My Personal Research Journey

The topic I chose as an interest is what makes a quality early childhood educator. Within this topic, I chose to investigate the subtopic of what education an early childhood educator should have in order to be considered "quality". I chose this subtopic for our research simulation because there is a lack of quality control on early childhood educators. With the research that proves the value and importance of learning in the first few years of life, it is difficult for me to fathom why there is not a set of quality standards in place for early childhood educators. Many organizations have recommendations for teacher quality standards, but states and the federal educational and governing bodies have yet to put the effort into investigating and mandating any standards for early educators. I find this to be a great injustice to young children, their families, and society as a whole.

I have very little experience with the research process. I have worked with two professors on their research process. However, all I did was distribute and collect data. I did not advance the idea or any of the formats used to gain data. Therefore, this process is a bit unknown to me and I am somewhat fearful. When constructing my "Understanding Research Chart", I had a bit of difficulty articulating my reflection. I believe that with time and experience, this will become less difficult, but at this point in time, I am feeling a bit overwhelmed with the process.

As I search for appropriate resources for my topic, I welcome any assistance any of you may provide me, and I will be more than willing to assist any of you in your process. Within my "Other Pages" option on my home page, I have a small resource list, as I know that most or even all of you have. Please consult it and add to it as you wish. Good luck to everyone in this process, and please let me know if I can help.