When I think of research…

• What insights have you gained about research from taking this course?

I gained many insights about research, though all insights gained are important, some stood out more than others. For starters, one insight I was delighted to gain is that a Code of Ethics guideline is in place to help minimize unethical practices in research.   It defines the core values of the field and is designed to protect the rights and wellbeing of children and adults.  Another insight I gained is that not all research seeks to show differences, some actually seeks to describe and explain a phenomenon.  I also gained insight of how to identify authentic research by studying Dr. Lepuschitz’s article, "A Practical Guide to Reading Research Articles" (Lepuschitz, 2011),through this course.

• In what ways have your ideas about the nature of doing research changed?

After taking this course, I have a greater understanding of the complexities researchers endure during the process of a study.  I must say I have a greater level of respect for the research profession.  It is very important to take into account all aspects of the study during the designing process in order to minimize unexpected delays and unethical practices.

• What lessons about planning, designing, and conducting research in early childhood did you learn?

I’ve learned that from the beginning to the end of the process each child is to be treated equitably regardless of their individual differences.  The researcher must refrain from personal biases while employ participation from children.  Children should be given the opportunity to give consent to participate in the study.   All researchers should follow the Code of Ethics guidelines to ensure the children’s best interest is always a priority.

• What were some of the challenges you encountered—and in what ways did you meet them?  

One of the challenges I encountered was developing three sub-topics.  As I continued to work on the various assignments over the weeks, I was finally able to accomplish this.  Another challenge for me was to define some of the key terms in my own words.  I still haven’t totally mastered this skill, but I continue to try.  It was also difficult to understand some of the researcher verbiage

• What are some of the ways your perceptions of an early childhood professional have been modified as a result of this course?

My perception of an early childhood professional has been modified by understanding the importance of research. It is essential in today’s society that any and all Early Childhood Professionals should stay informed of the various trends taking place in early childhood.  This can be accomplished by reading research articles, journals etc., networking and advocating for the betterment of children everywhere.  Research can promote successful outcomes for children, families, and society as a whole by giving them the opportunities to a good education.   


A personal "Thank you"  to each of you for sharing your knowledge and insight on research.  I've enjoyed reading your blogs and discussion questions.  Best wishes as you continue your journey in Early Childhood.

Reference

Lepuschitz, J.K. (2011). A practical guide to reading research articles.  Laureate Education Inc., Baltimore, MD

Research Around the World

1.     What are some of the current international research topics?

     Journal of Children and Poverty

a.   Teaching to learn and learning to teach

b. Research with children: three challenges for participatory research in early childhood

c. Assessing toddler language competence: agreement of parents' and  preschool teachers' assessments

d. Journal of the Institute for Children, Poverty, and  Homelessness

2.    What surprising facts/insights/new ideas about early childhood did you gain from exploring this international early childhood website?

In the journal Teaching to Learn and Learning to Teach, some researcher’s reviews have revealed that physical activities are very low in childcare centers as a result of higher sedentary activities. I found this to be a bit surprising, because in my program, we use the creative curriculum model to empower social emotional, physical, cognitive, and language development. The curriculum promotes learning through play; thus empowering children’s developmental milestones.  As Pramling Samuelsson (2010) noted in a previous editorial of this journal, ‘Accepting children as equal partners also means to make play visible, since play is supposed to be a great part of the child’s world and the way into children’s social life and learning’ (Waller, Sandseter, Wyver, Arlemaim-Hagsér & Maynard, 2011).  I can understand this more if the child was in kindergarten, because most schools focuses on learning standards and academic scores rather than learning through play.  Most three to five your olds do not have the attention span to spend a lot of time engaged in sedentary activities, this is why I found this to be insightful information.  

Another bit of insightful information I gained from this article was the fact that children who grow up in urban areas are prevented from playing freely in their neighborhoods.  I can understand this due to the increase in drugs and violence that is usually associated with these neighborhoods.   However, if play is now being minimized or alleviated during the preschool years, these children are being denied the opportunity to freely engage in meaningful play; thereby inhibiting their social emotional, cognitive, physical, and language development.    

3.What other noteworthy information did you find on this website?

Anyone can access a selection of popular and leading research articles for free!  Not only does the site offers free access to research articles, but it also  provides step-by-step instructions for publishing a journal article.  The website itself was a surprise to me because I didn’t know it existed before now.  I was also surprise to have free access to these journal articles, because usually there’s a charge to gain full access to well respected journal articles of this magnitude.  There are articles and books that provide limited access, but are available for purchasing on this website as well.

