Week 8: When I think of Research....

I have gained some valuable insights about research while studying this course. Starting off in research was an intimidating experience for me. I once thought of research as simply locating information on any topic. It's not that simple! However, conducting good research involves planning, accessing and using available (reliable) resources, detecting biases and using mixed methods approaches to increase the validity of a research study. I now view research as an effective tool that is used to understand, explain and make sense of life experiences. I've learned some important things about planning, designing, and conducting research in early childhood. I've learned that all research designs don't use the same data collection methods. Following the Code of Ethics in research is a huge responsibility of the researcher. Some weeks were easier than others. I faced several challenges in this course. The biggest challenge for me was being specific enough when stating my hypothesis. Another challenge for me was that this was the 1st major research study that I conducted. I was able to overcome these challenges by accepting any feedback provided by my professor. The textbook served as an essential guide to doing a successful research study. I also appreciate the support and encouragement from my lovely colleagues. I don't know where I'd be without them! Although this is my 1st research course, my perceptions of being an early childhood professional have changed. Research is such a huge part of the early childhood field. As a result of conducting studies, EC Professionals are able to gain new understandings and make life-changing decisions that will make early childhood programs and learning more successful. I hope to be a more critical consumer of early childhood research!

Week 5: Research Around The World

I explored the Early Childhood Australia website (http://www.earlychildhoodaustralia.org/au/). Current international research topics include school readiness and children's transitions, child health and child obesity and inclusion. This website addresses a wide variety of issues related to the early childhood field. This website also gives information about language & literacy, music & movement, creative arts, children & behavior and learning environments. As I explored the website, The Code of Ethics was one of the first topics to appear at the top of the page. Australia has developed several editions of the code of ethics. I also learned that the following values and processes are considered central to the Code of Ethics:

• respect
• democracy
• honesty
• integrity
• justice
• courage
• inclusivity
• social and cultural responsiveness
• education

References
http://www.earlychildhoodaustralia.org.au/