When I Think of Research...

Coming into this course I was nervous and felt very overwhelmed.  But as I worked my way through the terms, designs, ethics, and other components of the research process I feel I have developed a better understanding of how the research process works.  While the process can still be overwhelming I have a better understanding of what a researcher needs to consider when designing a research study and/or project. 

Beginning of this course

One of the most important aspects of research that I learned is the researcher must ensure the project is ethical.  I feel this is so important as if a project is unethical it will do more harm to the field than good.   I also found it important as a researcher that the design of the research project is very crucial.  Designing the project correctly will ensure the project is valid.    While I thought research was either quantitative or qualitative I really enjoyed learning about the mixed methods approach to research.  This was a research design that I was not familiar with. I can really see the benefits of such research as it would lend itself to obtain much information on a topic. 

The pieces are coming in place...

The challenge I came across during the simulation process was being able narrow down my research topic into a manageable project.  I feel this was a challenge because I felt there was so much I want to know when it came to my topic of resiliency.  I found it a bit difficult to narrow the topic down as I felt I was leaving out important information to learn about.   But going through the process I was able to refine my questions to the various designs.  This was insightful as I learned by doing various research projects I could still learn what I wanted about my topic.

 

Hmm...still not sure what to do...

I feel that completing this course I have gained more knowledge about the research process and the professionals that work in the field of early childhood education.  I feel research is very important to the field.  I also feel that those that work in the field especially with research are truly vested in the profession as they are wanting to gather the information about various components and aspects of the field.  The results of their work provides the practitioners, educators, and stakeholders with the best knowledge and understanding of how and why we do what we do with children and families. This in turn benefits children, and the families.


At the end of this course...I did it!



Research Around the World

The international website I viewed was Early Childhood Australia.  The website has a wealth of information and resources for educators.  The research topic that I found on the website to be interesting is Early Childhood Flexibility Practices and Patterns.  The research study is referring to anything that meets the needs of families including but not limited to:

• Non-standard hours
• Flexible sessions and enrollment
• Working in combination with other services
• Flexible locations or service delivery

The project is also looking at the interests of children and flexibility.  The project will be asking those in early childhood education and care, ‘Are services flexible, yet suited to the needs of young children (not merely “slot” services but environments where children are cared for by trained professionals able to offer a sustained developmental program?'

I  found the website to offer many great resources.  One resource area I found to be insightful was the Research in Practice Series.  The resources offered in this section are practices that have been developed and established by research.  There are numerous topics included in the list of projects that have been completed and resources have been developed to support educators in the field of early childhood education.  Some of the topics are:

• Understanding children's feelings:  Emotional literacy in early childhood
• Overlooked curriculum:  Seeing everyday possibilities
• Aggression and Young Children
• Discovering letters and sounds
• Learning positive behavior through educator-child relationship
• Play and quality in early childhood:  Educating superheroes and fairy princesses
• Children's resilience:  Working with the Early Years Learning Framework
• And Many More!

I also found the website had many other resources such as early childhood news,  newsletters, journals, and other sections that had a list of resources such as Supporting Best Practices and Everyday Learning Series.

I found the website to be a great resource for early childhood educators and those who support the field.  The link to the website is:  http://www.earlychildhoodaustralia.org.au/