Reference:

European Early Childhood Education Research Association (EECERA): This international early childhood organization publishes a well respected journal. All back issues are accessible from this site and are fully searchable without charge.
http://www.eecera.org/

Waller, T.,  Sandseter, E. H., Wyver,, S.Arlemaim-Hagsér  E. & Maynard, T. (2011, May 29).   The dynamics of early childhood spaces: opportunities for outdoor play? Rutledge Publishing. Retrieved from http://www.informaworld.com/

Research that Benefits Children and Families—Uplifting Stories

As I was scanning research articles, I came across an article titled Poverty Puts Struggling Readers in Jeopardy, written by Cindy Long.   The article talked about when students transition from learning to read to reading to learn.  The article suggests experts believe this transformation takes place during third grade.  There is a concern because at least two-thirds of these students are not reading at a third grade level; thus reduces the chances for graduating.   There is link within the article that directs you to a new study How Third-Grade Reading Skills and Poverty Influence High School Graduation, written by Donald Hernandez.  The study identifies poverty as the compounding problem.   The study revealed that minority groups with poor reading skills and living in poverty is eight times more likely to become drop outs; thereby, placing these children in double jeopardy.

I found this to be an interesting article because too many children never get the opportunity to rise above poverty due to lack of education.   It is imperative that we come together as a community to help educate these children so that they too will gain the necessary tools needed to survive.   Poverty is a national epidemic that is rapidly spreading and if we don’t do something as a nation to help these children, our children will continue to suffer and our country will continue to decline.   As professionals, we need to empower our children by making sure they are capable of assimilating and understanding texts and apply their understanding of the text to draw conclusions and make evaluations and decisions.  The good news is that children’s inability to read has brought about great recognitions due to the number of students dropping out of school; President Bush was committed to ensuring that every child could read by the end of third-grade and now President Obama is campaigning to “Putting Reading First.”  With such prestigious investors supporting positive educational outcomes, we are sure to see a decrease in poverty stricken families and an increase in student graduates.   

Long, C. (2011, April 12). Poverty puts struggling readers in double
            jeopardy. National Education Association. Retrieved from

http://neapriorityschools.org/2011/04/12/poverty-puts-struggling-

            readers-in-double-jeopardy/

My Personal Research Journey

Chosen Topic:

I chose to focus on the impact high-quality programs have on poverty stricken preschooler’s cognitive development.   I chose this topic because the earlier the seed is planted, the better chances for these children to be successful in life.  These are the most critical years for development to take place and we as professionals need to take advantage of this time to ensure we lay a strong foundation in which children will be able to continue building upon.  We have so many children and their families living in poverty today.  Many end up falling through the cracks, but I believe that if we get out in our communities and advocate for the well-being of these children, some will be able to rise above poverty.  If we miss these opportunities, we may never be able to get them back or spend extra time and money trying to catch up.  We can start by advocating for more funding to support social services for both the children and their families. 

I found the chart to be somewhat challenging when having to define the words using my own words, but I enjoyed the assignment.  I think this was a very useful tool and I will be more apt to remember the words and their meaning.  I think the most challenging part of the assignment was narrowing down my sub-topic.  I don’t know how many times I changed it.  Finally, I decided to start writing about what I wanted to gain more information about and then I was better able to narrow down the subtopic.  After researching my topic I realized why it’s so important to narrow the topic down.  Wow! I was all over the place trying to cite other scholar’s findings to support my interest.   This process I found to be very time consuming. One insightful piece of information I gained through the research process this week and that is, I couldn’t gain access to some of the journals.  I went to a couple of sites and the only way to gain access is by purchasing the book or journal or paying a price to gain access for a certain amount of time.  I started thinking to myself, this must be the authentic research. 

I most definitely welcome any insight or references you may be willing to share with me to make this course/process easier and in return, I will provide any insight or references I feel can be a benefit to you as well.

WEEK 8 = Final Blog Assignment

Three consequences of learning about the international early childhood field for both my professional and personal development.

1.     I’ve learned that I’m not alone; there are many people all around the world facing some of the same issues as we are in America. We are able to support each other by sharing and exchanging information and new ideas to help empower our communities globally.

2.      I am now equipped with the necessary tools to educate others on my staff and within the community by sharing local resources and informing them of available programs.  Thanks to this course, I have the ability to bring forth awareness of the various issues and trends within the early childhood arena as well as recommend get well plans.

3.    I’ve learned that lack of funding is a global issue and that we have many families living on the streets because of it.  However, we can do something to help these families by getting involved.  We can help by volunteering our time, donating food and clothing, providing shelter, making monitory donations and most of all ADVOCATING.

one goal for the field related to international awareness of issues and trends and the spirit of collegial relations

4.    My goal is to educate others on international awareness of issues and trends as well as build collegial relations.  I want to stay connected with my international contact so that we can share valuable information that I can pass on to others.  I also plan to create a list of international organizations and foundations that advocates for the health, safety and overall well-being of our children and their families.   I will include some of the issues and trends our nation is facing globally and provide a list of websites and local resources to handout so that they can make contribution to support our children. 

