Research Reflection

When this course began just 7 short weeks ago, I can say undoubtedly, that I was full of anxiety and uncertainty as to how I would manage the course. I was not a fan of research; however, I have become quite interested in the practical considerations as well as the various methods of research and data collection. Over the past few weeks, I have even utilized and applied what I have learned into my daily work. I am currently researching and conducting an E-learning pilot project with child care center-based staff. Our Cincinnati office staff conducted this project in their service delivery area with family child care providers a couple of months ago. When I suggested testing the study with program staff I stressed the importance of using the same course, same structure, and same time frame so that we were studying a consistent measure. I feel strongly that this study will provide us with a variation of feedback to assist us as we prepare to design and implement E-learning professional development opportunities for our combined region.

This being said, I certainly met some challenges throughout this course. Though I was very familiar with conducting a literature review, I struggled to find solid literature to support my research simulation topic. A positive challenge that occurred for me as well was learning some of the technical terms in which to keep me on the journey of refining my topic and research study questions. Things really seemed to gel for me in week 5. 

Thank you to all my colleagues and peers on this research journey. You have all provided me with great support and wonderful ideas to challenge my thinking over the past 8 weeks. I’m sure we will meet again in future courses.

Research Around the World

In exploring international topics researched by reputable organizations. I found the European Early Childhood Education Research Associations (EECERA) to be interesting.  This international early childhood organization publishes a well-respected journal at least two times a year. Some of the current topics being researched are factors around diversity, children using the natural environment in learning, and numerous angles on children’s play.

Some of the most cited pieces from this website include Listening to young citizens: the struggle to make real a participatory paradigm in research with young children (2009), Make-believe play versus academic skills: A Vygotskian approach to today’s dilemma of early childhood education (2008), and Let is disagree (2009), an article in the Special Issue: Children’s and Parents’ Perspectives on Diversity in Early Childhood Education. It appears as though this organization stays abreast of the hot topics and current trends in early childhood education and publishes special issue journals to address these themes. I have seen many organizations publish journals on a monthly basis, and yet somehow miss some of the current trends and topics. EECERA Special Issue journal themes include; Outdoor Play and Learning, Leadership and Management, and Children’s and Parents’ Perspectives on Early Childhood Education.

I found it interesting that the actual topic of research and children wasn’t addressed in many past journal issues. It wasn’t until 2009 that I found articles on research and young children. One piece posted in a March 2012 issue, Building a method for researching attribution of meaning by children aged 5 to 6 in school, reported on the first phase of a research project in which they looked for the voices of young children. The researchers of this project interviewed children to gain their perspective on the meaning of school.

References:

European Early Childhood Education Research Association. (2012). http://www.eecera.org/.

Mac Naughton, G., Rolfe, S. A. & Siraj-Blatchford, I. (2009). Doing Early Childhood Research: International perspectives on theory and practice (2^nd ed.). New York, NY: McGraw- Hill.

Uplifting Stories

In the scheme of things the example I am about to share may seem like it was a negative experience; however, I am positive that the research outcomes have advanced the medical field in a manner that support families in a way it couldn’t two decades ago. 

In 1993 my mother was diagnosed with breast cancer. After a mastectomy, chemotherapy, and radiation it returned with a vengeance in 1995. My mother’s oncologist informed her of a high-dose chemotherapy research study that was taking place at Cincinnati’s (Ohio) Jewish Hospital. This study involved her admittance to the hospital for approximately 30 days. A percentage of her blood and bone marrow would be harvested followed by rounds of chemotherapy treatments. After a couple of days her blood and bone marrow would be re-introduced to her system. The hope was participating in this program would give her a 98% chance of never getting cancer again. She agreed. I remember the day she went to the hospital, the visits three times a week, and the day she returned home – one day short of 30 days. She did meet many challenges during this time; adverse reactions to the harvesting and restoring of her fluids, listening to other patients suffer through their own challenges, and missing her children who were at home “holding down the fort.” 

Because my mother is a statistic in research, her chance at life and risk to live longer with her family, I am sure others have benefited. While Bronfenbrenner brings up a great point, “the only safe way to avoid violating principles of professional ethics is to refrain from doing social research altogether,” (Mac Naughton & Rolfe, p. 73) without such research studies as I have described, the public is not able to take advantage of advances in the medical field, etc.

I regrettably have to add that the cancer did return and took my mother’s life in 1997. Again, this became part of the research to make an impact in future cases. Without my mother’s determination to live and willingness to try new things, our family would not have had the extra time we were given. Whether they are negative or positive outcomes, families are affected by research.

References:

Mac Naughton, G., Rolfe, S. A. & Siraj-Blatchford, I. (2009). Doing Early Childhood Research: International perspectives on theory and practice (2^nd ed.). New York, NY: McGraw- Hill.

A Beginning to Research

The beginning of my research simulation has been just that, a beginning. I chose to research what provokes early childhood educators to choose certain training and professional development topics within the field. Since each state mandates a certain number of hours of training, and many state quality rating and improvement systems specify the type or topic of training, this research may be quite skewed. My interest in this topic arises for me in my position as the Professional Development Coordinator at the local Child Care Resource and Referral. Over the past few years the majority of professionals have been focused on attending only the training that meets Step Up To Quality, Ohio’s quality rating system. With the newly granted Race-to-the-Top dollars, Ohio is going through a transition period within professional development departments. Now more than ever, it is vital to learn what motivates educators to learn more about how children develop and grow, and how educators can facilitate children’s learning in the most optimum ways. 

I wonder if you, my colleagues, have any ideas and/or suggestions on the best way to discover this information. Do you know of any research that has already been conducted on this topic and where I might locate the results? I am curious to learn anything you might be able to share with me to shed new insights on the best way to continue my research. As I continue my research I am working on refining my subject to gain the best information and get to the heart of what educators really look for in professional development.

