When I think of research.......

• What insights have you gained about research from taking this course?

Some insights that I have gained about research from this course is that when conducting information you can be as creative as you want. There is technically no right or wrong way to collecting information. I also have gained that when searching for a research topic that it can be a little difficult because of the fact there are so many topics that may interest you and you have to narrow those topic down to one and ensure yourself that you will be able to have enough information to collect on that topic in order to perform a research.

• In what ways have your ideas about the nature of doing research changed?

My ideas have changed of doing research is not how I expected. Do to the fact this is literally my first research class I wasn't aware of how much time and effort is put into actually conducting a productive research. Now that I have been gaining this experience it has allowed me to open up and be very detail without being noisey.

• What lessons about planning, designing, and conducting research in early childhood did you learn?

Some of the lessons I have learned is that there are several was to conduct a reseach live I stated above without being a wrong way it just depends on the ankle you are going in and what you are trying to prove. When it comes to early childhood the research is so broad, however when you begin to narrow the information you begin to work in a entire new ball park.

• What were some of the challenges you encountered—and in what ways did you meet them?

Some of the challenges I have/had encounter is/was getting a full understanding on what was my task. Once I got started it was narrowing my topic and attempting to develop my topic clearly that became a challenge. A way I met my challenges  is by asking for assistance to ensure my understanding and that I was going in the right direction.

• What are some of the ways your perceptions of an early childhood professional have been modified as a result of this course?

A way my professional perceptions havebenn modified is that I have been enlighten on the exact direction I want to go in when it comes to this particular field.

Research around the world.

    The international research topic that caught my interest was:The Status of Coordination and Supervision of Early Childhood Education in Ghana and identifing the factors that have engendered the current problems militating against the successful implementation of early childhood education.

   Some surprising facts that I gathered from this international research was in the 1990s the term "care" took on a new meaning. UNICEF began using the term in relation to nutrition programs to emphasize that good nutrition requires more than simply providing children with food. Child development involves both gradual unfolding of biologically determined characteristics and traits that arise as the child learns from experiences. Both physical growth and mental and emotional growth are crucial in a child’s overall development (Myers, 1995). However from the actually website I found that : The Early Childhood Development Virtual University (ECDVU) is an innovative and multifaceted approach to addressing ECD capacity building and leadership development in Africa. The ECDVU is supported by a range of international, regional and local organizations, including the employers of participants.

    To meet the ECDVU’s child and social development objectives, it employs a number of approaches to post-secondary education that are ‘non-traditional’ in nature. These include: recognizing the strengths and expertise that exist locally and regionally; incorporating these ‘voices’ and experiences into the learning process; promoting sustainable, interactive networks that reach rural as well as urban populations; and using computer technology as a means for developing strong information and communication systems within Africa.

    Other information I found on this site is that there is something being done to aid the assistance of poverty in Africa. What we see on the news or being on the outside looking in is that Africa is poor and they need " our " help like there is nothing being done so that they are able to help their own natives and it is. They have this ECDVU program that is available for the children and their families. If I wouldn't have open this site I wouldn't have never known about this program or what is being done by the natives of Ghana to help their country.

Reference
http://www.ecdvu.org/ssa/index.php ,

http://www.ecdvu.org/ssa/major_reports.php