Blog Assignment: When I Think of Research...

The past eight weeks in this class we have increased our knowledge of the research process, piece by piece.  We have not only gained a basic understanding of the pieces involved but have chosen certain aspects each week to learn about more in-depth.  I began this class with very little working knowledge of the overall process that a research study entails and am ending with a much broader knowledge base and with confidence that research can be done by each of us if we break it down into a system of steps and manageable pieces. 

Prior to this course, I would not have viewed myself as someone interested in conducting research.  The few research studies that I had attempted to read would go from understandable in the beginning to completely confusing when I would reach the methods and statistical portions.  The text for this class was very helpful in clarifying and defining the parts of research, the steps of the research process, and giving examples of many types (Mac Naughton, Rolfe, & Siraj-Blatchford, 2010).  Research was described as a tool for learning about and understanding (Mac Naughton, Rolfe, & Siraj-Blatchford, 2010).  Over and over the importance of ethics and the role it plays in research was described and reinforced.  Our own world-view and ideas which we may not have previously realized, impact all of our thoughts and actions and decisions we make throughout the research process.  Awareness of this will decrease the incidence of bias impacting our research.

As for the importance of planning, designing, and conducting research – the lessons learned were many and I am sure that there are many more to learn.  One of the most important things I learned is the importance of taking the time to construct a well-thought out plan (Mac Naughton, Rolfe, & Siraj-Blatchford, 2010).  Having to stop or redo may not be possible once the research process begins and if possible can take valuable time and fund resources that may not be available.  The design will be dependent upon what you are hoping to do - are you trying to explain or understand with the research (Mac Naughton, Rolfe, & Siraj-Blatchford, 2010).  While conducting the actual research, it is critical to keep track of your data, focus upon unbiased collection and analysis, remain open to whatever the results may be.

My biggest challenge was the formation of my research question and reducing it to a manageable size.  There are so many avenues that one can take when thinking about the possibilities for research topics.  Once you have a topic of interest it must be one that can be reduced to a size that is manageable in regard to time, funding and availability of participants (to name just a few).

My previous view of an early childhood professional was more focused on one who works with children and families directly in the classroom or services provided.  I had not really thought about them in regards to those who do the actual research or even so much of the role they might play in the research process as a participant.  This class has brought a whole new side of an early childhood professional to the foreground in regards to research to my view or thoughts of what the profession entails.  I can see a link between my interactions, observations, and planning for children, families and the environment with the role of a researcher.  In order to best facilitate learning, services and set up an environment I have to do a limited amount of basic research in order to have the information necessary to individualize for one child or best serve the needs of the group as a whole.

I would like to take this opportunity to thank each of my classmates and Dr. Pickens for the positive experience this class has been.  As with each class prior to this one, the weeks have flown by and been filled with new knowledge and shared experiences; growth as an early childhood professional has occurred as a result of both.  The information and insight gained through the learning resources, interactions and feedback from classmates and Dr. Pickens have been a direct positive factor throughout the entire learning process.  I look forward to continuing to learn with and from each of you in the upcoming classes we may have together.

Reference

Mac Naughton, G., Rolfe, S. A., & Siral-Blatchford, I. (2010). Doing early childhood research: International perspectives on theory & practice. New York, NY: Open University Press.