Jennifer's journey
Stage Two: Answering my research question
Jennifer distributed a short questionnaire to parents of the children in her room. It asked four questions:
- Do you know what this room’s program involves?
- In response, most parents said that they did not know what the room’s program involved, but just over half wished to be involved in it. Parents who hadn’t been involved explained that this was because either they had insufficient time or they were uncertain about just how to get involved.
- Do you want to be actively involved in the programming of the room? (If ‘Yes’, how would you like to be involved? If ‘No’, could you please specify why? [Be reassured: it is OK to say ‘No’. I can imagine how time-consuming your lives are already.])
- Parents who said that they wished to be involved suggested ‘conversations with staff about the children’, ‘being informed by staff about changes’ and ‘commenting on the program in writing’.Parents who didn’t want to be involved gave several reasons: ‘staff expertise’; ‘Only if my child is unhappy or not developing in all aspects’; the desire for their child to experience a different environment than their home; and their wish to draw new ideas from staff programs.
- What format would be the easiest to keep you updated on the goings-on in the room, and the spaces set out for your child’s development and social needs?
- Written (the program book already in the room)? Verbal? E-mail? Other (please specify)?
- Responses: ‘Written’ (8); ‘E-mail’ (6); ‘Verbal’ (6); ‘Other’ (1) symbols on walls, and photographs.
- How do you find the individual journals of your child? (If unsure, these are located on the shelf in the room.). Parents said that they found it useful and rewarding to read the children’s journals.