Through this course of Building Research Competency I have gained so much more knowledge than I had originally learned through other courses. I have gained many insights such as bias in research, risks, and even the types of research that can be conducted and what might fit best depending on what knowledge a researcher wants to gain. My ideas about the nature of doing research haven't necessarily changed but I feel they have expanded. Since I did not have as much knowledge prior to this course I feel that I gained more rather than having change my ideas. I now understand more about what has to happen and how much has to go into a research study.
As far as planning, designing, and conducting research I have gained more knowledge and understand more about this. I know that planning takes time and that research questions have to be very specific. I have learned that designing a research study takes time because there are many factor that have to be considered. Risks, participants, limits, and research type all have to be considered when designing a research study. I have learned more about conducting a research study by seeing the types of methods that can be used. I have learned more about observations and interviews with participants and that the research sometimes needs to remain as uninvolved as possible.
When constructing my research simulation I did encounter some challenges. One challenge that I encountered was trying to find a research question. I found it hard at first to be specific and very narrow in my question. I did find that once I was able to be specific I could see that it was necessary when designing the rest of the research. It made it much easier to design the other specific factors that went along with the research. From taking this course I have learned more about early childhood professionals that have to conduct research. I have not previously learned from the perspective of a researcher and now that I have taken this course I understand that in a way any professional in the field can be a researcher. This course has definitely expended my knowledge about the field and early childhood professionals.
Heather,
ReplyDeleteI also found it difficult to make my research question narrow and specific. Fortunately, the comments that Dr. Parish made were specific and very helpful.
Melissa
Heather,
ReplyDeleteI too have learned so much from this course in building a research design. I believe that you have undertaken a great topic and I wish you much success in the future. I realize and applaud the educators that have done research on early childhood education because of all that goes into it. The time, dedication and preparation that go into creating a research design and to ensure that the research data is accurate and relatable. I hope to be in more courses with you as I finalize my degree. Good luck!