When I Think of Research...

My research simulation question is: Is there a difference in infants and toddler’s language development between those who have well- educated caregivers and those who do not have well educated caregivers?

This simulation is important to the field of early childhood because the data from this simulation can directly impact young children and their future. My hope would be that professionals that work in the early childhood field can share data with caregivers about how to improve language development in young children. While caregivers cannot change their past education experiences, they could change the way they interact with their young children. In addition to this, caregivers may not be aware of this impact on their children and this information could provide new learnings for families with young children.

If I were to conduct this simulation proposal, young children would benefit. If more individuals are aware of the relationship between mother’s education and language development then mothers may change their current practices to help their children, and also women who have not become a mother yet may take this into consideration before starting their family to better understand how they can contribute to healthy brain development for their children. With this information being presented hopefully more children will develop strong language skills allowing a successful future.

My perception of early childhood professionals has been modified after this course because I have a better understanding of research and all that goes into conducting research. In order to be successful educators, we need the research from early childhood professionals. I have a greater appreciation for the research that is conducted by early childhood professionals and respect the work they do.

I have learned a lot about research and how research can impact the education field throughout this course. This could not have been done without the support from colleagues. I would like to say thank you to everyone who contributed to discussion post and blog assignments as learning from one another has helped me to deepen my understanding of this field.

Research Around the World

The website I chose to research is: Early Childhood Australia” http://www.earlychildhoodaustralia.org.au/

The focus of this webpage is to provide international research about the public policy debate relating to all things that impact young children (birth to eight) and their families. This organization is a nonprofit organization and is a voice for young children and discusses ways to advocate for young children and their families. This organization has five goals: “to speak up for children, build social capital, champion quality in early education, lead and inspire professional learning, position ECA for long term success” (Early Childhood Australia).

            I found this website to be interesting as it is comparable to NAEYC here in America. This information this website provides about the goals of this organization was insightful as I realized NAEYC has many of the same goals, and both strive to be an advocate for young children. This organization provides many professional development opportunities for educators as well as families. These resources include publications, leadership programs for educators to take part in, a hub which includes online learning opportunities, webinars, and live wires which brings all this information together into a digital resource (Early Childhood Australia). While I was not able to find specific data and numbers relating to the research this organization conducts, I did realize this organization houses great resources for educators and families to use in order to ensure young children are receiving the support they need to be successful.

            It was interesting to see that another country has an organization almost identical to NAEYC which here in America we are so familiar with as they set the tone for a huge portion of Early Childhood Education programs. We are often so focused on our lives and what we need to do in our schools that we do not think about what is happening world- wide. I was excited to see that the education system in Australia has the same standards and guidelines as schools in America. The last noteworthy information I found was any individual can become a member of this organization. Becoming a member of this organization ensures you are kept up to date on the latest research and policies, but that you are also a voice for young children and help to support a successful future for these children.

Reference

Early Childhood Australia. Retrieved from: http://www.earlychildhoodaustralia.org.au/