WHEN I THINK OF RESEARCH...

First, I want to thank Dr. Davis for all of her instructional guidance, as well as all of my colleagues for their insightful input throughout these past eight weeks of study.  Your influence has enhanced my professional endeavors immensely.

As I conclude my studies of research, I must reflect on the insights that I’ve gained.  Never before had I realized the magnitude of specificities that are involved in research—various designs, methodologies and inexhaustible terminologies.  Prior to this study I have always had a hesitant longing to do some type of research on the topics that weighed heavily on my mind—things like Sensory Processing Disorder prevalence in early childhood, psychologies of an educator’s or parent’s ontology and epistemology, and how it influences what they do and why.  Today, my ideas about the nature of doing research have gathered much respect for the field and I do not take lightly the extensive preparations that are involved in the creating of a research project.  Some of the lessons I’ve learned that planning is critical to the very success of the research project.  Before choosing the right design a researcher must first determine in what direction they want to proceed, what answers they want to unfold, what equitable concerns may arise as a result of the research, what kind of data they anticipate on collecting, who will be the participants and how they plan to address them (observation, interview, etc.).  All of these concerns must be addressed before a design can be chosen and actual conducting of research can begin.

My greatest challenge was determining which research design to choose.  It took great deliberation in making the decision of whether to pursue explanation (a quantitative approach) or understanding (a qualitative approach) of my topic.  Once I determined this I was able to proceed in deciding what kind of data would be needed and how to go about collecting that data.  My perceptions of an early childhood professional have been modified as a result of this course by sharpening my insights on the rigorous involvement and critical specificity that is needed in performing credible research through equitable practice.

Here are some resources that have assisted me throughout my studies of research:

Beck, S. E. (2009). Evaluation criteria. New Mexico State University Library. Retrieved from http://lib.nmsu.edu/instruction/evalcrit.html

Bell, A. (2007). Designing and testing questionnaires for children. Journal of Research in Nursing, 12(5), 461–469. Retrieved from the Sage Premier 2010 database.

Bell, N. (2008). Ethics in child research: rights, reason and responsibilities. Children's Geographies, 6(1), 7–20. Retrieved from the Walden Library using the Academic Search Complete database.

Fargas-Malet, M., McSherry, D., Larkin, M., & Robinson, C. (2010). Research with children: Methodological issues and innovative techniques. Journal of Early Childhood Research, 8(2), 175–192. Retrieved from the Walden Library using Sage Premier database.

Johnson, R. B., Onwuegbuzie, A.J., & Turner, L. A. (2007). Toward a definition of mixed methods research. Journal of Mixed Methods Research, 1(2), 112–133. Retrieved from the Walden Library using the SAGE Premier 2010 database.

Lepuschitz, J.K. (2011). A practical guide to reading research articles. Laureate Education Inc., Baltimore, MD.

Lepuschitz, J.K. (2011). Introduction to variables. Laureate Education Inc., Baltimore, MD.

Lepuschitz, J.K. (2011). Quantitative designs: An overview. Laureate Education Inc., Baltimore, MD.

Lepuschitz, J.K. (2011). Sample research questions and hypotheses. Laureate Education Inc., Baltimore, MD

Mackenzie, N. M., & Ling, L. M. (2009). The research journey: A Lonely Planet approach. Issues in Educational Research, 19(1), 48–60 Retrieved from the Walden Library using Education Research Complete database.

Mac Naughton, G., Rolfe, S.A., & Siraj-Blatchford, I. (2010). Doing early childhood research: International perspectives on theory and practice (2^nd ed.). New York, NY: McGraw-Hill.

