The Effect of Images on Children's Memory and Learning - Research Paper Example

The Effect of Images on Children's Memory and Learning Abstract The effect of images on children memory and learning will be investigated.  A stratified sampling will be used to select 30 children from a nursery school in the district to participate in this voluntary experimental study.  Once chosen, the participants will be divided into three groups of 10 each, which will be tested in separate environments.  All groups will be given different activities to participate in and they responses will be observed.  The responses from the three groups of participants will be analyzed and compared to determine whether images have an effect in children’s memory and learning. Introduction Every child is unique and develops and learns in different ways and rates. Early years practitioners can only support children’s individual learning and development if they know about their personalities, interests, developmental levels, skills, and their learning dispositions. Dispositions must be included among the goals of early childhood education. Practitioners must be sensitive of the individual development of each child and children should be stretched and not pushed behind their capabilities, so that they can continue to enjoy learning. The first five years are critical in a child’s growth and development. This is the time that a child learns some of the basic things in life such as communication, reading, writing and being independent. He also learns to take care of his personal hygiene and health. This is the time when the parent and practitioner should join hands in bringing up the child. Images have been found to be important in the growth of child. They help him to develop speech, language, and communication which form the basis for the child’s education Children who are allowed to play with images during their early years are believed to learn faster than those who were denied this opportunity. With images children become creative and they imagine things as they were happening in a rear life situation. This study will specifically address the effect of images in children development of language and communication skills as well as their effect on memory. Literature Review Machado (2009) observed that, Images can be defined as the most natural form for children to interact with others and for them to learn about the world around them. While playing with images a child uses a variety of skills such as thinking, communicating, listening, attention, and seeing. It helps in the development of communication, speech and language. This can be analyzed in different stages. The first stage in referred to as the exploratory stage, during this stage, children learn how to explore things using their eyes, mouth or hands. They can be able touch or shake objects that they come across. It is during this stage that children develop a sense of sight and hearing. They can be able to see an object, touch it and even shake the object. During this stage children learn how to play with objects especially those that make certain sounds. They learn how to pay attention to the sound from the objects and they can even be seen shaking their heads. It is at this early stage that children start to development their listening skills. The rational stage follows the exploratory stage. During this stage, children become more rational and try out different things. For instance, they can be found arranging blocks or putting things together. It is during this stage that children like emulating what is done by adults (Cowan, 1995). For example one can find a child putting a spoon in a cup, putting a plate on the table among other things. A child at this stage learns the different functions of each object, he understand that a spoon is used for eating and most of the time he will try to put it in the mouth. Through playing with objects, a child starts to develop his communication skills. During the symbolic stage, a child learns how to use objects for doing different things. For instance, a large box can be used to represent a car or a house and a spoon can be used as a phone. Through communicating wit peers, a child learns to appreciate how other people think and reason while he develops his communication skills (Andressen, 2005). The last stage is referred to as role-play. This is the stage when a child is able to take another person’s role in play. For instance, children may assume a hospital situation where some children act as nurses, others as patients, and one as a doctor. When observed from a distance, these children will actually assume a real hospital where the patient is taken to the doctor. The “doctor” examines him using a spoon tied with a rope which is then put in the ears as he tries to measure the patient’s temperature. This does not only help the child in developing his communication or speech, but it can also help the child accept the profession he is acting in and this can even influence his choice of career at a later age. Role plays helps children to be creative in coming up with new ideas that may even help them in class. This is the most crucial stage in the development of a child and forms the basis for the development of speech, language, and communication. The language learnt at this stage becomes the child’s primarily language. Parents and teachers should assist children in their role play; playing with adults not only make the children feel appreciated but