Habits Formation
Children are known to be both curious and independent learners, meaning they will try out new things and challenge themselves constantly, even at a young age. This can make them a bit more risky in terms of writing skills than their younger counterparts, leading to lower grades and less-than-perfect homework assignments. However, this shouldn’t deter parents from encouraging their children’s creativity and academic performance, as proper writing skills can help them in many ways.
Productivity
Productivity is often considered to be a vital part of a writer’s toolkit. Being able to churn out as much content as possible is considered essential in order to establish themselves as experts in their field. Unfortunately, this kind of pressure can lead to bad writing habits, as excessive self-criticism and rereading previously-written pieces can damage an author’s productivity and even their confidence, if done in excess. This kind of behavior can be highly damaging, especially to young writers, as they will experience steep performance dips as they grow and develop, leading to uncertainty about whether or not they actually have what it takes to be a professional writer.
Research Skills
One of the primary functions of a good research essay is to provide the reader with as much information as possible. In the case of a psychology research paper, this can mean delving into the fields of sociology, cognitive science, and neurobiology, just to name a few. To an experienced eye, a lot can go wrong with even the most well-intentioned piece of research, leading to unnecessary complications and extended writing sessions. Poor research skills can also lead to sloppy arguments and a complete lack of confidence, even if the content itself is completely solid. Being able to produce high-quality research is a daunting task, meaning it’s a good idea to develop the skill early on, before entering the workforce.
Critical Thinking
An author’s ability to think critically is not something that comes naturally to everyone. Even those who are extremely intelligent can have trouble focusing on one task and dismissing out-of-hand claims or vague generalizations, meaning that teaching them to think critically can prove to be very useful indeed. Having the ability to question assumptions and examine evidence is very valuable in an information-gathering phase and, subsequently, in the writing process. A writer that can’t think critically cannot write properly, regardless of how skilled they might otherwise be. Teaching critical thinking to children is not only a good idea, but it can also prove to be challenging, as they will require constant guidance and, perhaps, even a bit of coercion, until they are able to recognize and question fallacious thinking patterns on their own.
Copy-editing
Copy editing is often considered a vital part of any writer’s toolkit, as it can help polish the final product and make it look more professional. Even during the production process, copy editing can help to ensure consistency in language and avoid errors, which, in turn, can make a significant difference in terms of readability. However, it can be a difficult skill to develop, as one needs to not only be able to recognize spelling errors and language inconsistencies, but they also need to have the confidence to point them out to the author. Even when performed well, copy editing can still leave a bad taste in the writer’s mouth, meaning it’s something they should develop after their own writing skills have been sufficiently honed and the compliments they receive for their own content have given them the confidence to tackle an editor’s job with ease.
Revising
Revising is often considered an essential part of the writing process, as it can help to improve the final product and make it the best it can be. A lot of authors consider themselves to be poor revisers, meaning they either don’t know how to go about it or they feel it’s unnecessary, as their original work was good enough. To put it lightly, this kind of behavior can prove to be incredibly damaging, as it can lead to writers losing confidence in their work and, subsequently, losing interest in writing altogether. Teaching children to revise effectively can be considered a vital part of their toolkit, as it will help them to recognize errors and inconsistencies as they arise and, hopefully, improve upon what they’ve written, leading to a better overall product. Even when done well, revising can still leave a bad taste in the writer’s mouth, meaning it’s something they should develop after their other skills have been sufficiently honed.
Proof-reading
Proof-reading is often considered a part of the writing process that is, at best, superfluous and, at worst, an insult to the author’s intelligence. Proof-reading can help to polish the finished product and ensure that it’s error-free, but it is often skipped over by those who consider themselves to be proficient writers. To be completely fair, some authors do perform a very limited amount of proof-reading, only catching spelling errors and typos, but this can still prove to be an essential part of the process, as it can help to highlight certain patterns of errors and ensure that nothing important is missed. It can also help to establish a writer’s fluency and confidence, as they will be able to identify and correct simple errors as they arise. Teaching children to proof-read effectively can be considered a good idea, as it can help to establish their writing skills and confidence, as well as polish their product and make it look more professional. Even when performed well, proof-reading can still leave a bad taste in the author’s mouth, meaning it’s something they should develop after their other writing skills have been sufficiently honed and the compliments they receive for their own content have given them the confidence to tackle an editor’s job with ease.
Mapping Out The Structure
Structure is often considered to be one of the most vital parts of any piece of non-fiction. Being able to map out the structure effectively is a skill that can be both difficult and tedious, as it can require a lot of brainstorming and, perhaps, even a bit of creativity. For those that consider themselves to be poor map readers, it can be difficult to establish a clear direction for their research and even harder to follow, as they may have difficulty keeping track of all the relevant details. Being able to map out the structure effectively can help a lot during the writing process, as it can help to establish a clear direction and sequence of events, as well as give the author a clear idea of where they are going with their work. Once the structure is firmly in place, it can be relatively easy to add and subtract details or change the order of events, as needed. There’s, of course, the option to simply follow the structure as it was outlined, though this can prove to be quite limiting, as it may not necessarily lead to the best results.
Using The Right Tools
Having the appropriate tools is often considered a vital part of the writing process. Choosing and learning to use the right tools can be difficult, especially for those who are not computer-savvy, as it can require a bit of a learning curve. Once again, this can prove to be damaging, as it can limit the author’s creative options, as certain programs and platforms can only be used for certain kinds of writing. Even those that consider themselves to be computer-literate can struggle to find the right tools for the job, meaning they are forced to choose software that can be accessed remotely, which may not always be feasible. Learning to use the right tools effectively can be a good idea, as it can make the process of writing easier and more streamlined, as well as provide the author with more creative options, as certain tools can only be used for certain kinds of writing. Even when used effectively, it can still be difficult to find the right tools for the job and the learning curve can be very steep.
Research Paper Example
To conclude, let’s examine an example of a research paper, which can be found here. If you’re interested, you can click on the image to be taken directly to the source or continue reading below.
Introduction
In the world of psychology, children are a highly-prized and frequently-studied audience, as they are considered to be a potentially-viable source of new ideas and theories. One of the primary concerns of psychologists, sociologists, and anthropologists, when conducting research on children, is that they need to obtain adequate and appropriate consent from parents or guardians before beginning any studies. For this reason, it is imperative that you discuss the specifics of this particular study with your children’s caregivers, before letting them participate. If children do not provide appropriate consent, their participation in the study can be considered invalid, as they may not fully understand the ramifications of what is going on or may be under the false impression that they are simply playing a game.