When I Think of Research

            I can remember being nervous of having a research course in my line up of classes for my program of study. I think I had every right to be nervous because this class was a true challenge. This class really opened my eyes to the topic of research. I have gained so many new perspectives on the topic of research in early childhood. I have also gained a respect for the researchers and their area of expertise. I had no previous knowledge in the subject and the words Qualitative and Quantitative meant absolutely nothing to me. I now have more insight as to how a research simulation would be organized, and areas that would be needed to complete the research simulation.

I have now learned that the nature of research in most cases the reason for research is to help to advance the field or to help improve a problem that may be hindering some area of the field. I still believe that the area of research is very difficult but you must have a team that is in support of you and will help you along the way to assist with the process.

I have learned that you will need to plan out an organized system to gather information, collect data, and then piecing through the facts and producing a good research simulation. You must have an organized plan of action in mind before you start because the last thing you would want to have to do is transfer false facts

I have encountered so many challenges within this area of study. Learning how to be objective and not carry my idea in a bias nature was one of my biggest problems. I also had a problem with narrowing my topic and deciding on the question to start off the project. I also have a problem attempting to get the most out of the data collected and working on a conclusion can be difficult. I was able to overcome these challenges by concentrating on making the entire research process better. I paid better attention and I am really happy to be doing better in the research area. After taking this course I have a new found respect for research and those that are involved in conducting the research. Research is very difficult to put into place and requires a lot of hard work to formulate the daily reports.             

Research Around the World

 Research is a very in depth topic in dealing with early learning. It is needed so we can continue to enhance and evolve certain areas of the field. I observed the international website Early Childhood Development Virtual University (ECDVU) Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA). Some of the current international research topics that were linked to this site were: Building Community Leadership for Quality Sustainability in Madrasa Preschools, The Development of an Integrated Early Childhood Development Urban Model Training Program, Assessment of the Caring Practice in Two Motherless Babies etc. The list goes on and on but I decided to chose a topic of interest which was “The Status of Coordination and Supervision of Early Childhood Education in Ghana” (Amponsah, 1987) and this research study is about the problems that exist within this region that go against the successful implementation of early childhood education in Ghana. This study looked at things such as early childhood care and development and surveyed many programs in the country to get a gage of how effective the programs were.

I learned a lot from exploring this website, things that go on from the international level are in many cases similar to our issues in the US as well. We are looking for our early childhood programs to be of the highest quality and this goes for many programs around the globe. One thing that I found to be surprising is the study done to reveal “that minimal degree of implementation and coordination of programs could be attributed to the following factors:” (Amponash, 1987) I have noticed that we have some of the same issues in the US.

              No comprehensive operational guidelines for the ECD sector.

• Inadequate trained personnel.

• No budget allocation except for salaries of teachers.

• Inadequate supply of teaching learning materials.

• Lack of policy on ECD (draft policy exists but has not been approved).

• Lack of awareness on the ECD policy at all levels.

            I found some other important information while searching this website and the reason I think it held my attention is because sometime when I think of early childhood and the importance of it, I do not think that it has hit the peak of importance in other countries the way it has in our country almost like we have discovered something new. As I am exploring more international resources dealing with early learning and topic that relate I am finding that in many circumstances other countries are able to relate to the relevance of early learning. I see while searching this site that ECDVU, (Early Childhood Development Virtual University) generated reports that are designed as a team project used to familiarize the country with data regarding women, children and families and checking on their status and looking into the agenda of the 3-5 year old Early Childhood Development.

 

References:

http://www.ecdvu.org/ssa/creports.php

Amponsah,M (1987). The Status of Coordination and Supervision of Early Childhood Education on Ghana.