also value what they are doing. Children have the ability to engage in imaginative play and to use symbols, which is typical for the pre-operational stage. One of the hallmarks of this stage is the language development. The imaginative play situation enables a child to playfully practice her language and communication skills. Britain (2009), observed that, “pretend play provides a fun, secure environment for children to develop, practice, and refine their language skills”. According to Pound (2008), children talk to themselves to regulate or guide their actions. Children use language for thinking, which also means that language plays a significant role in the abstract thought development. While playing with images, children do not take much attention of the others in the group but concentrate on their own activities; this behavior is typical for parallel plays. Parallel play occurs after unoccupied, solitary and onlooker play and before associative and cooperative play. It is a typical part of the cognitive development within the pre-operational stage, and one of the steps in learning how to interact with others (McFadden, 2010). When a child is exposed to images, he is always above his average age, above his daily behaviour; it is as though he were a head taller than himself. According to Vygotsky (1993), “The young child is not able to organize complex thought, so when he dresses up and acts as a doctor he is organizing his thoughts and coming to understand the doctor’s role. Through such play roles he is slowly beginning to think about what it would be like to be someone else, so that by the time he’s about four and a half he has some understanding and awareness that other people have their own thoughts and feelings” (p25). However, even though they engage in imaginative play earlier, children are not able to take another person’s perspective in the pre-operational stage because of the egocentrism. It is possible that imaginative play situation helps a child to develop empathy as he exposes his mind to a different character, which forms the first step of developing knowledge of how others might think (Seefeldt 1999). By recreating a daily experience, a child learns to think things through, and to use language to express her feelings and memories. Based on the general information and specific research on images and children learning that have been discussed, this study intends to show that images affect children’s memory and learning. Method Subjects Thirty children will be selected for this study using stratified random sampling. This method has been chosen to ensure proportionate representation from all the classes in the nursery school. They will be grouped into three with 10 children in each group. The three groups will be given the sames Group A, Group B, and Group C. These children should be aged between three and five years.   To be considered for the study, the parents to these children must confirm that their children have normal or corrected eyesight.  Again, the research process will take place at one of the schools in the district at a time when participants are free; in this case, each group of participants will be allowed the privilege of proposing the time appropriate for them to participate in the study process. Instruments Each parent of the participating children will be given an informed consent form, which they must sign, and return to the school where the study will be conducted prior to the day of the testing (Appendix A). During the study, participants will be in the field seated in different locations with the researchers observing them.  The three groups of participants will go through different testing in order to give better results (Appendix 2, 3, and 4). At the end of the study, each participant will be given a debriefing form, which explains that the purpose of the experiment was to test the effect of images on children memory and learning. In order to ascertain the survey’s reliability and validity, it will be reviewed by a panel of five experts in the area of early children development, specifically coordinators within the quality departments. Subsequently, the survey will be piloted on several children before beginning the study. Additionally, a variety of styles have been included to allow for variations in learning and recall abilities. Furthermore, the researchers will be trained to carry out the observation in the same fashion and only probing in a non-leading manner to ensure the answer is complete. This research will also involve deductive reasoning. This systematic method of obtaining knowledge where one proceeds from a general point of view to a specific analysis. The researcher starts from the known to explain the unknown. In this case, the researcher will come from the known point that images affect children memory and what the research wants to know is how these children may be assisted to learn through the use of images (Baddeley &Hitch 1974). The methodology allows for the use of primary and secondary methods of data collection; this will give an in-depth analysis of the factors underlying the research for quality analysis. Deductive reasoning methodology offers the researcher a chance to realize the other areas within the subject that needs further study. Procedure This research will be conducted by one of the teachers in the school (given that the children and used to him/her) with the help of a research assistant who will be trained on the same. So as to carry