Impact of International Learning

Over the span of one's career it is important to expand learning and reflection on practice and quality within the field. For example, my dad found his way to the United States in 1967 when a motorcycle dealership posted an ad for a motorcycle mechanic in a magazine distributed in the UK. During that time, the UK was well known for mechanic specialists in the motorcycle arena. During this course I have found myself intrigued and impacted by such global learning. I have focused my efforts on the podcasts and researching the current trends in the United Kingdom, specifically, England.

I have compared and contrasted the differences in the professional requirements of the early childhood educator in the UK and the US. Because my every day work stems around professional development and counseling others on their education choices in the field, I of course wanted to research this topic abroad. I was happy to find that the UK stresses the importance of training and professional development, just as we do in Ohio.
Through my global explorations, I learned of new programs and initiatives around the world. While listening to podcasts a few weeks ago, I was impressed by Delfina Mitchell, Director of the Liberty Children's Home in Belize City. Her dedication to children and families is prominent through her work and direction at the Children's Home. She ensures that competent staff are working with these children who have no true home. The children find solace in this safe, learning environment.
Lastly, I acquired information on trends in the early childhood field across the world. From the podcasts, to websites like the Harvard University and World Bank, to my chosen website of the British Association for Early Childhood Education, I learned about initiatives, training, and support groups that are offered in different parts of the world. These have all provided me with new eyes on what we could be offering here in Ohio, as well as how we can be proud of what is already being offered and implemented across programs in Ohio.

I wish you all continued success in your educational program and in your professional career. Thank you for your insights and shared dialogue over these past 8 weeks.

The EC Profession in England

While I have not been able to get response from my email inquiries, I continue to learn more about how early childhood looks in the United Kingdom. With our focus this wee on high-quality and professional characteristics of early childhood educators, I researched the qualifications for early childhood professionals in England.

As the early childhood field has evolved, and continues to do so, a new model has been established that introduces the idea of the Early Years Professional (EYP). Lumsden (2010), states, "This new professional in England is being presented as the 'Gold Standard' in early years and every full-time day-care setting should have an EYP by 2015" (p. 173). The Early Years Professional must attend anywhere from four to twelve months of training and education, depending on their current knowledge and experience. I like this model for education because it is individualistic, while meeting a standard as a high-quality educator who is considered professional. In Lumsden's piece on the professional, a respondent on the relationship with teaching stated, "It is about time early years practitioners received professional and financial credit for the valuable work they do...which are the most important years to invest in" (p. 179). We can all agree with this statement.

According to the Competence Requirements document compiled and disseminated by the University of East London and Universiteit of Gent (2011), "The quality of Early Childhood Education and Care (ECEC) depends on the competence of people working with children, families, and communities" (p. 21). In my research of the requirements of early childhood professionals in the UK, I found many commonalities to what we believe and advocate for in the U.S. This document also mentions, "ECEC refers to a holistic approach to education." Furthermore, "quality needs to be considered as an on-going process rather than as something that is achieved or not" (p. 23). Once again, this is similar to what we believe to be true in our country. Through the implementation of quality rating systems, programs are offered guidance, via benchmarks, that have been identified as markers of high-quality care and education. My colleagues and I work diligently every day to assist programs directors achieve, and more importantly, maintain their star rating under Ohio's quality rating system, Step Up To Quality. Providing high-quality, holistic early childhood care and education services requires daily work and dedication to the profession.


References:
 

Competence requirements in early childhood education and care. (2011). Retrieved from ec.europa.eu/education/more-information/doc/2011/core_en.pdf.

Lumsden, E. (2010). The new early years professional in england. International Journal for Cross-Disciplinary Subjects in Education, 1(3). Retrieved from http://www.infonomics-society.org/IJCDSE/The%20New%20Early%20Years%20Professional%20in%20England.pdf

Sharing Web Resources

Some websites are packed with information and resources that makes it possible to learn something new every time you visit. The British Association for Early Childhood website, http://www.early-education.org.uk, is no different. As I navigated in new sections of the website this week, I learned of branches and special interest group that are facilitated through the association. One such group offered is the Baby Room Group. Within this support group of sorts, they explore ideas and questions such as, "Are you interested in the links between attachment and early language?" This provides a time to examine how the Early Years Foundation Stage (UK standards for learning, development and care for children from birth to five) may affect baby room practice. I found it interesting that they referred to infant and toddler environments as baby rooms. 

Visiting this site every week keeps me informed of late news and events. It was posted that Early Education, "launched Development Matters in the Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS), new non-statutory guidance produced by Early Education with support from the Department for Education that supports all those working in early childhood education settings to implement the statutory requirements of the EYFS Framework 2012." The director stated, "Development Matters demonstrates how the four themes of the EYFS Framework and the principles that inform them work together to support the development of babies, toddlers and young children within the context of the EYFS framework."  


Lastly, I re-visited the publications and resources link to find that Early Education's own Nancy Stewart wrote How Children Learn: The Characteristics of Effective Early Learning, with a foreward by Early Education President, Helen Moylett. "This book explores effective early childhood learning through focusing on how rather than what children learn." While this is an important topic to the UK in regards to their EYFS structure, this is important to remember when working with young children anywhere. As we have all been studying the process of learning, not what is being taught. 


                                                                       


Each one of the examples I provided here addresses the inequity in who teaches young children and tackles issues related to responsiveness. Early Education offers a plethora of resources and supports to early childhood professionals on a variety of topics and issues in the arena of child development and working with families. I hope you take a minute, if you haven't already, to take a look. I'm sure you will find an article that addresses a topic of interest for you.