Reflecting on Conducting Research

Reflecting on conducting research……………

This course has been a challenge for me because I had never embarked on the idea of creating a research study or the steps required to even start a project. It was easy to think of the topic I wanted to research relating to early childhood.  But establishing research questions that would lead to a hypothesis was difficult. I knew I wanted to use the quantitative method of conducting my study because I am familiar with creating questionnaires, interviewing and during observations. I have learned the importance of variables and their difference but again understanding the different in an independent and dependent variables has not quite registered to me. The fact of the extraneous variable was easier because I know if I add to a variable such as medication it could cause an error in the validity to the study. I knew the ethics of keeping family information confidential and private is important even in the field of early childhood but in research I need to keep a tight reign on how I collect, store and share the information I gain from conducting research with children and families.  

I can’t end this post by saying I fully understand the research process and all that has to be done to ensure the outcome is valid or even measureable but I have gained an understanding of why research is important in early childhood.

I want to take this opportunity to thank all of you for the remarks, feedback and awesome post during this course. Dr. Ferrari thank you for the guidance and support you gave to help me gain and understand of the different research designs and how to choose the right one for the topic I wanted to do a research study for.

I wish you all the best,

Shelia

 

European Early Childhood Education Research Association (EECERA)

  The website I visited was the European Early Childhood Education Research Association (EECERA) . EECERA is a non-profit organization, wholly-owned and subscribed to by its substantial and influential world-wide membership. It generates its own revenue, receives no external funding and thus ensures its independence, radical attitude and innovative openness. It is an independent, self-governing, international association which promotes and disseminates multi-disciplinary research on early childhood to determine how it applies to policy and practice.

EECERA seeks to sustain and develop the rich tradition and legacy past European researchers such as Frobel Steiner Vygotsky and Piaget. These were some of the many early childhood pioneers that have impacted the lives of young children. They aim is to continue looking forward on ways to explore new paradigms, methodologies, concepts and applications in the ever-changing context of early childhood studies. Its reach and interest is resolutely international and, whilst wanting to identify with Europe’s pluralist and diverse cultures. Their mission is to learn and to share in, the equally rich early childhood traditions and concepts of the World.

One of the research articles I found interesting is “Ethnic habitus and young children: a case study of Northern Ireland”. This article presents the findings of an exploratory survey of the ethnic attitudes and identities of a random sample (n=352) of three–six‐year‐old children in Northern Ireland. The survey represents one of the first of its kind to explore how young children's awareness of ethnic differences develops in contexts where ethnicity is not marked by visible, physical differences. In drawing upon the notion of an ‘ethnic habitus’, the article shows how young children from the two majority ethno‐religious groups in the region – Catholic and Protestants – are already acquiring the cultural dispositions and habits of their respective groups even though, at the earlier ages, they have little awareness or understanding of what these dispositions represent. The article shows that young children are capable of developing ethnic identities and prejudices in the absence of physical cues and discusses the implications of these findings for practice as well as for understanding the effects of racial and ethnic divisions on young children in other social contexts.

I think this was a good article for early childhood educations to know about because being aware of the diversity of children we serve and their ethnicity does impact the interactions with peers. Please visit the website below read more about this very important topic.

http://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/13502930902951460

 



 

 

The Impotence of Parent Involvement

The success of a child’s education starts with the involvement of the parent. Parents must understand they are the child’s first teacher and they lay the foundation for the child’s academic future success. I have experience the difference it made in children's progress and outcomes when parents were involved and of those who were not. According to research the impact is greater than some believe.

"When schools, families, and community groups work together to support learning, children tend to do better in school, stay in school longer, and like school more." That's the conclusion of a recent report from the Southwest Educational Development Laboratory. The report, a synthesis of research on parent involvement over the past decade, goes on to find that, regardless of family income or background, "students with involved parents are more likely to:

• Earn higher grades and test scores, and enroll in higher-level programs;
• Be promoted, pass their classes, and earn credits;
• Attend school regularly;
• Have better social skills, show improved behavior, and adapt well to school; and
• Graduate and go on to postsecondary education" (Henderson & Mapp, 2002).

