The insights that I have gained about research from taking this course is that research is a process that stems from an interest of a certain field or inquiry. The first step to the research process is the selection of a topic. From the selection of a topic, the researcher sets out to establish facts and build relationships. However, the researcher needs to be careful when guiding the investigation of the research question. A hypotheses needs to be stated for each problem if the research question is not appropriate. Once the research question or hypotheses have been stated, the researcher then begins to collect data from various sources, social settings, journals, books, and other scholarly materials. Once the data is collected it needs to be summarized, analyzed, and organized in order to present the findings from the study.
Understanding that there are rules of operation for conducting research has changed some of my views about research. It is important that as a researcher, I do not violate these rules nor act in an unethical manner when dealing with research participants.
The lessons that I learned about planning, designing, and conducting research in early childhood is that as a researcher, it is very important to familiarize myself with the issues of equity in research design. The goal is not to make things equal, but to be just and fair in the research process.
Some of the challenges that I faced were trying to come up with a valid research question that would not lack credibility after the research process has been completed. I had to make sure that my selected topic was significant and researchable. I also had to make sure that the reliable and valid data could be obtained from my research question.
My perceptions about early childhood professionals haven’t changed that much. The issues of quality and equity have become a big topic in the field of education. It is important for early childhood professionals to be able to used research design in a beneficial way. The findings from research can be of great value for the early childhood professional and other.
