When I think of Research

Through taking this course, I have learned a great deal about research. I came into the class not knowing much about research and I can say leaving this class, I feel confident in analyzing research and even being part of a research group. I enjoyed taking understanding research step by step and gaining an understanding of one topic before moving onto another topic. I was very overwhelmed at first at the thought of research because I have never had a good experience with it. My thoughts about research have changed and even though it still might seem overwhelming at first, taking each section at a time will help with understanding the entire research question.

I learned that planning, designing, and conducting research in early childhood takes a lot of time. Research is not something that can happen overnight. I also learned that you can change different things throughout the research process if you notice it is not working. Research is like the scientific method.  There are steps that need to be followed and a lot of planning and designing that has to occur first before going out to gather data. The researcher first needs to know what they are focusing on, what is the goal, who will be involved, among many more important factors.

I found the week on variables to be the most challenging for me because I could not understand the difference between them in my simulation. I understood the definition of them but when it came to applying when I learned through reading to my simulation I was confused. I was able to ask people for help as well as look at the feedback from the instructor on what I was doing wrong and how to clarify my understanding of the topic.

My perceptions of an early childhood professional have been modified because of the research I did on scaffolding. I learned that it is not an easy task to teach children such a specific skill. Early childhood professionals need to have a lot of patience and consistency.  In addition, early childhood professionals need to look at each child individually.  Lastly, although something may not be equal it is always fair for the children.

Research Around the World

The site I chose to explore was about early childhood in Australia. The site is: http://www.earlychildhoodaustralia.org.au/

 

What are some of the current international research topics?

 

The Early Childhood Australia has a few research themes available on their site. The themes they have available are:

1.    Belonging, Being, and Becoming

2.    School Readiness and Children’s Transitions

3.    Sustainability, global warming and climate change

4.    Baby and Toddler Sleeping

5.    Child Health and Childhood Obesity

 

What surprising facts/insights/new ideas about early childhood did you gain from exploring this international early childhood website?

 

-       The mission of the Early Childhood Australia is to advocate to ensure quality, social justice, and equality in all issues relating to the education and care from birth to eight years.

-       The values of this organization are: the rights of children, leadership, excellence, and respect, courage, honesty, and openness, collaboration and diversity, justice, and social inclusion of children.

-       This is their 75^th Anniversary of their organization.

 

What other noteworthy information did you find on this website?

I found this site to be very informative. The mission, code of ethics, liscence, are among all the information this site has to offer. I really enjoyed the fact that this organization has a way for people to have a voice and to share their thoughts with everyone. This organization has a newsletter that is called Early Childhood Australia’s Voice Newsletter. In addition, this organization also has a journal that gets published along with a magazine. I love the enthusiasm this organization has for advocating.

When I have more time, I would love to continue to look and discover all the new things this site has to offer.