When I think of Research

When I think of Research I think of  what goes into the development of a research study. From choosing a topic of interest, formulating a research question and stating a hypothesis is just one of the many things that a researcher has to come up with in order to get the research study approved by the IRB and actually begin data collection.  I have gained many insights throughout this course about research as it relays to the field of early childhood. My insights include going in depth about qualitative, quantitative, and mixed methods research. 
 In this course my application assignments have really helped me break my research simulation project down to where I could aim my study in one area and focus on that area. I did face challenges in my simulation as to where I wanted to focus but I chose to focus on Professional Development, another challenge I had was determining what research design I would use to collect my data and how I would collect my data. I overcame my challenges by seeing which research design would best fit my study as well as which method would be best for me to collect data.

My perceptions as an Early Childhood professional from taking this course is to continue my research on studies that has impacted the field of early childhood.