Positive Research

Sesame Street was the first children's television program that used a curriculum with clear and measurable outcomes and was the first to use research in the creation of the show's design and content. Research in Sesame Street had three functions: to test if the show was appealing to children, to discover what could be done to make the show more appealing, and to report to the public and the investors what impact the show had on its young viewers. Ten to fifteen percent of the show's initial budget of $8 million was devoted to research, and researchers were always present in the studio during the show's filming. A "Writer's Notebook" was developed to assist writers and producers in translating the research and production goals into televised material; this connected the show's curriculum goals and its script development. The Muppet characters were created to fill specific curriculum needs: Oscar the Grouch, for example, was designed to teach children about their positive and negative emotion. Lesser called the collaboration between researchers and producers, as well as the idea of using television as an educational tool, the "CTW model. Cooney agreed, commenting, "From the beginning, we—the planners of the project—designed the show as an experimental research project with educational advisers, researchers, and television producers collaborating as equal partners".  ^{http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_Sesame_Street}

I chose this particular topic because most of us know something about Sesame Street.  Educational programs such as this one have really been a positive outcome with children.  Sesame Street is just one of the many educational programs that teach our children positive things.   In 1979, nine million American children under the age of six were watching Sesame Street daily, and several studies showed it was having a positive educational impact.  In the 1980s, Sesame Street's curriculum expanded to include more affective topics such as relationships, ethics, and emotions. 

My Personal Research Journey

My Personal Research Topic
Early Childhood research topic:  Children with Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD).

Three related subtopics:  Causes of ADHD, Symptoms of ADHD, and Treatment for ADHD

I chose the subtopics that related to ADH research topics because it is important information needed to be able to research and learn more about children with ADHD. 

 I think it is important to know the causes of ADHD.  I think that a lot of parents do not understand or know what may cause their child to have ADHD.  I am a parent of 3 boys and I have a child that has been diagnose with ADHD and the only thing I knew at that time was that my child was hyper and had a hard time being still.  The first thing the doctors wanted to do is put my child on medication.  I needed research and I needed answers, so I started doing my own research.

Symptoms of ADHD are very important when I child has been diagnosed.  Knowing why your child is doing and reacting a certain way can help you understand some of your child’s behavior.  A few signs of ADHD that I found that were helpful and notice in my child was difficulty sustaining attention, did not seem to listen, difficulty playing quietly, talked excessively, interrupt or intrude on others, easily distracted, and did not finish tasks. Children with ADHD also may struggle with low self-esteem, troubled relationships and poor performance in school.

This topic hits home to me and I would like to more about ADHD.  I am a mother, and a social worker that deal with children on a daily basis and feel that it will help to know and be able to understand children that have this disorder.