Upon
completion of this course I have learned a lot about what goes into the formulation
of a research topic, and the process needed to conduct the research including
who will participate. I learned the
important of considering how participants will respond or feel about participating
in the study. I also learned the
importance of not interjecting my personal biases on the topic selected for
research and to stay neutral to the cause.
Working in the field of early childhood education, I have enjoyed
watching children learn and develop through how I and others support children
in and out of the classroom. Research is
another mode to support children. Typically
consent is given by parents in order for children to participate in research,
however there is more literature about what approaches are used to work with
children in research studies (Mac
Naughton, Rolfe, & Siraj-Blatchford, 2010).
I have also learned that it is important to keep in mind how
children will react to the study and the possible effect on the child
participating. This relationship can
assist in providing comfort or willingness to participate and help in reviewing
what that relationship looked like from the start and end of the study (Mac Naughton, Rolfe, & Siraj-Blatchford,
2010)
When
I would research topics for other classes I always wondered why some studies
included numbers or statics. I tended to
avoid those studies because I often found it difficult to understand the
purpose of the data presented. After
reading about using qualitative and quantitative research I learned the purpose
of numbers or statistics in a study. The
quantitative research used numbers to show information collected in a study (Mac Naughton, Rolfe, & Siraj-Blatchford,
2010). The challenge I had
upon writing my research simulation was understanding qualitative research
versus mixed methods for my particular simulation. After completing the discussion and reviewing
my notes from the outline, I realized that I had indeed used mixed method
research which involved using qualitative and quantitative research methods (Mac Naughton, Rolfe, & Siraj-Blatchford,
2010)
Lastly,
my professional assessment of the notion that with regard to early childhood
research, aiming for equity, which focuses on showing fairness and proving
justice as something that is more appealing than equality is an interesting
task that will be hard to accomplish (Mac Naughton, Rolfe, & Siraj-Blatchford, 2010). It is important to try to show both fairness and
justice by keeping an open mind that the research may not please everyone or
support everyone equally. My thought process for this is based on families
having the choice of an early childhood facility. Families seek out care based on their needs
and wants. Every child care facility is
not going to be the perfect fit for every family. This is also the case in early childhood
research. There will continue to be
several research topics in the field of early childhood for families to choose
to participate in or not. It is important
to work towards a common goal of supporting children and families in the field
of early childhood by meeting them where they are at on the topic and providing
more information.
Reference
Mac Naughton, G., Rolfe, S.A.,
& Siraj-Blatchford, I. (2010). Doing early childhood research:
International perspectives on theory and practice (2nd ed.). New York, NY:
McGraw-Hill
