When I Think of Research...

As I take time to reflect all I have learned in this course, I can only think about children and families and how they are subjects in research. I learned about ways to conduct an effective research simulation, how to read abstract and journal articles and how to gain the most out of reading them without having to read the whole article. I can definitely say that this course has taught me how to conduct research in a new light. By taking time to research, utilize interviews, observe, and focus on the subjects instead of any biases, I can really create a meaningful research simulation. In regards to children and their families, it is important to recognize that children can and do have a voice and they also provide meaningful research. My ideas about the nature of doing research have changed because I can now look at a research article and narrow my focus down to the subject matter, the participants, the findings, and the methods and determine if the research is valuable to me. I also gained insight about how to narrow my research question down to a specific model to provide the best results. I can now focus on a topic of study and locate my subjects, I can also determine how I will get information from them for my study and I can put it together to provide useful and appropriate information for others to use. Some lessons that I learned about designing my research include determining the processes of conducting research I will include in my simulation such as triangulation, finding relevant literature, obtaining consent from parents to get information from children or themselves, and deductive research methods or hypothesizing to gain results. Through all of these aspects, I can conduct research that is free of bias, is specific to the population being studied, and resourceful to others who may utilize my research for their own benefit. One lesson that I learned that stayed with me is the power relations model in research. When utilizing and speaking for children, it is important to recognize that risks can happen but it is important to realize that serious harm is unacceptable. Also, children do have a voice in research and consent is important in any research simulation. Some challenges that I encountered in my research and reading about effective research is that it is always important to narrow down the topic of study to a researchable and effective topic. What made it hard is when it involves children; the results may be broad because of the differing circumstances that they face. So, I learned to choose a topic and refine the research to focus on the particular topic and not get carried away into other topics. By creating subtopics the research becomes more thorough and the reader can see the research for its validity. Some ways that my perceptions of an early childhood professional have been modified is that my job is more professional because I learned how to become a more effective researcher and I can now look at a topic and find ways to research that topic and come up with effective strategies and techniques to find a solution to that particular problem or concern. Lastly, my perceptions of an early childhood professional has changed because I realize all of the important roles, duties, responsibilities, and concerns that we are faced in any given day. From that, it gives me more opportunity to work harder and love even more what I do. Lastly, I give my outmost thanks and support to all those who have crossed my path in my journey to become an effective early childhood professional. I wish all the best and success towards any and all accomplishments having to do with the field of early childhood education. I also want to thank my instructors who have guided and mentored me throughout my program of study. A warm thank-you to all who have been there.