But if parents have a central role in influencing their children's progress in school, research has shown that schools in turn have an important part to play in determining levels of parent involvement (Epstein, 2001). Working to include parents is particularly important as students grow older, and in schools with high concentrations of poor and minority students (Rutherford et al., 1997).

 

There are ways educators can help empower parents to be actively involved:

• Help families with parenting and child-rearing skills;
• Communicate with families about school programs and student progress and needs;
• Work to improve recruitment, training, and schedules to involve families as volunteers in school activities;
• Encourage families to be involved in learning activities at home and
• Coordinate with businesses and agencies to provide resources and services for families, students, and the community (Epstein, 2001).

I have seen the positive growth and development enhance greatly when parents give input and suggestions of how to help children achieve goals and objectives. Parents that feel welcomed and respected in the school environment can be depended upon to be involved the classroom.


http://www.edweek.org/ew/issues/parent-involvement/

 



My Research Personal Journey

Young Children and ADHD (Attention Deficient and Hyperactivity Disorder)

The topic I chose for the research stimulation is young children and ADHA. I learned about ADHD attention deficient and hyperactivity disorder while attending college in my early childhood courses, but I had never experienced working with children diagnosed with this disorder. I thought children in elementary or older children were only being diagnosed and receiving intervention.  But in my 23 years of working with young children 3-5 years old I now see children enrolling in our program with sign of what is defined as ADHA.

ADHD is defined as a chronic condition marked by persistent inattention, hyperactivity, and sometimes impulsivity. The disorder can begin in childhood and often last into adulthood. I am really interested in researching this topic because in the program I work I have a child showing some of the systems described for ADHD. I have talked with the parents and grandparents who are very concerned for the school success of the child. I want to be supportive and provide my teachers with accurate information strategies on how we can meet the need of this child. I know I am speaking and basing my interests of this topic on one child but I believe there will be more in the future.

 I will be able to utilize the knowledge gained in the course to research the causes and ways to provide children and families intervention strategies to help the child be able to function without medication.  



Reflecting on Established Relationships

 

Reflecting on Established Relationships

It was truly enriching to learn international organizations are concerned and are advocating for children to receive high-quality education.  I have been in the early childhood field for many years and understand the issues parents are facing to get access to affordable education for their young children. This is a consequence that is very dear to my heart both professionally and personally. I was once a parent that was trying to get access to quality education for my daughters and from that experience I decided to change my career field from white collar work to education.

I was pleased to learn from the global organizations my classmates and I researched or communicated with are cooperating with other national and international organizations that are concerned with the study and education of young children.

I plan to continue to stay abreast of the achievements and concerns of the international organizations and to join one of the organizations. The more I learn about ways to advocate fro the education of young children I will share the information with the early childhood organization where I work.

Getting to Know International Contacts

Getting to Know International Contacts

I visited UNESCO’s website to explore their mission and goals on education international early childhood education. Since its creation in 1945, UNESCO’s mission has been to contribute to the building of peace, poverty eradication, lasting development and intercultural dialogue, with education as one of its principal activities to achieve this aim. The Organization is committed to a holistic and humanistic vision of quality education worldwide, the realization of everyone’s right to education, and the belief that education plays a fundamental role in human, social and economic development. The educational objectives are to support the achievement of Education for All (EFA); to provide global and regional leadership in education; to strengthen education systems worldwide from early childhood to the adult years; to respond to contemporary global challenges through education.

As the only United Nations agency with a mandate to cover all aspects of education, UNESCO’s work encompasses educational development from pre-school through to higher education, including technical and vocational education and training, non-formal education and literacy. The Organization focuses on increasing equity and access, improving quality, and ensuring that education develops knowledge and skills in areas such as sustainable development, HIV and AIDS, human rights and gender equality. UNESCO works with governments and a wide range of partners to make education systems more effective through policy change. It coordinates the Education for All movement, tracks education trends and raises the profile of educational needs on global development agendas.

Teachers, their training, recruitment, retention, status and working conditions are among UNESCO’s top priorities. “Teachers are the single most influential and powerful force for equity, access and quality in education”, says Irina Bokova, Director-General of UNESCO. The main challenge faced by the teaching profession is both one of numbers and quality. In other words, the world needs more and better teachers. The quality of an education system cannot exceed the quality of its teachers. UNESCO works to address this challenge in addition to advocating for teachers and defending their rights.

