Honors student Reagan Bernskoetter collects data while observing at the Jean Tyson Child Development Study Center
Author: Reagan Bernskoetter | Major: Human Development and Family Sciences | Semester: Summer 2022
During the summer months of June, July, and August 2022, I went to the Jean Tyson Child Development Study Center to collect data for my honors research project. The purpose of this project was to observe where infants and toddlers chose to explore while on an outdoor play space.
Recording this information allows educators to better understand why the infants and toddlers prefer certain areas when engaging in outdoor play. Focusing on areas children frequently explore can help educators be intentional when designing outdoor play spaces. Children enjoying the spaces and being engaged allows for maximum learning to occur.
When I began thinking about a research topic, I knew I wanted to focus on children. The Jean Tyson Child Development Study Center seemed to be the best place for me to conduct my research study, as it a lab school and my current place of employment. Donia has been my teacher and advisor since I was a freshman at the University of Arkansas. She also goes to the Jean Tyson Child Development Study Center often, so I knew she could give me more of an educator insight. I met with her to discuss topics that would be interesting and beneficial to research. Eventually, we came across outdoor play spaces and the importance of the intentionality behind them because she and I both share an interest in outdoor and nature-based play.
At the beginning of my research, I sent out consent forms to the families of the Jean Tyson Child Development Study Center in order to gain approval for their children to participate in my research. When the email was sent out initially, I was not getting the number of consent forms I had hoped to receive. To fix this issue, I set up a table at the entrance of the building and explained my research. By doing this, I gained almost 100% participation from the families. Another obstacle I faced was classrooms not going outside during their scheduled time. Because of this, I was not able to collect data for those classrooms on those days. To overcome this, I made sure to collect as much data as possible through photographs and anecdotal notes when each classroom was outside.
My faculty mentor, Mrs. Donia Timby, was with me almost every week to help me collect data. While I was observing and taking anecdotal notes, Mrs. Timby was taking pictures of the children’s interactions. I am hoping I get to present my research project at the Southern Early Childhood Association conference in March of 2023. Over the Fall 2022 semester I will be analyzing my data and completing my thesis to defend in November.