Some insights I have gained about research from taking this course:

• ·   Identifying and defining key components of research
• ·         Applying strategies
• ·         Applying a research design and what it consist of
• ·         Learning to use different approaches of methods

I thought I knew everything I needed to know about research, I was so wrong. Taking this course has opened my eyes to so much I was not taught in undergrad. I have benefited from understanding, evaluating and using research more effectively. I am now able to apply appropriate methods in the early childhood field. I view research more different now.

I have learned how to apply a quantitative design to a hypothesis research and evaluate implications. I have learned how to evaluate and apply validity. Research has to be backed up with valid data. Valid data comes from additional legit resources and data collected form your resources. I have been able to identify ethical issues at my center and look at policies on how we handle them and also including ethical issues in research in light of involving children with ethical considerations.

What I learned about design is that it is a matter of options and choices. The design depends on the focus of the research. I have learned first to modify and clarify the topic for a specific focus. The types of research that we use is either experimental or non-experimental. At this points as a researcher I have to control the situation and eventually formulate a hypothesis. I ended up using the mixed methods and qualitative studies in my designed researched.

Some of the challenges I have encountered I the course were applying key terms to my research and analyzing them. Another challenge I had to deal with was not adding in my personal biases to construct my research. I know a lot through experiences but I had to make sure my personal values and beliefs did not take lead or take over in my research.

My perception of an early childhood professional has been modified in this course as a result of experience the concepts in conducting my research. It has been very interesting because I had to make sure nothing was left out of my outline. I never thought about equity in my research, I never thought about dealing with potential ethical concerns in my research. This course has opened up my eyes to view research at every angle using different strategies and considering all methods. I will never look at research the same again. It is more than just facts.

Research around the world

The website I chose is Early Childhood Australia: http://www.earlychildhoodaustralia.org.au/


Current international research topics That were quite interesting are:

• supporting children s imaginative play
• the great outdoors for curiosity and exploration
• having fun with maths and numeracy in early childhood settings.

The most recent topic talks about Supporting effective transitions to school and school age care: Promoting continuity of learning. I think it's very exciting to have webinars and research on current issues as they affect our children right now. We can never have enough information on consistent topics.

I have learned that the Early childhood Australia is the voice and advocacy for young children.They provide quality education and care in all issues related to this field from children ages birth to eight years of age. They provide strong values, great strategic directions, advocacy and national support.

from this website I have learned that they have seven branches in Australia and that each branch " elects members to represent them at a national level, ensuring that the organisation stays informed on issues of national importance and local impacts. This provides members with the opportunity to inform and influence the direction and focus of the national body of Early Childhood Australia (EECERA,2015).

I like that they have special publications, magazines, newsletters, research series and ECA studio. They offer so many resources to ensure quality education and information for families. It makes families feel a little more at ease.

I also enjoyed reading the opportunities they have on becoming a member.

exclusive member alerts

• ECA Conference Registration discount
• ECA updates with the latest resources
• discounts to sector conferences and events
• opportunities to engage in regional and branch networks

And the list just goes on and on. I really enjoyed this website.

Research that Benefits Children and Families

Option 2

The research topic I would choose is play and learning. There has been much controversy on rather or not play should be taken out of a child;s scheduled day to bring in more science, math and reading classes. Some even thinks play is not necessary in early education. I would conduct a research on children having play in their daily schedule/routine and see what results of learning abilities they produce and how it impacts them. I would also do a test of research on other children who do not have play incorporated into their daily routine and see how it would impact their learning as well.

Of course we should never add our own biases to research but I have to agree that play plays a major role in a young child's learning. Children pick up vocabulary, problem solving skills, new emotions and healthy habits by having play in their daily routine.

Personal research journey

With the discussions of our research topic I chose to explore more about Teacher quality and how we need to prepare ourselves as professionals and what are some of the expectations and roles of being a quality teacher. I researched a few articles as sub topics to pick back off of my main topic and I have to say they are quite interesting.

Working on the research chart has been quite helpful as well because I never had that type of guidance and I have known to screw up my papers in some ways by leaving some things out by accident. I love the breakdown of the charts and how it allows us to pay attention to detail of the research report. The second chart was also very helpful in allowing us to break down the terms and see what it means when writing a research paper. I am glad to have chapter two in my back pocket.

Goals

Learning about the programs through my international contact as inspired me to want to visit their country in Hong Kong and actually experience it for myself. This experience has allowed me to see childcare in a different way such as how much more they prepare their children for higher education and stern academic system. Their system does not allow too much play. But with their results the children are well advanced.

One of my goals is to actually teach overseas for a semester after getting more experience under my belt as an undergrad professor. My professional contact use to be my director for the public school district in MI and she invited me to teach over in Hong Kong. I am so excited about the offer and never thought about that opportunity. So I will definitely keep that in mind later on in my career.

Part 3

my mind to be open to new ideas and to broaden my horizons. Sometimes fresh ideas come from ideas heard from peers or their experiences. The professional I decided to ask questions about her professional goals was also a coworker in the same program but started a year before me.

Jasmine wants to become a district manager for a corporate center and then eventually own her own center. Right now she works for a company called tutor time and enjoys every bit of it but she feels she’s worth so much more than just a toddler teacher. She has her bachelors and now her Master’s degree in the early education field. I really admire her ambitions and commitment because she never complained about coming to work every day, the low pay grade, the challenging students and sometimes unorganized center. I guess when you have a passion for something, you continue on with it because you see that there is reward in the end.

Jasmine mentioned some of the opportunities that exist for professional development at her location:

1.   

    Partnerships with local colleges-opportunities for higher education and education assistance.

2.       National conferences

3.       Annual meetings for opportunities of growth

4.       Professional development trainings

Some of my professional hopes is to make an impact on children and families. Right now I feel as though I am doing that, but I feel I could be doing more. I hope to gain more and understand more of the core values in this field. I hope to be happy and successful. I dream of becoming a college professor teaching undergrad and my main challenge is not having enough confidence in myself to excel.

Sharing Web resources

So this week I decided to explore National black child development Institute. This organization has been around for 40 years and their goal is to provide resources to black children in need. These resources include education, healthcare, child welfare, literacy and family engagement. Their mission is to "improve and advance the quality of black children and their families through education and advocacy".

This organization supports children through the age of eight and their families through community based organizations, foundations and school systems, elected officials, government, head start, pre-k, partnerships and public schools.

I also noticed that the National Black child Development Institute has three priority areas at the state, local and federal level. The priorities are empowering parents, engaging communities, improving childcare and teacher quality, ensuring funding and resource equity.

I am glad I have checked out this web site because being an African american my self I find education very important in valuable in my race, community and culture. A long long time ago blacks were whipped for being able to read or write. They were punished for being educated and now today we have just as much opportunity as any other ethnicity.To have programs out there to support the black community say's a lot . now w have so many resources and support from policy makers.