When I think of Reserch...

Some of the insights I have gained about research from this course are the different types of research, quantitative vs. qualitative and the characteristics involved with each.  I have learned about different ethical concerns that may arise and how to address them.  Not only did I learn about research but I learned how to decipher research articles. At the beginning of this course, I was very intimidated by research and the articles I have had to read throughout my program. However, now I have a better understanding about what I am reading. I can read it once or twice vs. ten times! J  

Conducting research doesn’t seem as intimidating to me after this course. I have learned the pieces involved in conducting ethical research and methods I would like to eventually incorporate into my own career.  While I may never conduct an actual research study, I will take pieces from research including data collection and use it to help me understand patterns and trends. I have new ideas and strategies to incorporate this into my job.

The whole process of conducting research was relatively foreign to me. As I said, I have read research articles but honestly I tried to avoid them because I didn’t understand the process and had a difficult time understanding what they were saying.  I have learned the process starts with a topic, focuses on a question and forming a hypothesis. It is important to decide what kind of research design best suits the topic and to consider the ethical concerns that are involved in the study.  One of the biggest pieces is to ensure the results are valid.  I have learned that the whole process works together to formulate a study that will contribute to the field.

One of the biggest challenges for me came early in this class. I struggled with deciding on a topic and then narrowing down my subtopics and finally formulating a question that was specific. I have a tendency to think broadly about topics and want to incorporate to much.

Research Around the World

This week I looked at Australia’s early childhood research.  Some of the research being done focuses on service delivery for families living with children with disabilities, the challenges of teaching the arts and how teachers’ feel about this.  The website also offers a research in practice section. One of the topics caught my eye because it is similar to my research simulation. The topic is learning and teaching through play. The book is available for purchase and provides a lot of great information about play. There were also several articles that focused on play. Obviously, this is a hot topic in Australia at this time.

One thing I noticed as I explored the website is that many of the research going on internationally are also being researched in the United States. Internationally a lot of the topics including bullying, children with developmental disabilities and at risk and play based learning.  I think it would be interesting to see if the results of the research are the same as in the United States.

This website offered a lot of great information about research as well as policies. There was also a lot of access to other resources including magazines and journals. I thought the website was user friendly which is really important when doing research (in my opinion).  I enjoyed exploring this organization and website.

Reference:

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

Research that Benefits Children and Families

I have enjoyed thinking about this blog topic throughout the week. I have recently switched professions from a classroom teacher (kindergarten autism) to a developmental interventionist working with toddlers’ ages 0-3 on the spectrum.  I go into homes or other social settings (daycares or preschools) and work with families. I show them strategies to work on building communication, play skills, social skills and behavior.  One of the pieces within this field is a peer program.  A child with autism participates in a peer program with a developmental interventionist 1:1.  The program is in a preschool setting, twice a week for two hours. During this time appropriate play and social skills are the focus.  Knowing that background, if I could conduct research on any area in early childhood it would be the benefits of using typical peers to model appropriate behavior, provide appropriate social interaction and play skills to children with autism. I would create my own peer program that goes beyond the classroom and into the community as well. I believe the benefits of this would impact both children with autism and typical peers.  It would provide the children with autism appropriate models leading to future independence and inclusion while teaching typical peers patience and tolerance for children different than them. It would benefit families as well.  Parents’ would have support as well.  I strongly believe children with special needs should be integrated into general education and community settings. By providing a program that teaches these essential skills while allowing access to typical peers equals success for everyone.   

Personal Research Journey

My topic is academic expectations for early childhood learners.  I was a special education teacher for the last 5 years.  As a special education teacher, I was constantly being asked to observe behavior and strategies to help improve academic growth in the kindergarten setting.  As I began observing these students’ I realized the expectations may be developmentally inappropriate for their age, therefore, causing behavior due to frustration and less academic growth because the concepts were too difficult.  Over the last five years I have watched a shift in education. Teachers are now pressured to show an increase in academic growth and data. Therefore, less time is spent teaching children based on their need and development and more time spent teaching to “the test”.   I wanted to research the benefits/implications in considering development in academic expectations.  My three subtopics are what is academically appropriate for early childhood learners, the impact of developmentally appropriate/inappropriate expectations have on behavior and the benefits incorporating play can have on academic growth. 

