Keeping within Ethical Guidelines- Ethical Guidelines are there for a reason when it comes to experiments, it ensures that the participant is not taken from granted and keeps them safe. There are 7 main guidelines in total, which consist of: Informed Consent, Deception, and Right to Withdraw, Protection, Debriefing, Confidentiality and Observation.
- Informed Consent- I told my participants as much as I could about the experiment, I also wrote a consent form out where they could sign and agree to take part in the experiment.
- Deception- I didn’t deceive or mislead any of my participants, as it was all told to them in the consent form and were told exactly what they were going to do before they did the experiment.
- Right to Withdraw- Participants can leave at any point of the experiment; this was written in the consent form and was also told before the experiment took place. The participant also has the choice for their data to be destroyed if they wished to stop.
- Confidentiality- I kept the participants data anonymous, so their identity is protected.
- Protection- Participants were in no risk/harm as in their everyday life.
- Debriefing- This is explaining how the experiment.
- The only one I didn’t do was the observation. This is where research is done, observing someone as long as there in a situation where you can observe. This was because in some cases I gave the Questionnaire to parents to fill out and give it back to me at a later date.
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Results. (Closed Questions)- Through my Day Care questionnaire I used five questions which were known as closed questions. These questions can only give one single answer; these questions can prompt individuals before using an open question. An example of a closed question which I used in my questionnaire is ‘Please specify the age of your child/children that attend Day Care’ From a range of closed questions I was able to find out the most common age parents put their children into Day Care and for how long they had/have been using the service.
In general my questionnaire collected data that the children were using the Day Care were generally cheerful about going to Day Care and returning home. There was only a small percentage whose parents had commented on some behavioural difference since starting Day Care this could be because of how young the child was when first put into Day Care.
Results- (Open Questions) In my questionnaire I used more Open Questions then Closed Questions, this is because Open Questions are questions that will have a long answer to them. Using Opening Questions allowed the parents to think and reflect on what the question was asking them. The parents also gave me their opinions and feelings on the question.
The main reason I used Open Questions was to find out more about children who attended Day Care, I was able to find out the parents and children’s needs, wants and even problems of the Day Care Service. An example of an Open Question I used is, ‘How do your child/children react to you when you pick up your child/ren from Day Care? Do they seem happy that you’re back with them?’
Conclusion- I was trying to find out if Day Care effected children’s key development, by asking a range of questions I was able to get a large sum of data to answer this question. While in theory with Bowlbys explanation of attachment children should not be able to form good future relationships, due to Bowlbys ‘Monotropy’ This is the one relationship a baby should form during the Critical Period, looking at my graphs some children did not have this ‘Monotropy’ with their Primary Career because of being in Day Care through the week. This theory also links to the ‘Internal Working Model’, this is where the first bond ‘Monotropy’ acts as a template of all future relationships. With the children being in Day Care for a long period of time the children should form little relationships in the future.
However, in my other graphs it showed that the child’s reunion behaviour was good when seeing the Primary Career or other parent when going returning home from Day Care. With 7 children out of 12 being ‘Overwhelmed’ when reunited with the Primary Career suggests that the child does not need to go through the Critical Period or Sensitive Period in order to form bonds or attachments. It’s possible that the child may form a bond with one of the workers of Day Care or that children bond together within Day Care by playing. (Depending on their age) This suggests that children don’t need to have a positive ‘Monotropy’ in order to form attachments with other people when older, but in order to prove this; I would have to follow the children by doing a longitudal study. This is following the children as they grow up and getting a range of data by interviewing the child, parents, teachers and look at tests.
(Below is the Day Care Questionnaire that I used)
Day Care Questionnaire.
- Please specify the age of your child/children that attend Day Care.
0-2 2-3 4-5 5+
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On an average week how many days do you put your child/children into a Day Care service?
Monday
Tuesday
Wednesday
Thursday
Friday
Saturday
Sunday.
- Do you find the Day Care profession and services to you as their client reasonable and co-operative? If any examples, please state below.
1-3 3-6 6-9 10+
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- What age do you think is most suitable and best to put a child into Day Care and please state why?
0-1years 1-2years 2-3years 3-4years 5years+
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- How do your child/children react to you when you pick up your child/ren from Day Care? Do they seem happy that you’re back with them, explain the childs behaviour?
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- How long has your child/children been in Day Care for?
Days Weeks. Months Years
- Do the workers of the Day Care take their time when you drop and pick up your child/children, or are they seen as ‘aggressive’ and rush you to go. Does this affect your child/ren in any kind? Comment.
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- Do your child/children feel and look generally happy about going to Day Care and leaving Day Care?
Yes No
- Have you noticed any behavioural differences in your child/children since attending Day Care services? Please state if there are any.
Yes No
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- From your previous experiences you do think staff are loving and caring and remain calm in all situations, which is a great example to your children?
Yes No
- Staffs are fun, cheerful and easy going who getting down to the child’s level and don’t speak down to them and make them feel negative about themselves? How far do you agree?
Yes No
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