When I think of Research…..

When I first started this course, I believed that I was very educated on the process and all of the elements of the research process. However, there are several insights that I gained from this course. One insight was the definition and use of valuable research tools like triangulation. Prior to this course, I often confused triangulation with mixed-methods researcher. However, both of the processes and tools and clearer to me know. Another insight that was gained was the important of validity and reliability is in the research process. These two factors have the potential to turn a credible research study into one that is not credible in a blink of an eye. A third insight that was gained was the role that justice and fairness play in equity and equity statements.

There were also some lessons that I learned about planning, designing, and conducting research in the field of early childhood. One lesson that was learned was the amount of risk that children should be exposed to in order to obtain research results. Although some risks need to be taken, a child and/or caregivers should never be placed in harm for the good of research. The second lesson that was learned was how important the nature of the research study is when selecting a research design. Some research projects are better suited by quantitative methods, while others are better suited by qualitative or mixed-method research designs. A final lesson that is learned is how important planning is to the research process. Without planning, research may fail to achieve its objectives, be very time consuming, and could compromise the research results.

Because of these new insights and lessons, my view of research has changed slightly. I have always been good at and interested in all types of research. However, there was always some element of confusion during the design process. As a result of this course I feel more confident in my knowledge pertaining to research design and less confused about the research process.

There were very few challenges that were encountered throughout the course. However, I did have to spend more time than normal learning new terminologies and techniques. This “challenge” was overcome by reading the assigned readings, external readings, and participating in discussion posts with my colleagues.

Overall, I believe that my perceptions of the field of early childhood have also changed as a result of this course and the knowledge gained about the research process in the field. In some ways it is believed that I know perceive the field as being more scientific than before. I also believe that more research can be conducted in the field in order to supports its credibility. Finally, I believe that many research efforts and practices conducted in the United States are right on track. This is mostly because these efforts and practices are strikingly similar to other countries in the world.

Research Around The World

Because I have a couple friends that live in Australia, I decided to choose the organization Early Childhood Australia or ECA (2011) for further analysis. When reviewing the website for the organization, I became aware of several current international research topics for the field of early childhood. One research topic that I became aware of was learning. On the ECA (2011) website there was information regarding several research studies that are being conducted on this topic.  Some of these research studies included learning through teaching and play, building confident learners, and working with early years learning frameworks (ECA, 2011). another topic that I became aware of was bullying and its impact. Studies pertaining to aggressive and non-aggressive children and dealing with bullying were research studies that are currently being conducted on this topic in Australia (ECA, 2011). Finally, another topic I became aware of was supporting relationships. There are many studies being conducted in Australia that seek to address the important and impact of supporting relationships,  engaging families, and effective communication in children and families (ECA, 2011).

One surprising fact that I became aware of is that bullying can occur at early ages and is a growing problem around the world (ECA, 2011). Prior to exploring this website I possessed the belief that bullying was only a problem for older children and isolated to North America. However, this is not the case. Another insight that was gained was that many research topics in the country of Australia are similar to those in the United States. The importance of play in the learning process, effective communication, strong relationships, and effective learning strategies appear to be universal topics for those working in the field on early childhood despite his or her geographic location (ECA, 2011).

In addition to the international research topics, some other noteworthy information was found on this website. For example, the country of Australia also places a strong emphasis on honesty and ethics, diversity, and the rights of early children in the field of early childhood (ECA, 2011). Finally, the country of Australia also struggles with issues such as obesity and health, sleeping problems, and social and behavioral disorders like professionals of early childhood working in the United States.

References

ECA. (2011). Early Childhood Australia: A Voice for Young Children. Retrieved from http://www.earlychildhoodaustralia.org.au/resource_themes/resource_themes.html.