As I posted in my discussion in week 1, I have been intimidated by research because it is not an area of strength for me.  I struggle with reading and understanding research articles and studies.  So far this class has provided good tips on what actually needs to be read and what can be skimmed over.  It has been a long time since I have taken a class on research.  The review of terms and what to look for when researching credible sources has been helpful. I am also thankful that learning the research process has been gradual and slow up to this point.

From my peers if you have any experiences, resources or thoughts on my topic I would appreciate any feedback.  Many of the students’ I have taught were behind grade level so any information on what is appropriate for general education students’ would be beneficial. 

Final Blog Assignment

I have genuinely enjoyed learning about organizations on the international level.  When I hear the word “consequences” I immediately think of negative.  For me, most of the consequences are positive.  I have enjoyed learning about the structure of international organizations and where they are allotting their resources.  On some level, it is comforting to know that other nations are struggling with the same trends as the United States.  Since we are struggling with the same trends it is important to bridge our resources together.  I enjoyed learning about different perspectives from the organizations and what they view as priorities within the field.  The only negative consequence I found with trying to learn about early childhood at the international level was contacting individuals working in the field or for organizations. I believe this would have helped me gain a more personal understanding and different perspective of the trends within the field; however, I was unable to make contact with anyone.

One goal related to international awareness within the field of early childhood education is for the United States to not separate from other countries.  If we are struggling with the same concerns and issues, I believe we should combine our resources to make the biggest difference in early childhood.  Communicating and collaborating about what is working and what is not working will help maximize change.

Getting to know international contacts, pt. 3

Although I have been disappointed because none of my attempts to communicate with early childhood professionals around the world have been answered I have enjoyed learning about different organizations that are working to improve early childhood education. 

I explored the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization website this week.  This organization is working to support early childhood education by forming a foundation through policy development. One way this organization works to accomplish this is through two planning strategies.  The first is phasing.  In this strategy the organization is working to respond to the needs of young children in relation to early childhood.  The second strategy is the one that I was impressed by.  It is called partnership.  In this strategy the organization wants to work together to partner with other sectors.  For example, social and health sectors working together.  By partnering together care and education can be addressed within early childhood and for older children.

I also read about quality, access and equity within this organization.  While reading about this I kept seeing the 1990 Jomiten Declaration on Education for All (EFA) and the 2000 Dakar Framework for Action. I wanted to learn more about these policies since it was obviously important to the organization.  The EFA believes that all learning begins at birth and early childhood education and care is an important and basic part of education. The 2000 Dakar Framework for Action is based on improving early childhood education as part of its six main goals.

The UNESCO is working hard to improve early childhood education.  The website offers several resources including publications, evaluation reports, statistics, etc.  There is a lot of great information on this website.   

Sharing Web Resources

As I navigated throughout the website I found a link that had many different publications on it, however, the article I was drawn to the report for the 2011 fiscal year and the impact it has had on children. 

In 2011, child hunger was one area Save the Children stepped up their fiscal donations.  Nearly 10.5 millions children/adults were impacted by this organization.  Not only did Save the Children help worldwide but they noticed that children within the US needed help as well.  According to Save the Children 1 in 4 children go hungry and in addition have no access to early childhood programs. This leaves a four year old living in poverty is 18 months behind developmentally than children not living in poverty.  With the money they have received this year Save the Children has created literacy and education programs within 17 states.  This has helped 185,000 children learn and grow.  Save the Children recognizes how poverty affects education and has made a difference within the field of early childhood education.

 I wanted to know more details about how Save the Children was impacting early childhood.  I found information on their program, Early Steps to School Success.  This program begins with expectant mothers’ and continues through the early education years. This program offers educational services through age 5, support for families and caregivers, and ongoing training for community educators. The goal of this program is to build a strong home-school connection as well as provide parents’ with the skills and knowledge to help support academic growth while providing children with a program that meets their cognitive, social and emotional needs.

Through exploring the website further I realized that this organization recognizes that children in other countries as well as the US are not receiving adequate access to high quality programs.  They recognize the importance of providing families and children with these programs and do so through donations to literacy and education programs as well as creating their own model for school success.