Throughout this course, I have come to better understand the versatility of research. I didn't realize until this week how many different options researchers have when development research questions. Even when thinking about the process of developing research, I never knew how simple it can be to design a study just by thinking about if you would rather highlight a relationship between different variables or if you would like to define the correlations between variables.
After this course I can honestly say that the process of research does not scare me as much! With my new knowledge of the different types of research, as well as the various components, I realize that the process is much more fluid than I previously thought. So many aspects of research design are so closely connected, such as ethical implications, extraneous variables, and limitations, that the process isn't nearly as complicated as I once thought.
I have also come to learn that if taking a step-by-step approach to designing research, the process flows quite smoothly. The research simulation outlines each week were an incredible tool at teaching this concept. Thinking about these very outlines, I found that one major challenge was not only thinking about each component as an individual piece, but as a unit of the whole picture. Each week as I planned my outline, I made to sure reference the previous weeks outlines- looking at each together and envisioning the larger ideas embedded within my study.
Overall, I have gained an even stronger view of early childhood professionals as researchers. Each and every day a professional interacts with a child, we are constantly thinking of the observations we make, the data that are collected, and the steps we can take forward using our new knowledge of the child's behavior, interaction, expression, etc. Although this field is driven by human nature, it is supported in full by the scientific process of research. Without consistent units of study, we would never fully understand the value of our interactions, and in turn would never find ways to increase the productivity of support we provide to children, families, and the communities they live within.
