When I Think of Research...

 

Blog Assignment: When I Think of Research...

 

There are many insights I have gained about research from taking this course.  I learned research is important in that it creates knowledge and awareness to use when making vital decisions, such as those made in the early childhood field.  I also learned about factors which make high quality research.  These factors include building on valid theories similar to the research being studied, being objective in the research, use a variety of methods to collect data, and after an analysis and findings are shown, submit for peer review is recommended.  Also, it is important to be familiar with research standards, such as not treating the participants as objects but rather treating them by always putting their best interest first. 

 

Throughout this course, my understanding about the nature of doing researched has expanded my knowledge about research and how to be a better researcher.  The nature of research involves knowing what to search for in using good research, knowing the specific part of scholarly articles, such as abstract, methods, measures, results, and conclusions, and knowing how to navigate around an article by knowing what to read.  From a different perspective of the nature of research, I also learned putting the participant first is most important in research.  In addition, I learned there are various types of research, such as ethical, purposeful, contextualized, and equitable research as well as approaches, such as qualitative and quantitative. 

 

I also learned many insights regarding lessons about planning, designing, and conducting research in early childhood.  In planning, I learned it is important to decide what is to be researched and how it will be done, such as when, where, and who will participate.  It is also to consider what the goal of your research.  In designing research I learned it is important to first research previous works of the topic being studied and researched to learn if it is plausible to research further.  Next, I learned to how to create a hypothesis from my research question.  (For this, it is vital to make sure the topic is not too broad).  Lastly, I learned about experiments, variables, and types of groups that should be considered in the topic to be researched. 

 

I did encounter some challenges in this course regarding research.  My challenge was in creating a hypothesis that was too broad and would be challenging to prove even if it was more specific to research.  I believe I would have had to mainly rely on past research collected from this topic.  My original hypothesis evolved around poverty and abuse of young children and how this affects the brain.  Given my lack of experience and expertise on this issue, I decided to change my topic to something I was personally and professionally aware: Teeth.  Overall, I dealt with the issue by researching a topic I was not only comfortable with in doing, but also felt confident in being able to prove my hypothesis. 

 

My perceptions of an early childhood professional have been modified as a result of this course.  I felt this course strongly supported validating early childhood educators as professionals and not just care-takers of babies, toddlers, and young children.  I feel this course truly enhanced my professional abilities and has created more confidence in my abilities to be a better educated professional.  Overall, I feel I could actually be a high-quality researcher and I appreciate all my colleagues support and encouragement in helping me achieve these strengths throughout this course!  I wish everyone the best and hope we will continue to move forward together. 

 

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