First of all
I would like to thank Dr. Davis and my colleagues for the feedback and support you
all gave me throughout this challenging course.
The Building
Research Competency course has been a big challenge to me because when I started
it I realized that had very little knowledge about research. Throughout this course
I deepened my insights about the steps of the research process, the qualitative
and quantitative designs, and I realized the existence of a mixed method
design. I also learned that the differences among the three methods make each one
of them more or less appropriated to be used with certain research topics.
Before taking
this course I used to think on research as a complex and tedious process. The
course changed my mind because research it is not tedious, as the process it is
it just needs to be followed step by step, like putting a puzzle together. After
understanding each step the whole process makes sense and releases my thoughts
of tediousness. On the other hand, I still consider that research is complex
because it needs to be grounded in strong foundations or many difficulties can
be encountered throughout the process, jeopardizing the research and
undermining the validity of its results.
Because “the
most advantageous method of ensuring that services are appropriate to the
client is to consult them” (Whiting, 2009, p.32), planning, designing, and conducting
research in the early childhood field is a delicate task that has to be
conducted by researchers who are always attached to the professional ethics. The
researchers need to take into consideration the safety of children, families,
and paraprofessionals, avoiding having their interest in the data as their main
goal (Mac Naughton, Rolfe, & Siraj-Blatchford, 2010).
Nowadays I know
that being a professional involves being a researcher too. I am more conscious
that through my ethical work with children, families, and paraprofessionals I can
make findings that help me improve my practice, which result in benefits to the
field.
Best wishes in upcoming courses and look forward to work with
you all again!!!
Reference
Mac
Naughton, G., Rolfe, S.A., & Siraj-Blatchford, I. (2010). Doing early
childhood research: International perspectives on theory and practice (2nd
ed.). New York, NY: McGraw-Hill.
Whiting, L.
(2009). Involving children in research. Paediatric Nursing, 21(5), 32–36.
Caty,
ReplyDeleteI like your analogy of research as putting a puzzle together. Yes, I too, was afraid the process would be very tedious. I was pleasantly surprised. I think one of the key things is researching something that really interests you. Caty, as always, I learned from you and enjoyed having you in my discussion group. Looking forward to more with you!
Caty,
ReplyDeleteIt is a pleasure to have blogged with you. As always, you bring a new perspective to the classes. Furthermore, I agree that educators have to use research to improve the quality of learning. Thank you for sharing your thoughts and I wish you the best.
Caty,
ReplyDeleteI agree that this course has been challenging at times, but after taking this course, I am able to have a deeper understanding of qualitative, quantitative, and mixed-methods research. Thank you for your support during this course. It is greatly appreciated.
Crystal