When I Think of Research...

Learning about research has been an eye opening experience for me.  I have read and continue to read various studies concerning Early Childhood because, it's important to know what is going on in the world of children.

The insights I have gained are:

• Research can be simple or very complex                                            
• Research topics must be clear
• Research topics can checked through other sources
• Research has variables
• Research must be feasible-  make sense
• Research must be equitable
• Research has different components - the question, the method, the hypothesis, the sampling, the data
• Research can be considered male - quantitative
• Research can be considered female - qualitative
• Research can be mixed-method - both quantitative and qualitative
• Research validity  can be accomplished through various triangulations- data, methodological, investigator, theory
• Research above all else, must be ethical



My ideas regarding research have not changed as much as my respect for the process has strengthened.  The time and thought to develop a research study and the follow through to completion means making a commitment to the study.

The lessons I learned about Early Childhood research in planning, is it takes time. The design will provide the data being sought.  Conducting the research means being ethical in all you do.

To be honest, the challenge I encountered was sometimes understanding the terms used.  I would read and reread them in the book and get more confused.  I, at one time thought someone should write a book called Research for Dummies to help me understand what was being said.  I overcame this problem by reading them again and going to a dictionary to look up the terms.  Research means seeking the answer to  questions through the best means available.



As a result of this course and being an Early Childhood Professional, I see those of us in the field as knowledge seekers.  We must always stay apprised of legitimate websites, current studies and ground breaking research concerning early childhood trends to keep pace with the changing world we live in; to be aware and make others aware of what is happening and how it affects children locally to
globally.

I want to thank each of my cohorts in this class, Leslie, Denice and Tonetta for your comments, questions and insights.  They have helped me learn and grow.  I hope I was able to do the same for you.  Please stay encouraged as we venture forth to our next class with the challenges it holds.  I also want to thank Dr. Davis.  Whenever I asked a question, you gave me the answer to help me understand and I appreciate that.  I now feel I can read research as an informed consumer.  I know I still have some more growth to do in citations and I'll continue to do my best.

References

     Johnson, R.B., Onwuegbuzie, A.J., & Turner, L.A. (2007).  Journal of Mixed Methods

Research, 1(2) 112-133 Walden Library Sage Premier 2010 Table 1 pp 119-121

     Mac Naughton, G., Rolfe, S.A., Siraj-Blatchford, I, (2010).  Doing Early Childhood Research

International Perspectives On Theory & Practice (2nd ed.) New York, NY: McGraw-Hill

Retrieved from http://www.lib.berkeley.edu/TeachingLib/Guides/Internet/Evaluate.html

Research Around the World

It is so important, as we study research, that we look at what questions are being asked in places other than the United States. 

There are numerous research projects being done and/or already completed that cover: 

• Staff training
• Building community leadership
• Assessment of quality child care services in selected orphanages
• Caring practices of motherless children
• Coordination and supervision of early childhood education
• Culturally and developmentally appropriate exploratory learning concepts
• Parents' and other caregivers' perception of early childhood
• Integrating indigenous knowledge in early childhood development training and services
• Improving the quality of child care through parenting enrichment and training of trainers
• Involving fathers in early childhood care and development

The surprising fact that I found, was many of the studies have an impact, not only on the direct community being studied, but also on the world wide community.  With all the problems in the Sub-Saharan region of Africa, like AIDS, warfare, political struggles, and famine to name a few; the daily welfare of the children and their parents and helping them realize a fuller life, is still a priority.

The noteworthy information is that this website is not common knowledge to many early childhood professionals I work and interact with daily.  I was not aware of the ECDVU-SSA, until this course.  This website has a plethora of information, for review that is useful when contemplating a study on children.

References

Retrieved from http://www.ecdvu.org/ssa/major_reports.php

The Research Journey of a Lifetime

Option #2 - Alleviating Bullying

My research choice comes from a news report that touched my heart.  A 13 year old child took his life after being bullied for being gay.  There have recently been a number of suicides due to bullying so this is the premise of my research topic.


This would be a longitudinal research project.  The project  would be a collaboration with behavioral researchers in the United States.  The subjects of the study would be every child born in 2012 and their parents.  The length of the project would be until the children reached 18 years of age.    The parents would be asked for their permission, as found in OHRP regulation 45 CFR 46.402(c) and given free parenting classes, which would provide the tools to use in promoting acceptance.  When the children reach 3.8 years of age, they will be asked to assent to the study, unless determined by the IRB (Institutional Review Board), using one of the circumstances in regulation 45 CFR 46.408(a) .  At this time Parents would have the opportunity to remove themselves from the study or to continue on.

The study would also include any pre-school staff and the school system in which the children are enrolled.  Researchers would look at policies and procedures in those institutions regarding bullying.

