State your proposed research questions and hypotheses for your dissertation research. Create a mock table of descriptive statistics for each variable/construct you plan to utilize in your dissertation research.
Please answer in detail and support your answers with 3-5 scholarly research where appropriate.
Research Questions and Hypothesis
In order to collect data and explore whether preschool teachers and early childhood caregivers understand the difference between normal range developmental delays and special needs, several questions will be addressed. The questions will also address whether distinguishing developmental delays from disorders will help teachers and caregivers cope with and handle behavioral problems in the classroom, or otherwise make appropriate referrals. The questions are:
Q1. Do the teachers at school X feel they have solid knowledge and background of early childhood development? If so, how would they rate it?
H1: Teachers at school X don’t know whether their knowledge and background of early childhood development is sufficient or not, or how to rate it.
Q2. Do the teachers at school X feel they have a solid knowledge and understanding of disorders such as ADHD? If so, can she/he describe the main characteristics associated with each, and/or explain them?
H2: Teachers at School X don’t have solid knowledge and understanding of disorders such as ADHD, and cannot describe the main characteristics associated with each, and/or explain them.
Q3. Do the teachers at school X feel they have a solid knowledge and understanding of disorders such as ODD? If so, can she/he describe the main characteristics associated with each, and/or explain them?
H3: Teachers at School X don’t have solid knowledge and understanding of disorders such as ODD, and cannot describe the main characteristics associated with each, and/or explain them.
Q4. Do the teachers at school X feel they have a solid knowledge and understanding of disorders such as CD? If so, can she/he describe the main characteristics associated with each, and/or explain them?
H4: Teachers at School X don’t have solid knowledge and understanding of disorders such as CD, and cannot describe the main characteristics associated with each, and/or explain them.
Q5. Do the teachers at school X feel they can recognize the difference between behaviors that are typified by developmental delays, and ones that are characteristics of early signs of disorders such as ADHD, ODD, and CD?
H5: Teachers at school X cannot recognize the difference between behaviors that are typified by developmental delays, and ones that are characteristics of early signs of disorders such as ADHD, ODD, and CD.
Q4. Do the teachers at school X feel effective in their ability to tell the difference between early childhood developmental delays and disorders?
H4: Teachers at school X don’t feel effective in their ability to tell the difference between early childhood developmental delays and disorders.
The Questionnaire
A particular difficult task for the survey designer is to create a questionnaire that chronicles the importance of the research questions and hypothesis, is relevant, fulfilling, and sensitive to the participant. According to Torchim (2008), it is important in particular to be respectful and non-threatening to the survey taker by starting off with easier questions that do not impose, to act courteous at all times, and to consider individual and personal nuances such as comfort level (Torchim, 2008).
A questionnaire is a set of questions given to a sample of targeted participant in order to gather information about people’s attitudes, thoughts, behaviors, ideas and more. The researcher complies the answers to group together a conclusion that will respond to the research questions and hypothesis. Here is a sample questionnaire to be given to early childhood educators and caregivers at School X:
Questionnaire:
Thank you for taking the time to participate in this survey and allowing me to conduct this study.
1. Are you male or female?
2. Which category below includes your age?
18-25 26-39 40-55 56-older
3. What is the highest level of school you have completed or the highest degree you have received?
High-school Community college Certificate Degree: BA/MA
4. Which of the following categories best describes your employment status?
Head teacher Teacher assistant Administration Intern
5. How many years are you at this current job? ___________
6. What is your satisfaction experience at this school?
Very satisfied Neither satisfied nor dissatisfied Dissatisfied with it?
