Aim
To investigate whether children believe that their toys have feeling and when does the beliefs change.
Research method
This study will be conducted as a questionnaire using paper and pencil method.
Sample & Sampling method
50 children from xxx primary school will be recruited by opportunity sampling. Children aged 7-12 in the kindergarten that do not have any learning disabilities or cognitive limitations will be chosen to participate.
Questionnaire structure
Questionnaire form will contain 25 closed questions with two options to choose from (True or False). Children circle whichever fits option that fits vest for them for each statement.
Example questions
I think my toys have different mood everyday (True/False)
I feel bad when I accidentally kick my toys off my bed when I am sleeping (True/False)
I handle my toys with care because they will be upset if I neglect them (True/False)
Filler questions
I like playing with toys (True/False)
Procedure
Children are brought into an empty classroom and seated in front of a table. Each child will complete the questionnaire by themselves in the classroom alone to respect their personal space and emotional territory. Before they are being left alone, the researched will explain to them what they need to do and ask them to indicate how old they are. There is a one hour time limit for children to complete the questionnaire. The children will be instructed to leave the room once completing it and a researcher waiting outside the room will collect the paper and escort them back to their classes.
Data analysis
Quantitative data is collected. Every true option will be counted as 1 while false option will be counted as 0, so the score range will be from 0-25. The children will be divided into two groups for age analysis, those 9 and or below will be categorised as younger children while those 10 and or above will be in the older children category. Total score of each individual children will be tallied and a mean score for the two category will be calculated. The data will be represented in a bar chart (x-axis: age group, y-axis: mean score). Error bars can be plotted to analyse the significance of the difference between young and old children.