New Insights about Research
During this course I
learned about several different types of research. The first is quantitative, another is
qualitative and a third is mixed methods.
Within these categories there are longitudinal studies and case studies. There are different methods of conducting
research and different ways of increasing the validity of a research project. All of the knowledge I have gained makes me
feel more confident about reading research articles. I have the ability to glean information from
such articles because I now have the vocabulary and background knowledge to
comprehend what I am reading. Before I would bypass any article that had a
chart full of numbers, but now I would make an attempt to understand it.
I learned a lot from making
several attempts to design a research study of my own around the topic of
attachment and separation anxiety. I
learned the importance of beginning with a literature review to become familiar
with studies about my topic that have been done in the past and what was
previously concluded. I had the
opportunity to picture myself as the researcher and learn which type of
research appeals most to me. I see
myself doing mixed methods research. I
want to find solutions or treatments that can solve a problem. But I also want to delve in to the heads of
the people involved which would require more of a qualitative approach. I learned that who I am may bias my
conclusions so it is best to use various kinds of triangulation; data,
methodological and researcher, to make my research more valid.
I
encountered challenges as I worked through this course. Sometimes I had no clue what an assignment was
asking. I had to read and re-read the
directions and do the same with the resources in order to glean anything from
it. But I persevered and through
repetition I caught on. I was also
helped by my classmates and my instructor through their posts and comments on
the discussion board.
I
now see that my co-workers and I conduct mini-research studies all the time and
that they are often quantitative. We
identify a problem in our classroom which becomes the dependent variable and
apply a solution to the problem which becomes the independent variable. Then we analyze the why behind the problem
from a human standpoint and this is like a mini qualitative study. I am now more aware of how past experiences
and certain mindsets may cloud my judgment and cause me to come to biased
conclusions. It is good for me to be
aware of this in my early childhood work.
