If I had the opportunity to conduct a research topic on any subject right now in the Early Childhood field, I would research the affects of mask wearing on language acquisition.
In the child development center in which I work, all staff are required to wear mask. I have often wonder what will be the ramifications to young infants and toddlers, who are learning to talk.
If I were to conduct this research it would have to be done over several years. I would conduct it in a daycare or child development center (CDC) rather than the child's home because most parents are not wear mask with their children. I would obtain permission from the families of children, and start with the youngest age child admitted into the CDC, six weeks old and would stop with three-year-old. Research has shown that infants recognize voices even in the womb it is important to be able to observe the youngest child for when language starts to development and go to age 3-years-old, to notice if there is a delay in speech. I would also research the current research on speech acquisition prior to COVID mask restrictions. I would also research children in this age group post mask wearing.
References
Perkins, S. (2019, October 17). When Do Newborns Recognize Their Parents' Voices? Hello
YouTube. (2014). Language development stages. YouTube.