When I Think About Research

          These last 8 weeks have been enlightening to me.  I have always known that research takes patience and should be confidential due to observing and collecting data.  What I did not know was that research has many layers to include selecting a topic, finding literature, forming a specific issue/question, designing the research, collecting the data, processing the data, drawing a conclusion, and finally writing reports.

     The most fascinating part about research that I will always ensure is that children will be provided the opportunity to make the decision to participate. Research should reflect relationships between the participants and the researcher. Ethics play a vital role for everyone involved.

       Thank you to all my colleagues for your feedback and sharing your expertise and experiences.  Dr. Meyers, you have been so informative and active in providing me the opportunity to learn and understand how to create a meaningful research project.

RESEARCH AROUND THE WORLD

EARLY CHILDHOOD AUSTRALIA

Early Childhood Australia is currently conducting research on flexible practices and patterns across the early childhood sector, funded through the Australian Government’s Child Care Flexible Fund.

The purpose is to meet the needs of the families to include areas in the range of , but not limited to:

·         Non-standard hours

·         Flexible sessions and enrollment

·         Working in combination of other services

·         Flexible location or service delivery

Surveys were conducted in January and February 2014 to that lead to identifying the range of flexible programs and included asking about barriers to flexible practices that may be considered to be more flexible.

There is also a  Research in Practice Series that provides practical, easy-to-read resources for those involved in the early childhood field.  These series offer effective new approaches for those challenging issues which arise in the care and education of young children, (Early Childhood Australia, 2014).The recent 2014 research topics that I found on this site are:

·         Pedagogy: Programs and relationships in practice

This topic helps educators to understand the meaning of pedagogy and the link to their everyday decisions made while working with children and families to build a relationship that this respectful, responsive, and reciprocal

·         Professional partnerships in children’s services: Working together for children

This topic finds ways for educators to effectively work with other professionals to build partnerships that will enhance the services for children.  The goal is to work in new and different ways that will make a difference in the daily work that is being done for the children to learn productively.

There is a support group that has developed a “Reconciliation Action Plan”.  This plan is a platform of values and principles to help the Early Childhood Australian organization to advance reconciliation with the community and provide leadership and support to the early childhood education and care professionals it represents.

I enjoyed the flow of the website.  It was easy to locate information and I like the resources that are available not only to educators but to the entire community. 

 
Reference
Early Childhood Australia, 2014.  www.earlychildhoodaustralia.org.au/