I approached this class with great trepidation. I had no experience with research and had really been challenged when reading research articles in previous classes. However, this course was presented in a way that made the research relevant to me and made the idea of research exciting!
Learning the terminology was so important to bringing meaning to the research process. Defining terms and putting them in my own words really helped me understand different approaches to research and the components to conducting research with integrity.
Though I chose to use a qualitative approach to my research, I enjoyed the process of formulating a hypothesis and looking at how my research could take a different approach based on the data I collected. It was interesting to consider the sampling and how to work with the participants in a way that brought equity to the study. I struggled a bit trying to decide on the sampling size until I learned that in case studies you do not have to have a large sampling since you are looking in depth into specific cases.
The biggest challenge I discovered in the process of setting up the simulation was thinking about the possibility that parents would not give consent to have their children video-taped as part of the study. Dr. Davis had the idea of pixelating the faces of the children whose parents would not give consent - I would never have thought of that; but that certainly would protect children's privacy! Technology certainly has made a difference in how we approach research.
My simulation focused on the perceptions of practicing early childhood professionals. Because I am a preschool teacher, I realized I definitely had preconceived ideas about the outcome of the study. I see the importance of self-reflexivity to make sure research is approached without bias. I really liked this quote from Mackenzie & Ling:
"The education system studied was my work context and the phenomenon being studied was one with which I had recent, personal experience. At times participants' comments resonated with my own experience, 'ringing true', while others made me stop and reflect from the perspective of experiences which were very different from my own. What I knew and who I was at the start of the journey was very different from what I know and who I was at the end" (2009, p. 51).
I can safely say that what I knew and thought of research at the start of this course's journey is very different from what I know and think about it now. Thank you, Dr. Davis!
Thank you, to all my classmates, I appreciated your discussion posts. I wish you well in your coursework ahead!
Mackenzie, N., & Ling, L. (2009). The research journey: A Lonely Planet approach. Issues in Educational Research, 19(1), 48-60. Retrieved from Education Research Complete database.
Thursday, October 25, 2012
Friday, October 5, 2012
Researach Around the World
I decided to take a look at the European Early Childhood Education Research Association (EECERA) website: http://www.eecera.org/
This association works to promote multi-disciplinary research on topics regarding policy and practice in the field of early childhood education. It is first in international contributions to the development of research in the early childhood field. It has membership from around the world and its annual conference is the largest early childhood conference in Europe. The EECERA publishes a highly respected an cited research journal, The European Early Childhood Education Research Journal (EECERJ).
As I explored the EECERJ link I noticed a great interest in outdoor play. Of the 20 Most Read Articles, eight of them dealt with research regarding children's learning and outdoor play. Outdoor play was the focus of one of their conferences several years ago, and apparently, continues to be a topic of strong interest. This year's conference focused on research involving the age group of Pre-Birth to Age Three.
Other topics sounded very familiar, as they too, are interested in curriculum, play, and policy. Several of the articles addressed the challenges of researching young children. One article in particular caught my attention because it focused on children's right to be heard and how to make that happen in the arena of research. Pascal & Bertram discussed England's attempt to give children a voice regarding their experiences in the early childhood setting (2009). The authors stressed the significance the act of voicing their opinions and insights can have on a children's self esteem. The process gives a different insight into skills the children possess. Their research revealed the importance of observing body language and facial expressions as well as closely listening to what the children are saying; as Pascal and Bertram described it "researchers need to listen with all their senses" (2009, p.260). They cautioned researchers against the impulse to reword or direct what the child is saying, and to be have the "courage to redistribute the power" so children can respond in a way that is powerful and meaningful for them. They also identified some techniques they found successful in stimulating dialogue: video-taping the children and then asking for their feedback as they watch the playback, drawings, photographs, dramas, and child guided tours of the preschool. The authors concluded that researching children takes a commitment of time and resources, but the resulting interactions provide a voice from the experts in the world of early childhood.
Pascal, C., & Bertram, T. (2009). Listening to young citizens: The struggle to make real a participatory paradigm in research with young children. European Early childhood Education Research Journal, 17(2), 249-262. Retrieved from http://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/13502930902951486
This association works to promote multi-disciplinary research on topics regarding policy and practice in the field of early childhood education. It is first in international contributions to the development of research in the early childhood field. It has membership from around the world and its annual conference is the largest early childhood conference in Europe. The EECERA publishes a highly respected an cited research journal, The European Early Childhood Education Research Journal (EECERJ).
As I explored the EECERJ link I noticed a great interest in outdoor play. Of the 20 Most Read Articles, eight of them dealt with research regarding children's learning and outdoor play. Outdoor play was the focus of one of their conferences several years ago, and apparently, continues to be a topic of strong interest. This year's conference focused on research involving the age group of Pre-Birth to Age Three.
Other topics sounded very familiar, as they too, are interested in curriculum, play, and policy. Several of the articles addressed the challenges of researching young children. One article in particular caught my attention because it focused on children's right to be heard and how to make that happen in the arena of research. Pascal & Bertram discussed England's attempt to give children a voice regarding their experiences in the early childhood setting (2009). The authors stressed the significance the act of voicing their opinions and insights can have on a children's self esteem. The process gives a different insight into skills the children possess. Their research revealed the importance of observing body language and facial expressions as well as closely listening to what the children are saying; as Pascal and Bertram described it "researchers need to listen with all their senses" (2009, p.260). They cautioned researchers against the impulse to reword or direct what the child is saying, and to be have the "courage to redistribute the power" so children can respond in a way that is powerful and meaningful for them. They also identified some techniques they found successful in stimulating dialogue: video-taping the children and then asking for their feedback as they watch the playback, drawings, photographs, dramas, and child guided tours of the preschool. The authors concluded that researching children takes a commitment of time and resources, but the resulting interactions provide a voice from the experts in the world of early childhood.
Pascal, C., & Bertram, T. (2009). Listening to young citizens: The struggle to make real a participatory paradigm in research with young children. European Early childhood Education Research Journal, 17(2), 249-262. Retrieved from http://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/13502930902951486
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