When I Think of Resarch

When I Think of Research…

The insights I have gained about research from taking this course is one I will say of giving the field of research great respect! To do research means there must be certainty and a requirement of gathering specific data to prove or disprove a hypothesis. A researcher must be very well organized and operate within a strict code of ethics.

The nature of doing research or the ideas about research is one that I will approach carefully  as the information that I would gather will help in the field of early childhood education.

I have learned lessons of planning; choosing participants and who or what will be the focus group, the designing; if it is qualitative or quantitative in design, or if it will be the quasi-experimental design whereby I am using various methods to collect data as well as using more than one design.

Some of the challenges that I have encountered while taking the early childhood research course is keeping up with the various terms and methodologies for collecting data, performing research, organizing and such. I think that to take it all in, I would have to continue to study the terms and rely on the chart that was created. That should help indeed with keeping sharp about research.

My perception of the early childhood professional has always been one of high esteem. But what I see now after taking the course is that the many areas for improving the quality of care for the young child and their family come from many areas. Research has contributed great and necessary information to better improve the quality of care for children; empowering teachers to do their jobs in the most effective ways.

I want to thank all of my colleagues in the 6361 course for sharing your thoughts and contributing to my growth in this course…Especially Dr. Davis whose insight was superlative.  I have learned so much from you.

I wish you all much success!

Around the World

Research Around the World

 

 

I chose to explore the research that was going on in the Sub-Saharan Africa. Some of the current research topics include;

·        Improving the quality of parenting through prenting enrichment training

·        Observation of the caring practices of two motherless babies’ homes in Nigeria

·        Integrating indigenous knowledge in Early childhood development.

·        Involving fathers in the Early childhood care and development

·        Policies and programs in support of childcare for the working families: a case study in Uganda

·        Assessment of the influence of different early childhood models on preschoolers in Kenya

While looking at these various topics I found it interesting that even though our country is thousands of miles apart,. Some of the same concerns for research are sought after for answers and feedback. For example, In terms of community and being culturally effective in the training of young children, I took a look at a study that was in force for incorporating the art of storytelling; Utilizing Indigenous Knowledge in Early Childhood development.

“Myths, legends, tales, tricksters, fables and other stories are mainly told at night. The key purposes are entertainment, cultural education and character molding. Themes revolve around praising goodness and condemning evil. The study established that socioeconomic changes over time have undermined the environment for storytelling. Nevertheless, the emerging view, from this study and other sources, is that storytelling is crucial for early childhood development and measures should be taken to incorporate it into early childhood development (ECD) programs.”(Gamurora, 2004)

This topic is much like an issue that we in the States strive with incorporating and even strengthening a feature of the culture of a people into the learning and development of young children. Miles apart but yet so close to the mission of teaching and caring for young learners!