When I Think of Research...........

Research Journey

As a beginning researcher I have learned the importance of being prepared and making a plan. Sometimes when I am not studying or doing an assignment I will stop to reflect and think about my research simulation. I think of questions that I would like answers too, and if the questions can be used to form a hypothesis; because of this class I have learned the importance of research and the importance of the research process. I use to think that research was easy and all you had to do was look up statistics and articles and reflect on what you have read. I now know that good research requires so much more; you must know about ethics in research, analyzing research and designing your research so it can be used to advocate for change and/or answer unanswered questions.

In this learning process my colleagues and professor have been invaluable resources. They have helped me re-formulate my questions and asked questions that have required me to use higher level thinking skills; for that I am grateful.

Challenges that I have encountered in the research process are; formatting my research and getting to know the research terms. Some way’s that I have overcome these challenges are to read and re-read the professors comments on my papers and follow her suggestions, as well as writing the terms and their definitions on index cards and in my research journal. This has helped me to categorize the terms and recall their meanings, so I can use them appropriately.

My perceptions of an early childhood professional have always been that it was one of the hardest professions to become an expert in. The multi-faceted aspect of being an early childhood professional are often overlooked and we are considered child care providers. An early childhood professional has a huge responsibility in a field that gets very little gratitude and very little compensation for the variety of job duties performed. This research class just solidifies these facts and my determination to become a skilled professional in the early childhood field

Research Around the World

For this week’s blog assignment we were tasked with doing some research of our own on current international research topics. I explored the European Early Childhood Education Research Association (EECERA) web page to ascertain what current topics in ECE were being researched on an international level. The research journals I was able to locate on the web page that contained current research were: Diversity in early childhood education from a parent and child perspective, promoting play for a better future, and Children’s perspective and participation in research.  

One surprising fact that I found was in order to be a partner or linked to the EECERA web page you must be a non-profit. I believe it is beneficial for research and collaboration purposes to include all ECE programs regardless of their profit status. An insight that I gained about early childhood on a national level in European countries is that they have gone to great lengths to ensure that morals, and ethic obligations are clearly defined in their ethical code. Their ethical code is much longer than the NAEYC code of ethics and goes into greater detail. http://www.eecera.org/documents/pdf/organisation/EECERA-Ethical-Code.pdf

Something else that I found noteworthy was the position statement that the EECERA posted on children that are refugees from war. This position statement show’s the commitment this agency has to not only European children but to children on a global level.

“Position Declaration The 1000 strong delegation of the 25th European Early Childhood Education Research Association conference in Barcelona, compelled by the horrendous refugee crisis and the lack of humanitarian response by international leaders declare that: As an organization we are committed to deep respect for human rights, the rights of children specifically and more vulnerable members of the community to have the right to live in safety and peace; to be cared for and to be protected and treated fairly, with dignity and without prejudice (paying due regard to the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child). The European Early Childhood Research Association extends its support to the Syrian families’ presently seeking asylum in Europe. We demand the world's leader’s act according to the International Declaration of Human Rights and protect the lives of Syrian families. There is no more urgent matter for world leaders today than to unite to solve the humanitarian crisis in the Middle East and to respond with compassion to refugees globally. Further, we extend a plea for humankind and politicians to join efforts to solve this crisis. This is a global humanitarian emergency that requires the efforts of nations to respond unreservedly to provide rapid and comprehensive measures to ensure the safety and wellbeing of those seeking asylum regardless of race or religion. This includes urgent provision for safe, humane and unhindered passage to places of asylum. NO CHILD should die as a consequence of seeking refuge from a war. As an organisation we have agreed to collectively donate to the emergency response of International Aid Agencies and we intend to further support refugee families through our significant international efforts in early childhood education and research.”  

The development of this statement has been a joint collaboration involving the contributions of the following members: Libby Lee-Hammond (Australia) Sofia Avgitidou (Greece) Eleni Loizou (Cyprus) Michela Schenetti (Italy) Ingrid Engdahl (Sweden) Eva Ärlemalm-Hagsér (Sweden) Elly Singer (The Netherlands) Alison Clark (England)

References:

Retrieved From: European Early Childhood Education Research Association (EECERA): http://www.eecera.org/