Research that Benefits Families--In a dream world..

My task this week is to think of a dream research project that is unrestricted by reality or current constraints that could potentially benefit children throughout the world.

My mind immediately went to childhood cancer. Each year approximately 13,400 children between the ages of birth and 19 years of age are diagnosed with cancer (ACCO.org, 2014). If I were to have unlimited research resources, without limitations I would work to cure childhood cancer. The ultimate, worldly benefit that would result from a positive research outcome would help many children and families all over the world.

The reason I would choose this topic has a personal story behind it. When I was 5, my best friend Katie was diagnosed with leukemia. I remember spending the next year with her at the hospital, and witnessing her go through the traumatic experience of chemotherapy, and, ultimately, losing her battle with cancer. As a then 7 year old, I don't think that I fully understood what had happened, and what this meant for me, my family, and most importantly Katie's family. I was sad to know my best friend was not around, and I recall being confused as to why we didn't go visit her in the hospital anymore.

Cancer is a disease that children fight each day. In some cases it makes it impossible for children to go to school, because of lowered immune systems, and some, like Katie, do not make it into adulthood. I know that this is a highly researched subject, and I hope that some day there is a cure, so that other families do not have to go through what Katie's did.




Reference
http://www.acco.org/information/aboutchildhoodcancer/childhoodcancerstatistics.aspx

My Personal Research Journey

So, we have all arrived at the daunting task of our first research related course. I can say, after completing the first discussion posts, it was obvious that we are all feeling a little intimidated by the title of course and the challenges that the topic of research brings. I, for one, am in the same boat as my colleagues right now. Research to me is a very detail oriented subject, and for me, the topic of early childhood is so natural, that sometimes the small details are lost on me. I will say, however, that I'm excited for the challenge.

In this course we have been tasked at creating a broad research topic, and then several refined, very specific topics that we will do research on over the next 8 weeks. My original idea was based on play-based play environments in classrooms, and how they affect children and their development. Based on looking forward into the next several weeks, I'm figuring out that my research topic is way to broad, and it will need to be paired down. I am working on creating a more refined topic that I can use to base my work off of.

So, my Walden colleagues, any ideas on how I can narrow down my broad topic into a more researchable topic? I'd appreciate your help and thoughts on the matter!