Why it is important to study a child's world?

The reason why it is important to study children and development is so that we can understand how children change as they grow up and understand the forces that contribute to those changes. “The past causes the present, and so the future.” I learned this quote in high school when my history teacher tried to explain to my class why we needed to know U.S. History. The same applies to the history and study of childhood development if we want to make the world better for our children.

According to some educational theorists, the only disadvantages of studying a child’s world occur when developmental scientists arrive at differing conclusions using experiments that are not controlled and replicable. In order to correct this, research needs to be quantitative, qualitative, or both. Scientists need to use random sample selections in order to ensure validity of their research. Additionally, scientists need to be aware and sensitive to the many ethical issues that are involved in research on child development.

The history of early childhood education and development has many facets. The knowledge base includes ideas, content and practice information, and excellent models. The three basic theoretical issues on which developmental scientists differ are the relative importance of heredity and environment, the active or passive character of development, and the existence of stages of development. Childhood is a separate, distinct, unique period in the human lifespan that has intrigued many theorists to explore. Because there are multiple theories on child and adolescent development, no one theory or theorist is unanimously accepted. However, when we understand a child’s world, past and present, we better understand how people and societies act in the present. Research in the study of a child’s world also promotes historical perspective in the making of current educational policy.