured. A descriptive analysis was made to determine representation and a multivariate analysis of covariance was done to determine the suggested standards to child outcomes. The experiment was supposed to reveal an adaptive social behavior through a child’s behavior checklist.
The ethical concerns that rose from the study were whether it was that if the outcomes were accurate. This is because the child care environment was less important for children of a younger age. The child’s outcomes could not be measured in identical ways and with identical reliabilities. Another ethical concern was the size of identified associations and the differences in children’s performance which was associated with whether the classes met the recommended standards.
The overview of the general results was the recommended group size affected the development of the child either positively or negatively. The power to detect associations increased with the sample size. This explained why there were more statistically significant associations for children who were 36 months of age. The National Longitudinal Survey of Youth showed that the associations between child outcomes and features were stronger for pre-scholars than for younger children.
The conclusion of the investigators shows that it is important for states to follow the recommended study groups for children. This enhances a positive development of a child’s psychology. The care givers should have a college degree on child psychology so that they can be able to deal with the development and care of young children.
The evidence to conclude these conclusions is the relations between child care standards and children’s development was important to policy makers. The analysis suggests that the failure of states to impose the recommended standards undermines the development of children. These findings support a policy of child care regulation which includes adoption of national standards. Another experiment was carried out by The National Longitudinal Survey of Youth to support the study done by NHCHD.
Work cited
Tandon, R. K.. Child psychology. New Delhi, India: A.P.H. Pub. Corp., 2004. Print.
