When I Think About Reserach...

When I Think About Research...

Oddly enough, the biggest insight I have had from taking this course is that actually doing the research project would have been easier than the simulation. Although, in doing "only" a simulation for this class, I gained a new respect for the class that I took as an undergraduate that required we do an entire research project, including the 20 page paper!
It was with great excitement that I dove into doing the research simulation because I, in fact, do love reading others' work. I was surprised that some of my colleagues had mentioned that they had never read a research article before taking this class. I wondered, "How can one go on working for years in a specific area like Early Childhood and NOT read a research article?" However, with this reality came a reminder that as I forge into my career once again, I will be sure to riddle my staff members and colleagues with research articles.
For the sake of argument, I think research is wonderful. It maybe not always be easy to read or understand, especially once the statistical significant results are thrown into the mix. However, it is a great feeling when I have an idea/concept that I think will work great for the children in my classroom or will be helpful in engaging parents to spend more time in the classroom, and find articles that discuss the pros and cons of the very same ideas and concepts.
Research is all about trying things out. What works and what does not work? Furthermore, I think that by doing the actual research project for this class, I would have had better answers to some of the questions we were asked to provide. I am not good at guessing the answers. I am much more inclined to search them out by collecting data and analyzing my results.

Research Around the World

Research Around the World
European Early Childhood Education Research Association (EECERA)
www.eecera.org
 

• What are some of the current international research topics?
•  Early Education for diversity: starting from birth
• Companionable learning: mechanism for holistic well-being development from birth
• The dynamics of early childhood spaces: opportunities for outdoor play?
• Children and the outdoor environment
• Introducing children's perspectives and participation in research
• Breaking methodological boundaries? Exploring visual, participatory methods with adults and young children
• What surprising facts/insights/new ideas about early childhood did you gain from exploring this international early childhood website?
• I was highly surprised to see such a vast array of research topics to look at on this website. I also felt it was interesting that the European Early Childhood Education Research Journal groups together topics for special issues. This seems to be an easy way for reference on a specific topic and is a helpful way to share information with parents and staff. Furthermore, the journals incorporated articles and research from other countries, such as China and Australia. 
• What other noteworthy information did you find on this website?
• I found it very helpful that some articles had free access to them and all topics included the abstracts. Both are always very helpful when doing research and searching for specific information on a topic.