7. Which of the category below best describes the number of daily challenging behaviors in your classroom?
0 1-3 4-6 7-10 higher
8. Which of the category below best describes your early childhood background and knowledge?
Very Knowledgeable Knowledgeable Somewhat Knowledgeable Not at all
9. Are you comfortable at choosing behavioral characteristics that you consider are developmentally age appropriate?
Yes No
10. If you answered yes to the previous question, can you please mark the category most associated with the developmentally age appropriate behavior, per each age. Circle the age that is most typically associated with the behavior, and the frequency that is would be considered most typical for that age category:
a. Biting:
- 12-24 months - 1-2 a week 1-2 a day 3-4 a day not at all
- 25-32 months - 1-2 a week 1-2 a day 3-4 a day not at all
- 3-4 year olds - 1-2 a week 1-2 a day 3-4 a day not at all
- 5 year olds - 1-2 a week 1-2 a day 3-4 a day not at all
b. Hitting
- 12-24 months - 1-2 a week 1-2 a day 3-4 a day not at all
- 25-32 months - 1-2 a week 1-2 a day 3-4 a day not at all
- 3-4 year olds - 1-2 a week 1-2 a day 3-4 a day not at all
- 5 year olds - 1-2 a week 1-2 a day 3-4 a day not at all
c. Grabbing a toy from another child:
- 12-24 months - 1-2 a week 1-2 a day 3-4 a day not at all
- 25-32 months - 1-2 a week 1-2 a day 3-4 a day not at all
- 3-4 year olds - 1-2 a week 1-2 a day 3-4 a day not at all
- 5 year olds - 1-2 a week 1-2 a day 3-4 a day not at all
d. Having a tantrum
- 12-24 months - 1-2 a week 1-2 a day 3-4 a day not at all
- 25-32 months - 1-2 a week 1-2 a day 3-4 a day not at all
- 3-4 year olds - 1-2 a week 1-2 a day 3-4 a day not at all
- 5 year olds - 1-2 a week 1-2 a day 3-4 a day not at all
e. Running away or escaping
- 12-24 months - 1-2 a week 1-2 a day 3-4 a day not at all
- 25-32 months - 1-2 a week 1-2 a day 3-4 a day not at all
- 3-4 year olds - 1-2 a week 1-2 a day 3-4 a day not at all
- 5 year olds - 1-2 a week 1-2 a day 3-4 a day not at all
11. Are you comfortable at linking the following stages of early childhood development to their appropriate age range?
12. If you answered
yes, please circle the age range most associated with the developmental stage:
a. Sensorimotor 0-2 2-3 3-4 4-5
b. Autonomy vs. Same & Doubt 0-2 2-3 3-4 4-5
c. Initiative vs. Guilt 0-2 2-3 3-4 4-5
d. Industry vs. Inferiority 0-2 2-3 3-4 4-5
13. Which of the category below best fits how comfortable you are at rating your knowledge of special needs characteristics?
Very Knowledgeable Knowledgeable Somewhat Knowledgeable Not at all
14. Are you comfortable at defining the abbreviated initials of the emotional-behavioral disorders (EBD) below? If so, please write the full name of each disorder on the line underneath it.
ADHD ODD CD
___________________________ ____________________ ________________
15. Are you comfortable at linking the following developmental expectations to their age appropriate milestones?
Yes No
16. If answered
yes, please circle the age range most associated with the stage of development:
a. Language and speech - 0-2 2-3 3-4 4-5 5-6
b. Attentiveness 0-2 2-3 3-4 4-5 5-6
c. Tantrums 0-2 2-3 3-4 4-5 5-6
d. Aggression 0-2 2-3 3-4 4-5 5-6
e. Defiance 0-2 2-3 3-4 4-5 5-6
f. Telling lies 0-2 2-3 3-4 4-5 5-6
17. Are you comfortable at choosing two characteristics per each EBD that define the disorder?
Yes No
18. If you answered yes, can you please mark two characteristics of EBD per each category by circling
Yes, or
No:
a. ADHD
Yes/No - ADHD is a neurobehavioral disorder that affects children, adolescents, and adults.
Yes/No - ADHD shows itself as a persistent pattern of inattention and/or hyperactivity/impulsivity that is more frequent and severe than is typically seen in ones' peers.
Yes/No – ADHD is the cause of speech delay and/or impairment
Yes/No – ADHD is the cause of poor parenting
b. ODD
Yes/No – ODD children have a hard time allowing anyone else, mainly adults,
maintain authority over them.
Yes/No – ODD children are not communicative
Yes/No – ODD children have frequent tantrums and are conditioned to socially
unacceptable expressions of anger
Yes/No – ODD children have issues with attachment
c. CD
Yes/No – children with CD are aggressive
Yes/No – children with CD have limited to no language or communication skills
Yes/No – children with CD lie and steal
Yes/No – children with CD have poor fine motor skills
19. On an average school year, how many children already labeled as special needs do you have in your class?
0-1 1-2 2-4 higher
20. On an average school year, how many children being diagnosed with a disorder do you have in your class?
0-1 1-2 2-4 higher
21. On an average school year, how many children would you recommend special education assessment for the potential EBD of: ADHD, ODD, CD?
(Pick a category, then choose the number of children that fit in it)
- ADHD 0-1 1-2 2-4 higher
- ODD 0-1 1-2 2-4 higher
CD 0-1 1-2 2-4 higher