At the beginning of this course, I
was nervous and rather intimidated just by the thought of research. Thankfully, the entire research process was
broken down step by step which made me relax so I could actually enjoy this
course.
Over
the last 8 weeks, I have learned about the different methods of research
including quantitative, qualitative, and the mixed method. I also learned about special considerations
that need to be made when research involves children as well as ethical
concerns that come up during the research process.
Through
this class, I have realized that my initial idea of research being a time
consuming and lengthy procedure has not really changed but I have realized the
reasons behind why research is not a fast process. It takes time to develop an idea into an
actual research project. Different
angles need to be considered and all of the bases need to be covered before
anything can actually be done.
For my
research simulation, I decided to research play therapy. I realized that I needed to narrow this
subject down so I decided to look at how gender relates to the effectiveness of
play therapy on children with ADHD. I
was able to take my research simulation step by step and did not come across
any major problems. I believe it would
have been one disaster after another if I were just thrown into the research
project. Thankfully, each week I was
guided step by step in my research simulation.
Because
of this experience, I have a greater respect for researchers and those in the
early childhood field who are involved in research projects. It is time consuming and exhausting but in
the end, the early childhood community is better as a whole because people are
dedicated to enhance the lives of children.
For this I am truly grateful.
The last
8 weeks have challenged me to become a better student and advocate for children. I want to thank my fellow classmates for their
support throughout this course. I have
enjoyed reading their posts and blogs as both of these areas have helped me
expand my knowledge by opening my eyes to other opinions. It has been a great experience and I look
forward to sharing more classes with everyone again soon!
