When I Think of Research....

What insights have you gained about research from taking this course?

Throughout this course, I have learned a great deal about early childhood research, but probably the greatest thing I learned was that I can be one of those professionals that conduct research also. I have gained the insight and knowledge to begin researching topics that are important to me in the field. I have gained a new respect for professionals that devote time and energy to researching topics within this profession.

In what ways have your ideas about the nature of doing research changed?

Before this course, if someone would have said to me that I could become a researcher in the early childhood field, I would have said they were crazy. I had no idea what it meant to be an early childhood researcher and had no idea where to start. However, after completing this course and completing a research simulation, I feel more confident about doing research and feel that I now have a starting point. The activities completed as well as the course textbook will be great resources for the future.

What lessons about planning, designing, and conducting research in early childhood did you learn?

I learned many things about research throughout this course. When planning for research, there are numerous things to consider. First, you must consider the ethics in research by thinking about the participants that will be affected by your research. You need to get informed consent from the participants, think about confidentiality and privacy, and also consider the risk/benefit equation. Second, I learned how to develop a research question, identify variables, and decide on data collection methods. When designing research, I learned several methods that can be used. There is quantitative, qualitative, and the mixed method approach. It is important to consider the type of data collection needed when choosing a method for research.  The planning and designing pieces are nearly complete, and the conducting of research would be the next step.

What were some of the challenges you encountered—and in what ways did you meet them?

The biggest challenge was deciding on the research topic and turning it into a research question and hypothesis. I wanted to make sure that my ideas on what I wanted to know more about in the field could be something that I could complete a research simulation on. Once I thought about it and wrote a few ideas on paper, I was able to decide on a good topic and create a research question.

What are some of the ways your perceptions of an early childhood professional have been modified as a result of this course?

After this course, I value research more. Now, I know what goes into a research project and all the things that have to be considered before beginning to research. I also value the professionals that completed the research as well. When reading an article on an early childhood topic, I will slow down and take time to consider the people who completed the research. I guess you can say I have a new found interest in conducting research and a new respect for those professionals who do it.

Thanks to all of my colleagues who collaborated with me in another interesting course. Your weekly discussion posts, responses, blog posts, and blog responses have again enriched my understanding and knowledge in the course. I wish you all the best as you continue your journey to completing a master’s degree!

Research around the World

I explored the early childhood website of Australia at http://www.earlychildhoodaustralia.org.au/.

On the top of the home page, I found the mission statement to be similar to that of the thoughts and views of early childhood professionals in the U.S. It states the importance of advocacy for children birth to eight years of age to ensure quality education and equity in early childhood issues.

International Research Topics
As I read through many research topics on this website, many of the topics were similar to that being researched in the U.S. as well as many other countries. For example, there were many articles on the importance of play, school readiness, and impacts of different emotional issues on children's abilities to learn. These were a few of the articles that I read through and found familiar research information.
-Technologically constructed childhoods: Moving beyond a reproductive to a productive and critical view of curriculum development
-Defining and assessing school readiness
-Choices and changes in early childhood education in Australia: A ‘Play School’ perspective
-The implications of poverty on children’s readiness to learn

Noteworthy News
As I explored the site I found numerous topics that we have discussed in class this session. The following topics were of interest to me, as I related prior knowledge from class resources:

• The Code of Ethics section of the website- a new code of ethics was endorsed in September 2006
• Values mentioned on the homepage included: the rights of children, diversity, social inclusion of children
• web and print resources on information about school readiness and transitions and child health and childhood obesity

Facts and Insights
Another interesting part of the website that I found was the section on supporting best practice. It gave wonderful information on a variety of topics with amazing subtopics under each heading. It gave information on emotional well-being, children's development, speaking out for children, professional development. I read information under children's development: everyday learning and play: routines and rituals. I learned that children like predictable environments where daily routines are consistent. Routines provide children a sense of stability, feelings of warmth, and an opportunity to learn about themselves and the world around them. It is important to keep a routine consistent yet remain flexible and responsive to the needs of the children. This section of the website offers great information under each topic.