The children would have opportunities to meet a diverse group of people, along with their parents and will be subjected to questions regarding their feelings about those diverse people.  They would listen to statements made about the various groups and decide whether the statements were true or false and if the statement was "mean".  Mean, being hurtful and/or damaging to the "feelings" of the person(s) the statement was aimed at.

The statements would target the following, but would not be limited to:

• Handicapped/Disabled
• Mentally challenged
• Poor people
• Homelessness
• Elderly
• Obese
• Races (African American, Hispanic, Caucasian, Asian, etc.)
• Homosexual
• Single parents
• Drug users
• Incarcerated
• Religions
• Atheism

The researchers would meet with their designated groups bi-annually to inquire whether they, the parents and/or their children, had been subjected to bullying or bullied someone since their last meeting.  The teachers would also be questioned on what they were seeing.

I know there are many variables to this research project that haven't been addressed but the ultimate goal, for the "greater good" would be to develop children who are sensitive,caring and strong enough not to bully or allow others to be bullied.



References

Special Protections for Children as Research Subject retrieved from http://www.gov/ohrp/policy/populations/children.html

My Research Journey

My simulation topic is, What is the relationship between homelessness and vocabulary children have as they begin child care?
I chose this topic because I noticed when children entered care and the teachers asked them questions about items in the classroom they either knew what the teacher was talking about, had some idea or didn't have a clue.  The children were in homeless families and I wondered if being homeless and transient, the educational level of their parents and the time in care made a difference in the aquisition and retention of the vocabulary words they learned.





 One of my insights is a topic may seem simple when first formed but as you delve deeper, the topic becomes more complex resulting in more questions and more contemplation.  Another insight is the questions we ask may have been asked differently which means we may be "re-inventing the wheel".  Being able to use search engines helps in finding out if the reseach has been exhaustive or whether more research is needed on a topic.


I would appreciate any help you may have on my topic.  I would like to ask those of you who work directly with children in a classroom setting what vocabulary words you thought children would know when they entered your program, but didn't.  I would like to use them in my research.

What I Learned, What I'll Do

The 3 consequences of learning about the international early childhood field for my professional and personal growth are:

The priorities for the field we have in the United States are not the same as in other countries.  Examples of the differences are:

 Obesity vs. Famine

            Health Care vs. Aids

 Clean Air vs. Clean Drinking Water.

2.  There are people, all over the world willing to share their knowledge.

3. There's a vast amount of information available on many subjects related to early childhood from a number of sources and resources to both help and share.

Setting one goal for the field related to international awareness of issues and trends and the spirit of collegial relations was difficult.  After a lot of thought I've decided, at our next planning meeting of our local and state AEYC, to advocate for inviting an international speaker to the annual conference to address pressing early childhood issues, hopefully within the next year.

International Early Childhood Education Related to My Professional Goals

     I accessed the Unesco Policy Brief on Early Childhood and chose The Workforce in 'Developed' Countries:  Basic Structures and Education as well as Quality for the topic of my blog this week.
     As a former Education Specialist for Head Start, Curriculum Coordinator on my most recent job and an annual trainer for the Community College District, I aspire to Teach Teachers of Young Children.  This is my professional goal because I see the need in the Early Childhood community for well educated and trained teachers who are responsible for leading, guiding and educating the children they serve.  There are plenty child care workers in the field who need the basic core courses before they even start learning Piaget or Vygotsky.  I have corrected spelling on lesson plans, word tense on labels in the classroom and how teachers initiate meaningful conversations with children.  These teachers love what they are doing but it can be detrimental to the children, concerning to the parents and embarrassing to program when a sign is posted with "Feets are for walking" on the list of classroom rules or "Look at what we done" on an art display!
     The Early Childhood workforce is often made up of a diverse group of pre-school teachers, care workers, informal carers and other professionals.  Adequate training and work conditions are essential so they can integrate the content and practice of early childhood care and education (Unesco).  Many of these teachers don't look at themselves as professionals due to the inequity of the salaries.  They must however prepare themselves by getting the education they need and staying up-to-date with current trends.
     There is a divide in early childhood services in many countries.   Divided systems of services, with differences in administration, access, costs to parents funding, regulation and in the structure and education of the workforce for nursery or child care workers and 'teachers'.  Typically, the 'teachers' have higher levels of basic education, better pay and other employment conditions and greater social status Moss, P.).  I remember as a classroom teacher for toddlers telling my soon to be sister-in-law that I was a teacher.  She was very impressed.  she asked me what grade I taught and I told her I taught toddlers in a child care facility.  Her whole attitude changed and she said,"Oh, so all you do is watch kids all day"!  I had more education then as now, than she did but she discounted my work because it wasn't in, what she called "real school".
     A number of countries have moved towards integrating the divided systems.  In the 1960s this took place in the Nordic countries and in the late'80s and '90s New Zealand, Spain, Slovenia, England and Scotland integrated their systems (Moss, P.).  We can see the United States working more on integration of services and quality by requiring more education and training of child care workers and professional development plans to help in their growth.  Education might refer to school, college or university-based courses and qualifications and training to those based on the workplace and learning by doing, including competence-based qualifications, with emphasis on a practical way of transferring knowledge (Moss, P.).  Restructuring the workforce around a 'core' profession will increase costs, both for the education of workers and their employment.  Once early childhood workers are educated at the same level as school teachers, their is a compelling case for comparable pay and conditions.  The question is, who will pay for a properly qualified staff? (Moss,P.)    
     These are my ideas as related to what I read.  In my opinion, it is important that all teachers and administrators learn and spend time in early childhood settings, so that they will understand the importance of that time period in a child's life in relationship to their overall development.  When they see the hard work it takes, the low wages paid and the gratification received when milestones are met, then Early Childhood teachers will be more respected for what they do. I would like for policy makers to also spend time in an early childhood classroom for one pay period with all the responsibilities of the classroom (of course there needs to be a qualified worker with them) and receive the pay, so they can experience the difference in the work and the pay.  I would like the Early Childhood teachers to experience working in Reggio Emilio to see the similarities/differences in their work with young children.  Until that time, when I teach those teachers of young children, my first priority is to let them know they are professionals, they are to be respected and they have a voice in demanding respect for their, no OUR profession.