One of UNESCO’s main responsibilities is to advocate for the right of every girl and boy, young and adult woman and man, to quality education throughout life – regardless of the setting (formal, non-formal or informal). The Organization also coordinates an international movement in support of Education for All (EFA) and is responsible for monitoring the achievement of internationally agreed goals pertaining to education. The UNESCO also helps countries develop legal frameworks as well as mobilizes global partners on issues relating to the right to education.

UNESCO coordinates the international efforts to reach the six EFA goals, working closely with governments, development agencies, civil society, academics and the private sector. As EFA lead agency, UNESCO focuses its activities on five key areas: policy dialogue, monitoring, advocacy, mobilization of funding, and capacity development.

 UNESCO has developed with assistance from an independent team, the annual Education for All Global Monitoring Report monitors global progress towards the six Educations for All goals. Each year the report presents evidence to inform policy makers on a specific topic issue such as reaching marginalized populations, conflict, skills for youth, or teaching and learning. The GMR draws on data from a variety of sources including the UNESCO Institute for Statistics, the leading source for international education statistics. In addition to monitoring the state of education, UNESCO also functions as a “think tank” to guide global debates on the future of education. It does so by analyzing emerging development trends and their implications for education systems and for learning. It also reviews research on education policy and suggests strategic orientations for education policy development.

UNESCO is an organization that believes early childhood education and the importance of quality teachers to ensure the success of children. They advocate for better resources and experiences for children and training for teachers. My professional goals as an early childhood educator are focused on the same path. We have to advocate, educated and empower teachers and parents so children will have an opportunity for a quality education. This means we may need to be the voice in the community on a local state and federal level.

www.unesco.org

Sharing Web Resources

NBCDI: Early Care and Education

The National Black Child Development Institute has been at the forefront of involving leaders, policymakers, professionals and parents about critical issues that directly impact Black children and their families. Their focus is to provide culturally relevant resources that address the unique strengthens and needs of black children that include early childhood education, child welfare, and accessible childcare and family engagement. They advocate for the children and families with the support of their Affiliate network in communities around the world.

Since its inception, NBCDI has been dedicated to supporting the development of a high-quality, accessible, affordable and aligned system of early care and education for children birth through age eight. Each of these years is critical to the socio-emotional and educational success of students, particularly students of color, because they provide the foundation for all subsequent learning and development.

In their program and policy work, NBCDI supports federal, state and local efforts to provide increasing numbers of low-income children with access to quality early education and care; efforts to create a strong and supported early childhood workforce; and efforts to promote developmentally and culturally-appropriate standards, curriculum, instruction and assessment that are aligned within and across the early childhood to early grades continuum.

To ensure every child especially black children have the opportunity to receive a quality education beginning in early childhood the advocate for the following:

·         To increase and equitably distribute quality across the birth through eight continuum.

·         Supporting specific efforts to recruit, professionally prepare compensate and retain a well-qualified workforce  and tom include family and center-based child care as well as public and charter schools

·         Supporting the development and revision of QRIS (Quality Rating and Improvement Systems) that focus on all these systems.

·         Encourage states, districts and schools to embed professional development opportunities that support a deeper understanding of families’ race and culture, and explicitly teach teachers from all backgrounds how to develop and strengthen relationships with parents in the community.  

The NBCDI understands ensure a quality education for black children begins with families being aware of resources, having accessibility to the resources and being able to afford it. The organization is an advocate for families in all three of these areas so every child has start in early childhood education.

Please visit the website to learn more about this organization: http://www.nbcdi.org/


 

Sharing Resources: Global Children Initiative

Sharing Resources: Global Children Initiative

 The Center on the Developing Child has launched the Global Children’s Initiative as the centerpiece of its global child health and development to build an integrated international approach to child survival, health, development beginning in the earl years of their life.

 

Their commitment to global work represents both an acknowledgement of moral responsibility to meet the needs of all children and a critical investment in the roots of economic productivity, positive health outcomes, and strong civil society in all nations, from the poorest to the most affluent. One essential, cross-cutting aspect of the Center’s approach is its commitment to work collaboratively across disciplines and institutions, drawing together the best and most creative expertise available to achieve the Initiative’s goals.

