When I Think of Research...

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.