on with the research study, the concerned parties have to be contacted. Requests for consent to do the study will be sent to both the Institutional Review Board and the school where the study will be conducted. Research assistants will be trained to carry out the interviews in the same fashion so as to capitalize on quality and reproducibility. Furthermore, the research process will be closely monitored to ensure that only parameters of concerns are measured with the specified research tools. This will ensure the validity of the whole research process. The research will also make use of knowledgeable research assistants and research professionals who will make sure the research process is not biased in any way and also to limit any errors as much as possible To create an interest in the activity, a large cardboard box will be required; it will be painted yellow and written 'VERY HEAVY'. The box will be filled with stuffed animals and left on the floor for the child to see. Before starting to read the story 'Dear Zoo' to children in group A, they will be asked to name the letters on the box and the book title. The first page will be read to the children and they will be encouraged to predict what they think may be behind the flaps each at a time. Each child will then be asked to pick the stuffed animal out of the box, when that animal is reached in the story. Children in group B will be given one large sheet of paper each. They will be directed to draw tree trunk that extends from bottom of page to center. At the top of the trunk, each child should paste photograph of herself. They should then draw tree top which extends from center to top of page. Near the bottom of the trunk, the children should paste photographs of parents, one on the left, and the other on the right. Above each parent, the children should paste photographs of that parent's parents (maternal and paternal grandparents). They may then paste photographs of siblings beneath tree top on either side of trunk. After all pictures have been placed, the children may then color tree and trunk appropriate colors. After family trees have been completed, the children may introduce various family members. They should learn how to say, "This is my [relation]. His/her name is _________." She will then be asked to give each person's age, hobbies, and/or occupation. Children in group C will be asked to choose a book from the bookshelf. Discussion of book title and pictures, sample questions asked: 'What do you think this book is about?', 'What do you see on the cover', and ‘What colors can you spot?'... Before presenting the story to the children, the researcher will start off by reading the pages while slowly showing the pictures. She will ask questions about what the child sees in the pictures and what she thinks happens next. At the end of the story the children will be asked to tell what the story was about All of the three activities are related to images and play. According to the Statutory Framework for the Early Years Foundation Stage, practitioners must 'be sensitive of the individual development of each child and children should be stretched and not pushed behind their capabilities, so that they can continue to enjoy learning'. (Appendix 5) (Auerbach 2006, p.10). Data Analysis After data has been collected, the research assistants will go through notes collected and observations noted, then realize the major points brought out from the research. A data analysis professional can be hired to compile it together. Following the complete analysis of data will be the process of interpretation and compilation of report from the analyzed data information. The utilization of the report will be informed by the purposes and reason of the research study. After data has been analyzed, it will be coded by the research assistants. This is an interpretational and mechanical activity that can only be conducted by the researcher and her team. The researcher will translate the meaning of meticulous data segments; establish their relevance, and identity the goal each segment plays in the research project. Once this activity is done, the interpretation will be recorded in the data by marking the boundaries of the relevant data segment and signifying the corresponding aspect by means of a code. The purpose of coding is to prepare data for further in-depth analysis. The nature of the code and the kind of analysis will be determined by the aim of the research project. This research project will use conceptual codes. These are labels placed on discrete happenings, or events for instance the concepts ‘mentoring’ or ‘counseling’. Wherever in the data the researcher has the impression, for example, that somebody is giving some advice, the research may mark this segment by a code label like ‘giving advice’ (Denzin & Lincoln, 2005). The importance of using conceptual data is that one may use up to 30 characters. One does not need to use cryptic abbreviations because each code is typed once. Conclusion/Summary Observation, assessment and planning are a major part of the early year’s education. Every child is unique and develops and learns in different ways and rates. Early years practitioners can only support children's individual learning and development if they know about their personalities, interests, developmental levels, skills, and their learning dispositions. By performing this study, it is expected to determine the effects of images in children memory and learning. While other