 The Global Children’s Initiative seeks to advance the Center's core mission globally by implementing a compelling research, public engagement and leadership development agenda in child health and development that is grounded in science and engages researchers, public leaders, practitioners, and students from a wide range of institutions around the world. Specifically, the global program will focus on three strategic areas:

·         reframing the discourse around child health and development in the global policy arena by educating high-level decision-makers about the underlying science of learning, behavior, and health, beginning in the earliest years of life;
·         supporting innovative, multi-disciplinary research and demonstration projects to expand global understanding of how healthy development happens, how it can be derailed, and how to get it back on track; and
·         building leadership capacity in child development research and policy—focused on both individuals and institutions—in low- and middle-income countries to increase the number and influence of diverse voices and perspectives that are contributing to the growing global movement on behalf of young children.

Guided by these strategic objectives, the Global Children’s Initiative has begun to build a portfolio of activities in three domains:

·         early childhood development
·         child mental health
·         children in crisis and conflict situations

Each of these domains is being guided by a designated faculty working group that will facilitate continuing cross-disciplinary collaboration; design and implement new projects; and engage additional faculty, students, and collaborators beyond the Harvard community resulting in positive outcomes for children round the world.

(http://developingchild.harvard.edu/initiatives/global_initiative/)

Sharing Web Resources

Sharing Web Resources

The National Black Child Development Institute has created a prek-3^rd grade framework which includes six areas critical to the positive growth and development of black children. The framework gave me an insight about how to provide all children with high quality educational experiences and support.

 

What is a PreK-3rd Grade framework?
The PreK-3rd terminology encompasses a variety of efforts dedicated to improving systems for children birth through age 8; ensuring continuity for children and families through child care, Pre-K and K-12; and seamlessly connecting high-quality early childhood and Pre-K programs with high-quality elementary schools. The Foundation for Child Development has identified major components of a successful PreK-3rd strategy, comprising a loose “framework” which includes, at a minimum: voluntary full-school-day Pre-K and required full-school-day Kindergarten; standards, curriculum, instruction & assessment that are aligned within and across the early childhood to early grades continuum; curriculum that integrates academic and social skills; teachers who are qualified to teach Pre-K to Third grade; and families, schools, and communities who share accountability for student
 

The core of the PreK-3rd framework is built on the critical importance of instructional quality within and across the PreK-3rd grade continuum. Research has repeatedly demonstrated that “high-quality instruction has special significance during the PreK-3rd years, when children master foundational skills and concepts, develop attitudes towards school, and form ideas about themselves as learners.”vi Our collective understanding of the importance of instruction has been manifested at the highest levels – in 2010, when President Obama and the Department of Education released their Blueprint for Reform, to guide the reauthorization of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act, they placed strong emphasis on the need to “measure, develop and improve the effectiveness of teachers, leaders and preparation programs.”

 The PreK-3rd movement aims to change that, having developed a loose framework of core elements that provides ongoing research, evidence and guidelines for states, districts and schools to strengthen teaching and learning across these critical years. In both theory and practice, this framework can be a meaningful one for Black children, families and communities, because it is designed to establish a context for strengthening instructional practices by building on strengths and recognizing cultural patterns. While primarily understood as an agenda to enhance the alignment and coordination of standards, curricula, instruction and assessments across ages and grades, when successfully implemented, the broad PreK-3rd grade framework includes the following six areas that are critical to the positive growth and development of Black children:

 Effective and Aligned Instruction Across Consecutive Years

 Positive Relationship Development Between Children and Teachers

 Strong Family and Community Engagement

 Importance of Social-Emotional Development

 Access to Full-Day, High-Quality Pre K and Kindergarten

 Successful, Supportive and Seamless Transitions

Achieving High-Quality Classroom Instruction

Several components of the PreK-3rd grade framework are dedicated to reversing this trend and promoting effective teaching and high-quality instruction across consecutive years, by advocating for a PreK-3rd grade certification and license; ensuring that all teachers and assistant teachers are considered highly-qualified, with appropriate degrees; building joint planning time for teachers within and across grades to align their instruction and curriculum; and promoting professional development around instructional practices that includes a focus on early education and child development principles.

