A Personal Uplifting Research Story

          “Even young children can contribute to research if appropriate methods are used” (Whiting, 2009). With so many unknowns facing the field of early childhood and children, research is needed to help children foster across each of their developmental domains. When involving children in research, it is imperative the Institutional Review Board’s requirements for special protection of children in research are followed (U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, n.d). I have been able to personally experience a positive example of the effects of research on children and families which followed the Institutional Review Board’s ethical requirements, yet still yielded positive results for a child’s development.

            Five years ago, my uncle became a legal guardian for a three-year old child. The little girl’s mother had been battling chemical addiction for years and had found herself, as well as the child in a compromising situation, causing her to do what she felt was best and give up custody of her c to a person she knew could provide a better life for the child. My uncle took over guardianship of this child with very little prior knowledge about her background. We continue to tell him, he was at the ‘right place at the right time,’ so he could save this little girl.

Over the course of the next several years, this child experienced psychological distress, causing him to seek out support. Due to this little girl’s lack of trust in adults due to her upbringing, her therapist suggested they partake in an ongoing research study at her clinic involving a new type of play therapy. This new therapy would involve multiple family members being present to help the child gain trust in them and build new relationships, while she learned about how to deal with her past. Both my uncle and his new little girl had given their consent and assent to partake in this research. While both my uncle and the researchers understood there may be some ‘skeletons’ which would be revealed from the little girl’s past, they knew if she did not express them, further psychological damage would transpire.

In this situation, while ‘greater than minimal risk’ research was used, the amount of information gained about the child’s past, her new ability to express herself, and the trust she built with extended families members and adults helped her to develop a more psychologically stable state of mind. Due to her participation in the research, the therapist now uses the integration of extended family members within her therapy sessions with young children as a way to incorporate support and relationship building for children.

Research can have wonderful benefits for children and families if ethical, supportive measures are taken. I was excited to observe the effects of research using children within my own life, and I look forward to learning more about research and how I can incorporate it into my personal life circumstance in the future.

Reference

U.S. Department of Health and Human Services: Office for Human Research Protections

(OHRP). (n.d.) Special protections for children as research subjects. HHS.gov. Retrieved on from http://www.hhs.gov/ohrp/policy/populations/children.html.

Whiting, L. (2009). Involving children in research. Paediatric Nursing, 21(5), 32–36. Retrieved

from

http://uhra.herts.ac.uk/bitstream/handle/2299/7736/Appendix%203.pdf?sequence=8.

My Personal Research Journey

              The topic I have chosen for my research simulation is alternatives to standardized testing in early childhood. I chose this topic because I have personally observed my first grade students having severe testing anxiety when it comes time to complete our state and district testing. No matter what I tell my students or how prepared they may be, it is heartbreaking to see students physically shake, cry and even wet themselves because they are so nervous. I am interested in learning more ways to make testing less of a formal process and more of a set of engaging activities where students are not even aware they are being tested. While I understand we will still have to complete state testing requirements, I hope to find enough research so I may advocate for equally effective, yet creative ways to yield assessment data.

            The simulation process so far has been a bit challenging. At first I could not find too much information about alternates to standardized testing, but found many papers written about the pros and cons of testing. After some deep research I found some great articles and I look forward to applying the new terms from our resources in order to seek a more thorough understanding of the evidence behind each article.

While I too struggle with many of the terms, I am excited to expand on the terms and make the definitions more meaningful within our individual research charts. I am excited to look back at my completed research chart at the end of this course in order to document all I have learned about the research process. Having a place to organize all the new information, as well as to serve as a quick reference throughout my simulation will be very beneficial for my confidence in this project.

With assessment and standardized testing being a well-talked about concept with many educators, if anyone has any resources or experiences with alternate testing, I welcome the help. I am interested in any ideas or articles that may talk about different strategies to testing which have proven to be effective. Through our collaboration throughout this course, I am confident we all will come up with wonderful simulation projects.  “Research means finding out new things” (Mac Naughton & Rolfe,  2010, p.13) The more I learn about your simulation projects, I will do my best to also help each and every one of you with resources which I feel may be helpful in your research journeys. Best of luck everyone!

Reference

Mac Naughton, G., Rolfe, S.A., & Siraj-Blatchford, I. (2010). Doing early childhood research:

International perspectives on theory and practice (2nd ed.). New York, NY: McGraw-Hill.

Welcome EDUC 6163 to My Blog!

Hello Everyone and welcome to my Walden Blog. I am very excited for all of us to become more confident as we continue to learn new information about research this quarter. Through our collaboration and continued support for one another I am sure we will all reach our goal of becoming more comfortable with conducting research in the early childhood field.

*On a side note, if anyone would like to change states for a couple days, Minnesota has been having -40 to -50 degree windchills the past two days. All Minnesota public school have been cancelled due to a mandate by the governor the last few days... yikes! Please send any warm weather this way. :)

*Becca Rauch

A Note of Thanks and Support

The past several weeks have been marked by times of research, collaboration and professionalism. I would like to take a minute to thank each and every one of my fellow colleagues and Dr. Kien who have expanded on my blog and discussion posts, which allowed for me to develop a deeper-meaning of our course content. The support from each and every one of you has allowed for my passion to further grow in my desire to become a more effective child and family advocate within the early childhood field. According to Laureate Education, Inc. (2013), the supportive collaboration with fellow colleagues from around the world is a unique trait to Walden, and I am thankful I was able to receive different views on topics due to Walden’s unique classroom style. I wish everyone the best of luck on your continued professional journey and hope I have the opportunity to collaborate more throughout our future courses at Walden University. 