factors contribute to children education, images are believed to play a very vital role in children’s development. Thus, it is important to show support for this drive with the aforementioned research data. Reference List Andressen, H. (2005). Role Play and Language Development in the Preschool Years. Retrieved April from http://cap.sagepub.com/content/11/4/387.abstract Auerbach, S. (2006). Smart Play Smart Toys: How to Raise a Child with a High Pq. New York: Institute for Childhood Resources Baddeley, A.D., and Hitch, G.J.L. (1974). Working Memory, In G.A. Bower (Ed.), The Psychology Of Learning And Motivation: Advances In Research And Theory (Vol. 8, pp. 47–89), New York: Academic Press. Britain, L. (2009). Let's Pretend' Parenting Now. Retrieved from http://www.parentingnow.net/documents/5-09BritainLetsPretend.pdf Cowan, N. (1995). Attention and Memory: An Integrated Framework. New York: Oxford University Press Denzin, N.K. & Lincoln, Y.S. (2005). The Sage Handbook of Qualitative Research. Thousands oaks CA: Sage Machado, J. M. (2009). Early Childhood Experiences in Language Arts: Early literacy. London: Cengage Learning. McFadden, L. (2010). The Importance Of Play In Early Childhood Development. Retrieved from http://www.suite101.com/content/the-importance-of-play-in-early-childhood-development-a225507 Pound. (2008). 'How Children Learn'. London: Step Forward Publishing Ltd Seefeldt, C. (1999). The Early Childhood Curriculum: Current Findings in Theory And Practice. Early Childhood Education Series. New York: Teachers College Press. Vygotsky, L. (1993). 'The Collected Works of L.S. Vygotsky: Volume 2: Fundamentals of Defectology (Abnormal Psychology and Learning Disabilities) (Cognition and Language)' Berlin: Springer Appendices Appendix 1  Informed Consent Form             Your children are invited to participate in a study that is investigating the effects of images in children memory and learning.  The children's communication, language and literacy skills are supported by stories, conversations, nursery rhymes and songs happening in several activities. They also develop an understanding of numeracy when counting the dots on the dice and learn about science when observing insects, talking about animals and playing with water. Through a variety of art, music, movement and dance activities, the children's creativity is being extended. Procedure             If allow your child to participate in this study, the child will be exposed to certain environment and given different objects as the researcher tries to observe how she/he reacts.             We anticipate that only thirty children will participate in the study and that the observation will not take more than twenty minutes.  The study will be conducted in school where these children are enrolled.  The children will be divided into three groups of then each and they will go through different activities.  Discomforts and Risks from Participating in the Study             We will try to make the study as comfortable and relaxed as possible for your children.   Confidentiality of the Results             The results of the study will be strictly confidential.  At no time will we release the results of the study to anyone other than the individuals working on the project without written consent   Freedom to Withdraw             You may, at any time you desire, withdraw from the study and decline your children from participating in the study.   __________    _____________________________    _____________________________      Date            Signature of Teacher               Signature of Parent/Guardian Appendix 2 'Dear Zoo' Subject area: Communication, Literacy Learning Opportunities: Fun, Dispositions and Attitudes, Self Confidence and Self Esteem Language for communication, Language for thinking, Literacy Different sized and shaped animals (but he was too big, I sent him back...) Children involved: 10 (Child A) Learning Outcomes: The child will be able to identify repeated pattern within the text. The child will be able to identify animals in the book and box. The Child will be able to identify the letters of the book title. Resources needed: 'Dear Zoo' book, cardboard box, yellow paint, black paint, stuffed animals Sample extension activities Animal Arts & Crafts Write short animal names, e.g. 'CAT' Make own 'Dear Zoo' book Appendix 3 Activity Plan: Family Tree (for observation 2) Learning Opportunities: Fun, Dispositions and Attitudes, Self Confidence and Self Esteem, Behaviour/self control. Children involved 10: Child B Objective: Child B creates a family tree, then uses family tree to review family relationships Activity Time: 15-20 minutes Preparation/Materials Needed: One large sheet of paper, crayons or colored pencils, scissors, glue and photographs of Child B's mother, father, siblings, grandparents, and herself. Appendix 4 Activity Plan 'Storytime' (for observation 2) Objective: Activity Time: 10 minutes Children involved 10: Child C Brief Plan: Child C will be asked to choose a book from the bookshelf. Discussion of book title and pictures, sample questions asked: 'What do you think this book is about?', 'What do you see on the cover', 'What colors can you spot?'. Appendix 5 The above activities take into account the four themes: A Unique Child Positive Relationships Enabling Environment Learning and Development They particularly support the following areas: Communication, Language and Literacy Personal, Social and Emotional Development Read More