To Research or to not

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

I have new respect for those individuals who love research and do it for a living.  There are so many different ways to study and so much to know beforehand.  A true researcher must be extremely knowledgeable about research before learning about what it is he is going to study.

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

I know that research is not something in which I want to do for a living.  There are so many components to learn about from the design process, experiment or not, research itself, analyzing data, ethical concerns, equity, benefits, and so much more.

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

A researcher must be very meticulous in every aspect of the research study.  The planning and designing of the research study is just as or more important than the actual study itself.  The design of the study plans out each and every part of the study to assure the validity of the research.  The researcher must plan for validity, for convincing or he is just wasting his time.  If the study is not valid, by bias, by miscalculations, by ill preparedness from the researcher or his team, then the time it took was a waste.

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

I was definitely challenged by reading the studies and the text, as I do not comprehend well.  I found myself falling asleep quite often while researching definitions and working on the simulation. However, I know at some point in the coming future I will be preparing to write grants and knowing how to read research is going to be a priority.  I am excited to have done as well as I have in this class and have had great colleagues who have contributed to my understanding – Danita, especially.  Thank you all so much for your help during the last eight weeks – ALL of you!

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

It was very interesting to learn the depth and breadth of research done so long ago.  I was eager to read many papers from the 1980’s and 90’s that are so relevant right now.  So many things in early childhood development has already been researched and new studies are checking the reliability from back then.  Even studies from Africa, Ethiopia, and in Europe, are exactly what we are talking about now in early childhood.  Research is essential (not necessarily experiments), but research studies are essential to continue learning about how the brain works, about children, and about parents.