When I Think of Research

1. What insights have I gained from taking this course? Taking this course have helped me to better understand what research actually is. Research is about uncovering and enabling the emergence of new understandings, insights and knowledge (Mac Naughton, Rolfe, & Siraj-Blatchford, 2010). As I said previously, research is like an investigation into a given topic. I've discovered that research begins with a thought, question, or a concern. A few insights that I gained was the fact that participants have the right to withdraw from their participation at any given time during a research. I also discovered that consents of all participants must be in place before children or parents participate in research. Overall, I learned that there is a detailed process that must be taken before research begins. Research can be challenging but it is very rewarding in the end with new knowledge gained.

2. In what ways have my ideas about the nature of doing research changed? Before taking this course, I had no previous knowledge about research. This class has opened my eyes to what researchers endure before and after research is given. I never realized how personal research can be for children and families. Often families are sharing personal and sensitive information with the researcher and these families are trusting that that their personal information is confidential. I've learned that confidentiality and ethics are priority in research and most early childhood researcher are aware of the do's and don'ts of research with young children and families.

3. What lessons about planning, designing, and conducting research in early childhood development did I learn? I learned that research is nothing that takes place over night. Research takes careful planning and cautious procedures. When planning a research, the researcher must study the topic before hand. It is important to learn the viewpoints of others who have already researched the topic. The researcher may want to see if the topic is worth the research. Designing the research is key. The researcher must decide which type of research is he/she wanting to conduct. Choosing participants and locations of the actual research is very important as well.

4. What were some of the challenges I encountered-and in what ways did I meet them? One challenge that I had was making sure that the sources that I wanted to use were credible sources. There is so much information available about early childhood development. It is easily to be lead to non-credible information which can lead to invalid data.

5. What are some of the ways my perception of an early childhood profession have been modified as a result of this course? As an early care educator, I have gained the knowledge that children are a gift to this world. When children participate in research and display given data,  it should not be taken lightly. Potts and Brown (2005) point out that 'the term "data"' in its origins means "gift" (2005, p. 269) (Mac Naughton, Rolfe, & Siraj-Blatchford, 2010). As an preschool teacher, I feel privileged to be in the presence of children on a daily basis to witness them in action interacting with their caregivers and peers. The data that is collected is definitely a "gift".