(Wiki News Times, 2013)

Reference

Laureate Education, Inc. (2013). Interconnections-Part 3. Retrieved October 21, 2013, from

http://mym.cdn.laureate-media.com/2dett4d/Walden/EDUC/6005/08/mm/ICS-Part3/ICS-Part3.html.

Wiki News Times. (2013). National Teacher Appreciation Day images. Retrieved October 22,

2013, from http://wikinewstime.com/3249/world-teachers-day-2012-theme-sms-greetings-quotes-wallpapers/#axzz2iqz96ncM.

Examining Codes of Ethics (Week 7, Becca Rauch)

This week I had the opportunity to explore code of ethics statements which offered insight as to goals I should strive for as a professional within the early childhood field. It was difficult at first to narrow my selections down to the three which are the most meaningful, but after much reflection I was able to narrow them down.

The first insight I found meaningful focused on the importance of play during early childhood. It stated, “To support the right of each child to play and learn in an inclusive environment that meets the needs of children with and without disabilities” (NAEYC, 2005, p.2). We have learned throughout this course the importance play can have on the emotional, social and cognitive domains for children. Play is truly a child’s work and we must learn to become inclusive of play within our classrooms, which is why I chose this insight.

The second ideal I have chosen stated, “We shall demonstrate in our behavior and language respect and appreciation for the unique value and human potential of each child” (The Division of Early Childhood, 2000). I believe in order to gain a child and their family’s trust, we must first display genuine levels of respect and appreciation for each individual child. By fostering a respectful relationship, children learn to trust their educator, allowing for them to open their hearts to learning. Parents will also feel more welcomed to participate in their child’s academic career and open up to letting us in on the lives of their child so we can best meet the needs of our young students.

The final ideal I have chosen states, we shall “work through education, research, and advocacy toward a society in which all young children have access to high quality early care and education programs” (NAEYC, 2005, p.7). This ideal incorporates my professional goals for becoming a stronger advocate for young children, learning more strategies to help children as I continue on with my education, and to learn more about diversity in order to help all children within our society have access to quality early learning programming. I feel it is important as an educator to stay current on research affecting our profession, as well as using that research to apply to our own teaching and education of not only students, but also our society in helping children reach their full developmental potentials.

While it was difficult to finally narrow my selection down to just three, reflecting upon the importance of play, respect, education, advocacy and quality programming seemed to fit best into my goals I have for the early childhood field. I look forward to continuing my research into each code of ethics in order to help make a difference in the lives of young children.

Reference

NAEYC. (2005, April). Code of ethical conduct and statement of commitment. Retrieved

October  14, 2013, from http://www.naeyc.org/files/naeyc/file/positions/PSETH05.pdf.

The Division for Early Childhood. (2000, August). Code of ethics. Retrieved October 13, 2013,

from http://www.dec-sped.org/.

Course Resources (Becca Rauch, Week 5)

NAEYC Position Statements and Influential Practices

• Developmentally appropriate practice in early childhood programs serving children from birth through age 8.
• Where we stand on child abuse prevention.
• Where we stand on school readiness.
• Where we stand on responding to linguistic and cultural diversity.
• Early childhood curriculum, assessment, and program evaluation: Building an effective, accountable system in programs for children birth through age 8.
• Early childhood inclusion: A summary.

Other Position Statements and Influential Practices

•  Zero to Three- Infant-toddler policy agenda.
• FPG Child Development Institute- Evidence-based practice empowers early childhood professionals and families.  

Global Support for Children's Rights and Well-Being

• Article: UNICEF’s Fact sheet: A summary of the rights under the Convention on the Rights of the Child.
• Websites:
• World Forum Foundation
• World Organization for Early Childhood Education
• Association for Childhood Education International

Early Childhood Organizations

• National Association for the Education of Young Children
• The Division for Early Childhood
  Zero to Three: National Center for Infants, Toddlers, and Families
• WESTED
• Harvard Education Letter
• FPG Child Development Institute
• Administration for Children and Families Headstart's National Research Conference
• High Scope
• Children's Defense Fund
• Center for Child Care Workforce
• Council for Exceptional Children
• Institute for Women's Policy Research
• National Center for Research on Early Childhood Education
• National Child Care Association
• National Institute for Early Education Research
• Pre[K]Now
• Voices for America's Children
• The Erikson Institute

Professional Journals

• YC Young Children
• Childhood
• Journal of Child & Family Studies
• Child Study Journal
• Multicultural Education
• Early Childhood Education Journal
• Journal of Early Childhood Research
• International Journal of Early Childhood
• Early Childhood Research Quarterly
• Developmental Psychology
• Social Studies
• Maternal & Child Health Journal
• International Journal of Early Years Education

Minnesota Early Childhood Resources

            *The Minnesota Division of Early Childhood

*Minnesota Early Childhood Initiative

*Minnesota Early Childhood Care & Education Site