Understanding the Role of Interaction in Promoting Holistic Development of Malay Infants and Toddlers

2. Abstract
The purpose of this paper is to explore the degree and extend of the infant and toddler teachers
understanding of the role of interaction in promoting holistic development of Malay infant and
toddlers from underprivileged homes. For the purpose of this paper UPMIT refers to
underprivileged Malay infants and toddlers between the age of 2 months to 30 months from the
low-income strata. Research tells is that at least 1 million new neural connections form every
second in the first few years of life, thus it is particularly imperative that educators working with
UPMIT are providing meaningful interactions to facilitate holistic development. The inductive
theoretical framework that guides the investigation will focus on the teachers understanding
derived from brain development and Vygotsky social constructivist theories. It is exploratory in
nature and presents a multidimensional approach to describing and evaluating infant and toddler
teachers’ understanding on the issues. An interpretivist paradigm intermingle with thematic
perspective is adopted to analyse the data. This issue is considered to be a pertinent because
UPMIT are discovered to be susceptible to more stress in relation to the other income grouped
children. In addition, a deeper understanding of the issue may also address some of the gap so
that teachers can be in a better position to help the families of UPMIT.
Keyword: infant and toddler teachers’ interactions, brain development of underprivileged
children, Singapore

1RESEARCH PROPOSAL
3. Aim and objectives of the research
Conducting educational research is beyond completing the major steps that guides a
research. It involves planning as well as designing and writing the research in either two major
tracks: qualitative research or quantitative research. This research study utilised the qualitative
track and aims to suggest improvements for practice. It also utilized the quantitative track using
the survey design to ascertain behavior, trends in attitudes , opinions as well as characteristic of
a sizeable group of people. An ineffective educator can influence the child’s growth in a severe
way than any other issue of childhood (Eve Siu Ling Chen et al., 2018). The issue is dire for the
children from the lower income strata because they already have lesser opportunities in life than
the rest of the population and this is one of the reasons for their undergrowth persistently
(Collins, 2016). Hence, the purpose of the research will delve deeper and study the infant and
toddler teachers’ understanding on how interaction facilitates the brain architecture and holistic
development of the UPMIT in order to suggest improvement to practices.
4. Background
According to Conkbayir (2015), the ability of cognition of the child develops at the
tender age and this is not an isolated process rather there are other influences of socialization,
types of parenting, schooling of the children and most importantly the impact of a good teacher.
It is found that the ramifications of the inefficient educators are severe for a child as it might
restrict the potentials which can impact the scope of the child from realizing their potentials
(Duchesne et al., 2018). According to Berk (2017), early teaching and the role of the main
caregiver have a positive impact on the development of the child. The tender age is the most
crucial part of the development (Bruer, 2011). The development of cognitive capacity and
memory are the two most important factors of the childhood where the impact of the early

2RESEARCH PROPOSAL
educators is important. It is further argued that there are a few other issues for consideration like
the socio-economic growth, extreme poverty or unequal employment which are also important
for the present state of these groups (Collins, 2016). Hence, it is important to consider that the
underachievement of these minority groups is not isolated rather it is attached to their lower
development of cognitive capacity (Collins, 2016). It is therefore important to consider that the
issue does not reside with the elderly population rather it is there within the foundation and the
basic elementary education where the issue resides (Collins, 2016).
5 .The theoretical framework
A theoretical framework is the blueprint of the research in a methodological way for
conducting the research (Choy, 2014). The inductive research method is adopted as the
framework here because inductive method helps to derive the knowledge to substantiate the
conclusion on the basis of derived data (Choy, 2014).There are researches which focus on the
inductive method because it helps to derive conclusions based on the premises undertaken in the
research. It will also help to infer data from different perspectives and general information
(Choy, 2014). The research will follow this framework as this approach provides enough scope
for exploring each issue with greater detail. This inductive research reasoning is taken as the
theoretical framework since it helps to derive knowledge from the interviews and it also leave
scope for using multiple theories within the body of research.
5.1 Structure of the study
The research will be conducted by pointing out the broad issue of the topic and further
breaking it into smaller parts to highlight each issue for analysis of the issue. This will be helpful
to provide equal weight to each issue of the broader concept. The next part of the research will
be focused on the interviews and finally the derivation base conclusions. The interview protocol

3RESEARCH PROPOSAL
to be carried out will comprises of four to five questions. The structure of the research is centered
on the collection of data and their analysis to arrive at a conclusion, and it is presented in the
form of the expected outcome. The aim of the research to follow this particular structure is to
analyse the issue systematically and to find the nuances of the same.
7. Research question
Haynes (2006), shared that it is the familiarity with the topic that helps define a suitable research
question but an interest in a specific topic typically starts the research process. The research
question guides, helping the researcher to integrate the issues. The research question should be
succinct, clear and has the ability to present a unique argument; synthesizing multiple sources.
Creswell (2009), affirms that researchers place signposts in their work helping others to
distinguish the purpose of the study and the research questions or hypothesis being investigated.
In qualitative research researchers’ formally states, a central question and then generally follow
with a set of associated sub-questions. Central questions need to be broad and asked around a
central phenomenon or concept of study. Research questions are usually either causal questions
which associate two or more phenomena and determines if a relationship exists or descriptive
questions seek to describe a phenomenon or comparative questions. The comparative questions
goal is to delve deeper into the difference which may exist between the two or more groups in
relation to one or more variables. For this research, the descriptive and causal questions is chosen
to explore the phenomenon.
Here are the research questions for this study:
RQ1. What do infant and toddler teachers understand about interaction to promote a holistic
development?