When I think of research....

When I think of research, I think of the word "investigation". Here are a few insights I have gained about research from taking course:

*credible sources are needed
*ethical concerns must be considered
*choose a topic that is of interest to you
*choose a research design that is beneficial for your study
*reading previous research on your topic is needed

My thoughts about doing research has indeed changed. I feel more comfortable with conducting research, as I have pondered on the benefits that it could bring to the field. I have learned that planning your research saves time. In addition, researchers should choose a design that will allow them to collect as much data as possible to have validity in their findings. When conducting research, researchers must follow proper procedures as ethical concerns must be considered and addressed.

At first, creating a literature review was difficult for me. I was not sure if I was writing it correctly and felt a little defeated. In order for me to understand the assignment better, I read the required resource for that week numerous of times. Another challenge I encountered was choosing a research design that worked for my study. After reading about the mixed method approach, I was relieved that I could use a mixture of designs to collect my data.

I have gained much more respect for professionals in the early childhood field. There is so much work and time that these professionals put towards their careers. They strive to make a difference in a child's life in so many ways and continue to change lives.

Taking this course was very beneficial. The insights I have gained will take me very far in this field. I also appreciate my colleagues for taking out their time to respond and give feedback on my blog and discussion post. I enjoyed each of you and wish you the best of luck on your future success.

Thanks,

Latasha

Early Childhood Development Virtual University......

The ECDVU is a training program that was established to address early childhood care and development. The website shares a variety of research reports that was done by students which include;

* Assessment of interaction and stimulation in single-mother low income families

* Curriculum development using community resources

* The status of coordination and supervision of early childhood education in Ghana

* Building community leadership for quality sustainability in Madrasa Preschools: The case of Madrasa Preschools post graduation support

* Pilot study of the adaptation of an established measure to assess the quality of child services in a selected orphanage in Zambia: The inclusive quality assessment (IQA) tool

What I find surprising is that there are numerous of programs in other countries that focus on the quality of life for children and their families. In fact, I have never heard of the different programs until I decided to further my education in the early childhood field. One fact that I was very interested in was ECDVU's aim to build capacity through identifying indigenous knowledge. The reason being is because I can recall choosing to define the word indigenous in my research chart :)

*Noteworthy information*

One piece of information that I wanted to share is that you have to be nominated by the early childhood development country committee in order to be accepted in the training program. Once accepted, students are required to complete six courses and must take on the duty to promote the program's capacity in their country and internationally.