Research that Benefits Children and Families—Uplifting Stories

An example of the effects of research on children and/or families: providing real-life examples of research benefits to children and/or families is the research titled: The development of competence in favorable and unfavorable environments: Lessons from research on successful children.  The research, volume 53 of the American Psychologist, is written by Masten, Ann S..and Coatsworth, J. Douglas.  Although I could not get the full PDF text, I was able to deduce from the abstract that the research centers on the importance that parents and society attached to the development of proficiency or expertise in children.  The article looks at the understanding from research on expertise and flexibility in children and adolescents. The article discusses the beginning of expertise in children explaining what triggers such development in children.  The article pointed out the impact of early positive bonding between children and parents or care givers, known as attachment relationships; emphasizing how early creation of good and positive relationship with young children helps to develop and continually build up on their level of competence or expertise.  This includes little commendations like “this is wonderful, please keep it up!”, “well done”, or even “thank you”; all these go a long way in building confidence in the lives of little children and ultimately developing their competence or expertise in performing that particular task over and over again.

Several other ways of building expertise or competence were highlighted; like peer relations, conduct, school and activities, that is, the type of relationships existing amongst children and as they watch one another, noting what one child does to earn a “thank you” or “well done”, the other child too would want to do such in order to earn the same thing.     

This would go a long way to help build the children’s confidence in themselves and also to build up competence and flexibility which will make them develop sound knowledge of things around them.  This will, on the long run, build up a stable society as a result of having competent adults who can handle situations with calmness and be in full control.

These further points out that whatever we want our societies to become start from the way we handle our younger ones right from the cradle.                                

Reference

Masten, A. S. & Coatsworth, J. D. (1998). The development of competence in favorable and unfavorable environments: Lessons from research on successful children.  American Psychologist, Vol 53(2), Feb 1998, 205-220.  Retrieved from http://psycnet.apa.org/journals/amp/53/2/205/