NAEYC Code of Ethics—Video “Overview of the Code of Ethical Conduct”. How to use the Code: Overview [DVD] Part 2 of 7. Retrieved from http://www.naeyc.org/ecp/resources/ethics

National Association for the Education of Young Children. (n.d.). Using early childhood research. NAEYC. Retrieved February 1, 2011 from http://www.naeyc.org/research/using

New York Library Association. (2010). Evaluating websites: Criteria and tools. Cornell University Library. Retrieved from http://olinuris.library.cornell.edu/ref/research/webeval.html

Ormondroyd, J., Engle, E., & Cosgrave, T. (2009). Critically analyzing information sources. Cornell University Library. Retrieved from http://olinuris.library.cornell.edu/ref/research/skill26.htm

Ostrov, J. M., & Godleski, S. A. (2009). Impulsivity-hyperactivity and subtypes of aggression in early childhood: an observational and short-term longitudinal study. European Child & Adolescent Psychiatry, 18(8), 477–483. Retrieved from the Academic Search Complete database.

Overton, J. (2009). Early childhood teachers in contexts of power: Empowerment and a voice. Australasian Journal of Early Childhood, 34(2), 1–10. Retrieved from the Academic Search Complete database.

Pate, R. R., McIver, K., Dowda, M., Brown, W. H., & Addy, C. (2008). Directly observed physical activity levels in preschool children. Journal of School Health, 78(8), 438–444. Retrieved from the Academic Search Complete database.

SRCD Ethical standards for research with children. (n.d.). Society for Research in Child Development (SRCD). Retrieved February 1, 2011 from http://www.srcd.org/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=68&Itemid=499

Strand, P. S., Cerna, S., & Downs, A. (2008). Shyness and emotion-processing skills in preschoolers: A 6-month longitudinal study. Infant & Child Development, 17(2), 109–120. Retrieved from Academic Search Complete database.

Thomas, L.B., Shapiro, E.S., DuPaul, G.J., Lutz, J.G., & Kern, L. (2010). Predictors of social skills for preschool children at risk for ADHD: The relationship between direct and indirect measurements. Journal of Psychoeducational Assessment, 28(4), 1–11. Retrieved from the Sage Premier 2010 database. Note: You will have to search by article title for this article.

U.S. Department of Health and Human Services: Office for Human Research Protections (OHRP). (n.d.). Special protections for children as research subjects. HHS.gov. Retrieved on February 1, 2011 from http://www.hhs.gov/ohrp/policy/populations/children.html

U.S. Department of Health and Human Services: Office for Human Research Protections (OHRP). (n.d.). Research with children—FAQs. HHS.gov. Retrieved February 1, 2011 from http://answers.hhs.gov/ohrp/categories/1570

Whiting, L. (2009). Involving children in research. Paediatric Nursing, 21(5), 32–36. Retrieved from the Walden Library using the Academic Search Complete database.

RESEARCH AROUND THE WORLD

It is interesting how very different we can be, yet the same.  This week I visited some international websites to learn of international research topics around the world.  The intriguing thing is that even though our worlds are very different, when it comes to children we are very much the same.  The following websites give us a look at Early Childhood in Australia, Europe, and Africa:

Early Childhood Development Virtual University (ECDVU) Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA): Developed and maintained by the University of Victoria, Canada, this virtual university is the international gateway for early childhood research worldwide. Through the link below, you can access ECDVU’s Sub-Saharan Africa portal. The second link takes you to a list of current early childhood research conducted by students in Sub-Saharan Africa.
http://www.ecdvu.org/ssa/index.php
http://www.ecdvu.org/ssa/major_reports.php

Early Childhood Australia: This is the Australian equivalent to the U.S. based NAEYC. You can access several links to early childhood research from the menu on the left side of the home page.
http://www.earlychildhoodaustralia.org.au/

European Early Childhood Education Research Association (EECERA): This international early childhood organization publishes a well respected journal. All back issues are accessible from this site and are fully searchable without charge.
http://www.eecera.org/

The surprising insights about early childhood that I gained from exploring ECDVU was that their key focus is indigenous implementations in the formulation of effective EC curriculum, intricate measures to enhance parent involvement (fathers, mothers, and grandparents) in ECD,  and strong efforts towards synergized cooperation towards the curriculum and program development.  A noteworthy find on this website was the impeccable determinations in the promotion of proper professional development of their early childhood leaders.  I was truly impressed.