When I Think of Research...

From this course I have learned so much about research and what it entails. One insight that I gained was that there are different types of research studies. There is the quantitative design which involves using numbers for analysis and then there is qualitative design which uses words for analysis. Each can be used on their own or used together to make a study that has numbers and words to back a finding. I also learned that I am not supposed to understand everything in a research study. Before this class, I would try to read a whole research paper and would get completely confused. Now I know what to read and what not to read, and have a better understanding of what I am reading.

I looked at research as something that scientist did and now I know that everyone can do research. Before this course, I viewed research as something that happened in a lab and that was something I would never do since science was never a strong subject for me. Now I know, that research is way more than that. It is the act of observing and finding out the answers to questions that we have. Without research we would not know much of what we know today about children.

When it comes to the early childhood field and children I learned that there are ethical concerns that need to be looked at. Consent is a major ethical concern that every researcher should get from their participants. This also means, that if the participant is a child, consent from their parent or guardian is a must. When it comes to a research project this is all a part of the planning process. As for conducting the research project in the early childhood field, I learned that we need to take a role in the classroom. Researchers need to let the children know what their role is and that they are there to listen and not judge or grade.

One challenge that I faced during this course was telling the difference between a quantitative design and a qualitative design. In the beginning I was not sure what the differences were. By talking to Dr. Davis and rereading the course work, I realized the main differences. When it came to quantitative design, one must be more exact with what they are finding. Where are qualitative design is more lenient on where the research is going.

I want to thank all of my colleagues and Dr. Davis for everything that you have taught me. This course topic was one that I was not familiar with and had some difficulties understanding some of the concepts. It was because of all of you that I now understand everything that we were supposed to learn. Thank you again, and I wish you all the best of luck as you continue this journey to your masters.