When I Think of Research

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