When I Think of Research…

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

This course has sensitized me on several issues pertaining to research.  Among the insights gained is that research is not reserved for any particular group of people.  It is a tool that anyone can utilize to discover truths. It requires a good understanding of the simulation processes in order to effective manipulate the designs.  It is quite extensive so it is very important for the researcher(s) to decide on the breadth of the research simulation that will be undertaken.  There are different research designs all in keeping with the purpose of the research. 

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

I realize that there are several guidelines which a researcher should adhere to in order for the research to be deemed valid.  Among the guidelines are:

·        Obtaining permission from the participants in order to conduct the research

·        Ethical concerns must also be taken into consideration.  Children are protected under the Convention on the Rights of a Child and as such adherence to the principles is of utmost importance.  Two ethical considerations which must be taken into consideration are: the risk/benefit consideration and cultural differences between the researcher and the research since they may give rise to misunderstanding.  It is important that the researcher understands the cultural background of the child/children being observed in order for ensure that validity is evident.

·        The equity equation must be considered since equity moves beyond equality to deal with the notion of justice and fairness (Mac Naughton, et al. 2010).      

·        Taking into consideration the extraneous variables if quantitative method is being employed.    These factors can jeopardize the validity of the research so particular attention must be paid to them. 

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

Planning is integral to the success of the process, it occurs at every stage of the research simulation.  It is important that an outline be created to guide the process.  This ensures that all the requirements are adhered to. 

The design approach should be dependent on the goals to be achieved in the simulation.  It is important that the researcher establishes the goals of the project very early so the most suitable design will be utilized.  This will save time and money which are critical factors in the research process.  Designing the instruments for research can be a very tedious task – questionnaires, surveys, formal interview instrument etc.

Conducting research is a time consuming task so the researcher must be quite knowledgeable about the process including the research instruments.  The researcher must adhere to ethical standards so that the process will be considered valid.    It calls for a high level of organization in order to ensure that the process is conducted under research conditions and the data gathered is properly stored so that unauthorized persons are not allowed to gain access to the information.  

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

In terms of challenges, I think the process is extremely exhausting.  This process must be approached on a phase basis.  It is impossible to complete the task in one sweep so the researcher must allocate time for this process.   It is also important to fully understand the terminologies associated with the various research designs because applying them can become a challenge if a clear understanding is lacking.  It is important that as the researcher, I spend time gaining an understanding of the terminologies and how they are to be effectively applied so that the quality of the research is not jeopardized.

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

I realized that an early childhood professional engages in serious investigation in order to enhance the lives of children, teachers and the early childhood field.  They are engaged in the task of finding solutions to pertinent issues.  It is not an easy feat, the early childhood professional must be acknowledge for the sterling contribution he/she makes to societies in order to unearth vital information which is life changing.  Who best can conduct research in the area of early childhood but the persons who are passionate about the field?  I must express greater appreciation for the work they do because it is quite challenging but it certainly reveal vital information that will enhance practice.

THANK YOU!

I expressly thank all of my colleagues for this experience we have shared over the past 8 weeks.  This was quite challenging at times because so much was required.  I am grateful that we assisted each other to complete this leg of the race by means of the support we provided, our probing questions and comments.  I hope to meet many of you in future courses. All the best!

Reference

Mac Naughton, G., Rolfe, S.A., & Siraj-Blatchford, I. (2010). Doing early childhood research: International perspectives on theory and practice (2nd ed.). New York, NY: McGraw-Hill.

Research Around the World

 European Early Childhood Education Research Association (EECERA)) is a non-profit organization.  It is an independent, self-governing, international association which promotes and disseminates multi-disciplinary research on early childhood and its applications to policy and practice.

Some of the current international research topics include:

·         Transitions

·         Integrated Leadership & Management

·         Professionalism

·         Young Children’s Perspectives

·         Learning and Participation

·         Mathematics

·         Birth to Three

·         Outdoor Play and Learning

·         Diversity

Surprising facts/insights/new ideas gained from the website.

I realized that EECERA has the largest and most significant early years' research conference in Europe attracting more than 600 researcher delegates from all over the world.  The Special Interest Group (SIG) is like the watch dog organization that advocates rigorously on behalf of early childhood. They play a very significant role in the organization.

It is clear that researchers have reasons to be excited about what they do.  Indeed! motivation goes a long way.  At the annual conference carded for September 2011, included in the agenda is the distribution of awards in order to:

• To encourage excellence and the highest standards of scholarship and ethical research practice in published research.

• To help researchers to improve the quality of their published research work by example.

 This is great because it indicates to me that many researchers are passionate about what they do and as such they are always seeking to be on the innovative path which in the long run redounds to the good of everyone in the field.  In addition, support is available and that speaks to the issue scaffolding which is influenced by the work of Vygotsky’s (1978) conception of the zone of proximal development - the distance between the actual developmental level and the level of potential development one can attain with expert assistance (Lajoie, 2005).

Other noteworthy information available on website

One of the reasons why success is not reserved only for persons with extremely high IQ is because many persons and organizations have made available to all and sundry the attributes needed to succeed at any task and EECERA is not excluded.  They have made available on their website guidelines for writing an editorial.  I found the following two guidelines quite interesting.  They are:

·         Lead with a paragraph that captures the reader’s attention and provides a background to the article.

·         Conclude by tying everything together and leaving the reader with food for thought.

These tips reminded me of the letters we wrote to the editor in our  EDUC 6161- Effective Programs and Practices.  These tips are worth examining because as advocates for young children, families and the field of early childhood they can provide us with ideas that can improve our level of persuasiveness.  

Reference

European Early Childhood Education Research Association (EECERA)
http://www.eecera.org/

Lajoie, S.P. (2005). Extending the scaffolding metaphor. Instructional Science: An Internal Journal of Learning and Cognition. Vol. 33. No 5-6.