     References:

Moss, P. (2004).  The Early Childhood Workforce in 'Developed' Countries:  Basic Structures and Education UNESCO Policy Brief on Early Childhood No. 27 October 2004 Retrieved from





http://unesdoc.unesco.org/images/0013/001374/137402e.pdf

UNESCO Quality Retrieved from  http://www.unesco.org/new/en/education/themes/strengthening-education-systems/early-childhood/quality     

Sharing Web Resources - deux

In a previous blog, National Black Child Development Institute (NBCDI) is the resource I want to share with my colleagues at http://www.nbcdi.org.  We have discussed quality, so I decided to search the NBCDI website for information on that topic.  What I found was interesting (http://teach.nbcdi.org/about ) and compelled me to search other suggested links.
In 1990, Child Care Services Association created the T.E.A.C.H. (Teacher Education and Compensation Helps) Early Childhood Project.  This project was created to address the issues of under-education, poor compensation and high-turnover within the early childhood workforce.  I learned the T.E.A.C.H. Early Childhood Project gives scholarships to child care workers to complete course work in Early Childhood Education and to increase their compensation.
T.E.A.C.H. is built on four components:

Education:  T.E.A.C.H. helps participants to earn a required number of college credit hours in early childhood education each year.
Scholarship:  T.E.A.C.H. offers counseling and financial support to pay for college courses and fees, books, travel and time away from work.
Compensation:  T.E.A.C.H. recipients earn a compensation bonus or raise after successful completion of a year of education.
Committment:  T.E.A.C.H. recipients agree to continue their service as a child care professional in their current early care and education setting.

Having these components to rely on helps programs improve the quality of their staff which improves the quality of the program. 

The website provides information on eligibility, scholarships available, forms to complete, presentations, FAQs, resources and contact information.  It also has a link to http://www.childcareservices.org which addresses affordability,accessibility and high quality child care for all young children.
There is a newsletter called T.E.A.C. H. Speaks, which includes a list of the T.E.A.C.H. Early Childhood states and other links.  Those links are as follows:

Center for the Study of Child Care Employment:  http://www.irle.berkeley.edu/cscce   This website provides information on Access to education, rewarding environments, workforce data and leadership development.

National Registry Alliance:  http://www.registryalliance.org  There is a policy brief on this website titled "Degreesin Context:  Asking the Right Questions About Preparing Skilled and Effective Teachers of Young Children

National Child Care Resource & Referral Association:  http://www.naccrra.org  The Mission of NACCRRA is to promote national policies and partnerships to advance the development and learning of all children and provide vision, leadership and support to community child care resource and referral.

The new information I gleaned from the NBCDI links was the existence of 3 early childhood workforce data systems in the United States. The 3 database systems are:  early childhoodeducation (ECE) workforce registries, T.E.A.C.H. Early Childhood and NACCRRAWaRE/T-TAM used by child care resource and referral agencies across the nation.  I also learned that all the states, except for 2, and Washington D.C. use these systems and that half of the states use more than one of the systems.  All 3 systems collect similar ECE workforce information and that each system was developed for particular program purposes.  These programs are independent of each other which complicates efforts to align the system within and across states.

References:
http://nbcdi.org
http://teach.nbcdi/about
http://childcareservices.org
http://teach.nbcdi.org/files/2010/12/NBCDI-TEACH-Press-Release.pdf
http://www.osse.dc.gov