As I complete this last week of Research in Education, I have gained knowledge and understand regarding the process involved in creating and carrying out research. The first insight that I have gained, and probably the most important, is the sheer quantity of time that is required during the planning phase of research. From my limited perspective, prior to this course, my understanding of research was the time application during the data collection portion of research. After concluding this course, I am aware that the planning portion of the research design is probably the most intensive part. Another insight that I gained from this course are the many considerations that must be taken into account when designing research. From equity to bias, and cultural aspects to consent, there are so many ideas that must be looked at in order to conduct valid, relevant research.
My ideas regarding the nature of doing research have changed in that, although the planning process is intensive, it is a must in order to be successful and validated in your research. I feel confident in my ability to define a research question and plan the research design. Although I would need to be under the guidance of an experienced researcher, I believe that I could be successful in the process of research design.
One of the challenges that I encountered was choosing a topic of research that would be relevant to not only the field of education, but to my specific interests. After choosing that topic, I also faced the challenge of redefining the idea into a workable research question. This took a few tries and many considerations, but I was finally able to define a specific hypothesis for research. Another challenge was simply trying to understand the limitless options in regard to the different types of research and the ways to go about collecting data. There are many considerations when choosing the data collection methods and choosing the right one for my specific question took some understanding and thinking before I was able to identify the one that would work the best.
Stacy,
ReplyDeleteI encountered the same problem with trying to find a workable question, but thanks to Dr. Davis's great feedback, I finally worked it out. I am glad that we had such a fabulous teacher in this class, or I would have still been trying to figure out a good question.
Thanks for all your sharing throughout this course. Good luck in the future.
Wanda
Stacy,
ReplyDeleteI forgot all about the amount of time that research takes! That was one thing that I forgot to mention in my posting. I also see the value of being a potential early childhood researcher as a positive characteristic of a quality professional in this field. Thanks for all your sharing...I look forward to the next class with you!
Stacy,
ReplyDeleteI see similarities within our thoughts and challenges about redefining a subtopic for research. I’m glad you accomplished this challenge. I however, feel a little bit unstable with my research simulation. I hoped with time I can understand it a little more. I do feel confident in the skills learned in reading research articles. I also agree with conducting research under the direction of a research professional. I think I would start out with just observing methods. I know for a fact I’m a visual learner and would take tons of notes. Thank you for contributing to several of my discussion/blog posts and assignments throughout the entire course. (I appreciate it with hopes of sharing another class with you) I wish you luck on your professional journey!
Jay
Stacy,
ReplyDeleteAfter this course in research, I can see myself as a researcher now. I also feel more confident in reading and evaluating information published about young children. Thank you for you comments and insightful discussions. Best wishes in your Early Childhood career.