Research that Benefits Children and Families

I have been personally involved with a research project in the past and I found it very rewarding and interesting.  I am the mother of fraternal twin boys who were born in 1986.  They were premature but had no life-threatening health conditions.  While in the hospital with the boys I was asked if I would participate in a twin study with the University of Virginia until the twins reached their 18th birthday.  I read all of the paperwork, discussed it with their father and decided to enter the study.

The first year of the study included answering a questionnaire of over 200 questions.  The questions asked about their birth, eating habits, overall health, and their growth and development.  During the first year the study sent me a questionnaire every other month.

Between the boys second and fifth birthdays I received a questionnaire 4 times per year and the questions were basically the same as the first year with more questions about social development and the boys relationship with each other and any other siblings in the family.  The researchers also sent us charts about development and growth that was geared towards each age and stage.

During the rest of the study I received one questionnaire per year and the questions were more about academic development, social development, and items related to puberty.  Upon the twins 18th birthday we received a certificate of completion for each of them and a small report on how our participation in the study allowed the researchers to compare twin development with development of single births.  We also learned about some comparisons between fraternal twins and identical twins.

Through this research project I was able to learn a lot about the development of my children and was also introduced to support projects and social groups for mothers of twins.  I enjoyed participating in the project and hope that we helped researchers learn something of value.

One of my favorite sites for mothers of twins is the national organization of mothers of twins club and you can check it out at:

http://www.nomotc.org

This site has a research tab that links you to all types of research on multiples.  Happy reading!

Thanks!
Monette

My Personal Research Journey

Oh boy!  Research Competency?  How will I ever pass this class?  I am terrible at understanding research and writing research papers!  These were just a few of the frightening thoughts that passed through my mind as I started this class.  For some reason, the word research brings up only negative and scary thoughts and immediately puts me in the mode of fear of failure.

With said fears being faced, I am trying to be more positive and open-minded and embrace this class.  The first assignments, while not painless, have been less painful than I expected.  I understand that in order to become a more reliable early childhood professional, I must learn to understand and appreciate research that is relevant to our field.

The most exciting thing that I have learned so far is that I don't HAVE to understand everything that is written in a research article!!!  I wish someone had told me this years ago.  Learning what things are important to understand in research has made me less apprehensive about reading articles.  I have also learned what some of the terms used for research mean and this is helping me to feel a little more knowledgeable and we all know that knowledge is power!

I am looking forward to working with all of my colleagues and I can't wait to learn from your experiences and share my experiences as well.  Good luck to you all!

Monette