When I Think of Research...

First I would like to thank my classmates for all the great posts and comments throughout the course.  I think we learn so much from each other and I appreciate all that I have learned from each and every one of you.

What insights have you gained about research from taking this course?
Before this course I had little knowledge about research and was not interested in research.  I assumed it was a lot of boring reading.  This course has shown me the actual steps and stages that a researcher must take before a research study can take place.  By understanding this, I am now more interested in research.

In what ways have your ideas about the nature of doing research changed?
As I stated above I was previously not interested in research but now I am because I have a better understanding of the research process.  Research was somewhat intimidating to me before and now I think I can handle reading or even conducting research.

What lessons about planning, designing, and conducting research in early childhood did you learn?
This question would have made no sense to me before this course.  I learned about the different types of studies, how to choose participants, and the biggest thing that sticks out for me is the ethical issues that exists.

What were some of the challenges you encountered--and in what ways did you meet them?
My biggest challenge was learning how to think as a researcher.  In the beginning of the course I think I was over thinking things instead of going with what came to mind.  Once I relaxed in the class and just went with the flow, I realized that I could be a researcher one day if I put my mind to it.

What are some of the ways your perceptions of an early childhood professional have been modified as a result of this course?
I now realize how important research is to the early childhood profession.  I didn't realize that some researchers of the early childhood field are early childhood professionals who want to find out more about young children.  Early childhood professionals have many issues to deal with on a daily basis and should appreciate the research that is done.

Research Around the World

I chose to research the website for European Early Childhood Education Research Association (EECERA).  This website included many resourceful things.  Some of the research issues are Professionalism in Early Childhood Education and Care, Outdoor Play and Learning, and Children's and Parent's Perspectives on Diversity in Early Childhood Education.  The European Early Childhood Education Research Journal (EECERJ) is where I found these articles.  This journal is one of the most prestigious early childhood journals in the world.

Something interesting about this website is that it has Special Interest Groups (SIG).  There are currently eleven active special interest groups.  These groups cover a variety of topics.  Each group has its own purpose of why it exists and also provides contact information of the persons who run the groups.

I found it interesting that the EECERA is a voluntary association wholly owned by its membership.  There were areas on the site that only members could enter so I could not get all the information that I was looking for.

Research That Benefits Children and Families: Uplifting Story

There are many topics that came to mind when thinking about what I would research.  When thinking about children in my class I came to the conclusion that would like to research children who are adopted and if it has any affects on their academics or behavior.  This comes to mind because I have one student who is adopted.  I don't know if he knows but in the beginning he was BIG trouble in the classroom.  As the year went on his father tried many different medicines because he was diagnosed with ADHD.  Well one finally worked but after a while he started hallucinating and acting weird.  He now sees a child psychologist every other week but he still has other issues.  He has anger issues and can't seem to let things go.  So I wonder if being adopted has anything to do with his issues.

My Personal Research Journey

The general topic play.  I am a firm believer in play in early childhood classrooms.  The subtopic I chose to use in the simulation for this course is how play can encourage the different developmental areas, social, cognitive, and language.  Play is a vital part of a young child's development.  Children learn many things, good and bad, from interacting with their peers.  Play is being pushed out of early childhood programs and I can see first hand the effect it is having on children.  I believe that many behavior problems would not exist if the proper amount of play was still incorporated into early childhood programs.  For example, the reading program my district has adopted has my kindergarteners sitting on the carpet for at least an hour everyday.  I was always taught to keep carpet time less than twenty minutes.  I do a lot of correcting behavior because they get very restless and I can't blame them.

So far the simulation process has been interesting to me.  I came into the course not sure what to expect.  I saw the word research and thought lots of boring reading.  But so far I have to say it has been quite interesting.  Filling in the charts have taught me how to go about reading research and how to better understand research.

Does anyone have any advice and/or insight that might help with the process?

Final Blog Assignment

Throughout this course I made contact with three different international contacts.  Two were in Bolivia and one in Mexico.  My Bolivia contacts stayed in contact with me through the first half of the course then I don't know what happened and my Mexican contact was a cousin of the Spanish teacher at my school.  Gabriella Garcia, my Mexican contact, was a great help and pleasure to talk with.  She gave me great information and is very passionate about the early childhood field.  One consequence of learning about the international early childhood field is learning how many things are similar around the world.  Another consequence is learning how fortunate we are.  There is a lot to be done in the United States when it comes to early childhood but compared to some other countries we are doing just fine.  I am thankful for that.  One last consequence would be that no matter where you are in the world, someone will have a passion for the early childhood field.  Even though I lost contact with my Bolivia contacts, I could still feel the amount of passion they had from the few emails I received.  A slow response from the international contacts is also a challenge that I had to deal with.  Luckily I was able to make some connections but it was not a quick and easy path.  I just happened to be talking about my blog assignment at work and the Spanish teacher gave me the contact information for his cousin in Mexico.  She turned out to be the best contact of all three.

One goal for the early childhood field in relation to international awareness of issues and trends is to keep in touch with my contacts and to continue to learn more about what is happening in other parts of the world.

Getting to Know Your International Contacts Part 3

Unfortunately I was unable to get information from my contacts in Bolivia but I was able to continue conversations with my contact in Mexico, Gabriella Garcia.  The biggest trend in Mexico for basic education has been incrementing coverage over the population.  Before 1993, universal education was only six years (primary school), some secondary (middle school), but they did not pretend to cover the population.  Since then secondary school is compulsory for all children in Mexico.  Since 2008, three years of preschool is obligatory for all children in Mexico.  Preschool coverage has increased to 90% in recent years.  Garcia says their is a great lack of training for on the job training in Mexico.  Programs have changed but not "waterfall" training.  This type of training means so many people are trained in the middle that by the time it reaches the schools, the information is diluted.  She also says that a few years ago it became a requirement for the main teacher in a preschool classroom must have four years of college.

Ms. Garcia expressed that she would like to return to school and receive some sort of graduate degree.  She didn't say for what.  She also mentioned eventually coming out of the classroom but she is not sure of the path she wants to take.  She said she would like to stay as hands on with the children as possible for as long as she can handle it.  She says her biggest challenge as an educator in Mexico is having 45 children in a class at one time.  Since communicating with me and finding out the number of students I have she says she wish she could have so few.  Keep in mind I complain about my 25!

Sharing Web Resources

I explored the Initiatives links on the National Black Child Development Institutes website.  In this link there are different subjects that you can choose.  The subjects are Child Welfare, Early Childhood Education, Education, Health and Nutrition, Literacy and Archives.  I looked through each of these links but I was somewhat unsuccessful.  Most of the articles and information were from last year and one section is under construction.  This site needs to be updated.  It still has March news up.  I signed up for a newsletter twice and I still have not received anything.  I enjoyed some of the information on the site but I am disappointed that it doesn't have more and that it is not kept up to date.  In the welcome section of the website it tells about the mission of this institute and it mentions equity and access.  It says how the community must play a pivotal role in equity and access in order for it to become a reality for our children. I also explored the section titled About then clicked news.  I read an article from January in The Wall Street Journal titled "The Lowly Child-Care Worker," which talked about how little a child care worker makes.  The mean hourly wage is $9.73 an hour, falling short of a coatroom attendants and short-order cooks, and barely outpacing dishwashers and burger flippers.  The article went onto say that higher pay is needed to keep good teachers.