Getting to Know Your International Contacts—Part 3

Alternative:

One of my initial goals was to ensure staff was equipped with the necessary tools to assist in providing quality care to meet the needs of individual families.  After reading the article “Every Child has the Right to an Education!’  I gained great insight on the gap between ratification and implementation.  The article stated there were 69 million children, mostly girls who are still deprived of their right to a basic education.  On top of these outrageous numbers of children who are deprived; a lot of the children who actually gain access to schools still experience poor quality education and end up acquiring basic skill levels of development at the end of 12^th grade.  I must say I was a bit surprise with the numbers still being this high with the support of various organizations and government funding. This is one of the main reasons why it is vital that we support our teachers by  providing funding to help staff obtain higher educational and training skills and knowledge; thereby, enabling them  to lay a strong foundation to empower children to rise above poverty and function fully as a citizen of society.  According to the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization [UNESCO] (2011), (States have legal obligations… “As guarantors and promoters of the right to education, they must reflect these obligations in their Constitution and laws and take steps to improve education policies and strategies to give it effect,” (para. 2)  This deprivation of education is primarily due to poverty. It was also enlightening to find other organizations advocating for the rights of our children’s education, especially since another one of my goals were to advocate for more community involvement to support the well-being of our children and their families.   While reading this article, I found out that the United Nations and UNESCO have formed normative instruments to promote and develop the right of everyone to gain access to quality education, while being exempt from discrimination and exclusion (UNESCO, 2011).  These insights motivate me to strive for my goals because they support my belief of equality for all children regardless of their circumstances. They are humans just as we are and they too deserve a chance to be successful in life.

                              Reference

United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (1995-2011). Every child has the right to education! Retrieved from (http://www.unesco.org/new/en/education/themes/strengthening-education-systems/early-childhood/)

Sharing Web Resources

• Follow some of the outside links that you have not yet explored. Where do they lead?

Some of the outside links lead to social networking sites such as Twitter, You Tube, Facebook, MySpace, Care2, Squidoo, Flicker, and FirstGiving.

• Thoroughly search one area of the site. What do you find?

YouTube is the number one online video community resource that allows millions of viewers to watch and share original videos. Save the Children utilizes this site to connect, inform, and inspire millions of people all over the world.  This site is also used as a distribution platform for Save the Children videos and  PSAs in regards to the work they do in disaster areas as well as for the welfare of children all across the globe.  Views are able to leave comments about the video(s) they few.  The videos brings awareness of hardships families are experiencing around the world; with the intent to solicit support from society at large.

• If you receive an e-newsletter, follow a link related to one of the issues you have been studying. What new information is available?

Speak Out Today and Tell Your Senators to Stop Cuts to Children

The senate is currently considering a critical funding bill and Save the Children is asking everyone to speak up and speak out to solicit funding to continue the support of low-cost interventions that produce high- impact results.  The goal is to protect the most vulnerable victims from poverty and instability; our children.  In the past, the United States funding has supported millions of children all over the world by opening doors to education and providing support to victims of natural disasters.  One percent of all federal funding is used to save lives in the fight against disease, poverty, hunger, and illiteracy; in hopes of creating a healthier and secure world.

• Does the website or the e-newsletter contain any information that adds to your understanding of equity and excellence in early care and education?

Japan Earthquake Tsunami Relief

Immediately following the Tsunami disaster, Save the Children arranged for emergency response teams to assess the needs of children and their families.  Based on the findings, several child-friendly spaces were established in an effort to provide shelter for displaced families. These spaces promoted opportunities for children to play with other children while freeing up their parents so that they could began working on rebuilding their homes.  In an effort to meet the needs of all children and their families, there plans to establish more child-friendly spaces in the near future. These children may not have all the books and art supplies that we have access to within our classroom, but they do have one important thing that have been taken away from us and that is the opportunity to “Play.” This may actually place them at a greater advantage than we have, because children learn through the freedom of play and exploration of their environment

• What other new insights about issues and trends in the early childhood field did you gain this week from exploring the website and/or the e-newsletter?

One insight I gained from the website is the annual Advocacy Day.  I didn’t realize that there was an Advocacy Day in honor of children all around the world.  Over 215 Save the Children advocates attended the two day event on Capitol Hill in Washington D.C.  The Congressional offices conducted over 130 meetings where participants were able to boldly speak about the issues that are negatively impacting the lives of children all around the world.

Reference

Save the Children. (2011). Japan Earthquake Tsunami Relief. Retrieved from  http://www.savethechildren.org/site/c.8rKLIXMGIpI4E/b.6621121/k.3D08/JapanEarthq uakeTsunami_Relief.htm