In addition, high-quality classroom instruction must be based on a foundation of aligned standards across grades; curricula that connect to those standards; and assessments that inform the instruction of those standards and the implementation of the curricula, all of which are integral pieces of the PreK-3rd grade framework. Yet the agenda reaches deeper, having identified four characteristics of what high-quality instruction looks like in PreK-3rd:

1. Teachers observe and respond to individual children’s development over time

2. Teacher provide emotional support to individual children

3. Teachers foster engagement in learning activities and keep classrooms running smoothly

4. Teachers support higher order thinking and advanced language skills

This framework model the NBCDI has established can be implemented  for culturally diverse classrooms to help all children reach their full potential and get the support needed from their teachers.

Childhood Poverty in New Mexico

I have not received a response from my international contact so I visited the website www.childhoodpoverty.org to research poverty in New Mexico. According to research conducted in 2011 there were 116,515 families living in New Mexico with 169,540 young children. There are 32% (54,254) of young children live in poor families (National: 25%), defined as income below 100% of the federal poverty level.

The federal poverty level is $22,350 for a family of four. Children living in families with incomes below the federal poverty level are referred to as poor. But research suggests that, on average, families need an income of about twice the federal poverty level to meet their basic needs.

Parents' Employment Status in New Mexico, by Income Level in 2011 was:

·         31% (16,792) of young children in poor families have at least one parent who is employed full-time, year-round compared to 80% (92,236) of young children in not poor families.

·         40% (21,627) of young children in poor families have at least one parent who is employed either part-year or part-time compared to 15% (17,001) of young children in not poor families.

·         29% (15,835) of young children in poor families do not have an employed parent compared to 5% (6,049) of young children in not poor families.

Education Status:

·         65% of young children whose parents do not have a high school degree are considered poor families.

·         42% of young children whose parents have a high school education fall in the same statues.

·         20% of young children whose parents have some college or more live in poor families.

  Young Children in Poor Families in New Mexico, by Race, 2011

·         16% of young white children live in poor families.

·         38% of young Hispanic children live in poor families.

·         41% of young American Indian children live in poor families.

·         51% of young children of immigrant parents live in poor families.

·         29% of young children of native-born parents live in poor families.

We are faced with a growing concern of poverty and how it is affecting children’s lives. This is why we need to be a voice for families around the world to help decrease the number of children and families living in poverty.

 

 

 

National Black Child Development Institute

 The organization I wanted to learn more about  is The National Black Child Development Institute is dedicated to the success and well-being of black children and is a powerful voiceon issues related to the education, care, and health of Black children and their families.

With a specific and relent less focus on the strengths and needs of our communities and a lens of cultural competence the organization national resource agency providing programs, publications, advocacy and trining related to early childhood care and education for children in K-12. Their resoureces also include resources for health, wellness, literacy, family enagement and child welfare.

NBCDI supports and works primsrily with black children birth through age eight and their families, through coaltion building with community-based organization, foundations, corporations, school systems, elected officials, government, childcare, Head Start, and other private and public partnerships.

This organization is focussed on the Issues and Trends of  black children throughout the world and with the support of others they will ensure black children and families erecieve the support needed for they success in education life and beyond.

 

Visit the website: www.nbcdi.org to learn more about this important organization.

 

 

 



Establishing Professional Contacts and Expanding Resources

I have emailed the following professional organizations to request information about their organizations. I have not received a response from either. The organizations are Global Alliance and UNICEF. I told them I am enrolled in a course “Trends and Issues at Walden University and was very interested in learning more about what they do for children and families in their country.

 My name is Shelia Ebrahim, I am a student at Walden University completing a master degree in Education. I would like to learn more about your organization and mission to enhance the educational development of children in different countries.

Would it be possible for me to be added to you contact list to keep informed about your organization?  

Hope to hear from you soon.

Sincerely,

Shelia Ebrahim

Part 2

I decided to visit National Black Child Development Institute (NBCDI) website. The overview of what the organization mission is was very informative about how they work to improve the lives of black children and families. I plan to do further research on the organization. I registered to receive their newsletter and other information they can share about the organization.

The website is: www.nbcdi.org