Throughout this course I have learned many things. I have had misconception cleared up. One insight I gained from this course was that there are many considerations when setting up a research project. A person cannot just walk in and start a research project. One must have a well detailed and thought out plan before starting. I also gained a new set of vocabulary terms. The research process is less confusing once you have a handle on the terminology.
During this course my ideas about doing research have changed in that I realized how detailed a plan a researcher must have in order to complete the research project they are working on.
One misconception that was cleared up for me was that there are many types of research designs. I also learned that you don’t have to use just one type of design either but can used a mixture of methods. I do believe that without the large amounts of research that have been done in early childhood that our education system would not be as advanced as it is today. We have dedicated research professionals to thank for that.
Some of the challenges that I encountered during this course were learning the vocabulary words and making sense of them. A challenge for me was also being able to distinguish between the types of designs, qualitative versus quantitative. Using the research chart was a huge benefit to learning and understanding the vocabulary and other concepts needed.
My perceptions of early childhood professionals have not changed due to this course. My perceptions of researchers have changed. I now have a greater appreciation of the work they do. I now realize how much thought, planning, and dedication it takes to complete the work they do.
