International Research in Early Childhood

The website I reviewed was that of the European Early Childhood Education Research Association (EECERA).  This organization conducts research on and about early childhood education (ECE), along with how the policies and practices affect the field.  The EECERA’s annual conference and monthly journals report the findings of their practices as the leading international contributor to the development and improvement of the early childhood field.  The special interests groups within this organization break down the early childhood field into the categories of birth to 3, equity and respect for diversity, leadership and integration, leadership mentoring for early years services, learning and participation, mathematics birth to 8 years, outdoor play and learning, professionalism in early childhood education and care, transitions, young children’s perspectives, and working with parents and families.

Unfortunately, there is a fee to access the journal and discover the specific research projects and results.  However it was encouraging to learn that there is a non-profit organization conducting comprehensive research with the intention of improving the field of early childhood, and the policies and practices within the field.

Research Project

If I possessed the knowledge and were given the opportunity to perform any research study affecting the field of early childhood education, it would relate to the effects that ‘screen time’ has on the developing human brain.   Throughout my career, I have noticed a large regression in the areas of socialization, problem solving, focus, and attention.  More recently through my class readings, I have learned that many studies are relating some of these problems to the amount of time children are spending in front of various screens, be it video games, computers, and television.   Even learning games are being considered as possibly damaging.  I am learning that it is not the nature of the game, but the time that children are spending staring at a screen rather that interacting with others, and the world around them.  If I could, I would conduct a research study that would hopefully provide comprehensive evidence that links screen time to any or all of the above listed problem areas.  This research would be important not just for parents to know, but for teachers as well.  A new trend in education is technology, which is very important for our children to become familiar with in the ever changing and growing world.  However, we may need to be cognitive and aware of how much technology we are utilizing as it pertains to ‘screen time,’ and the consequences that can come along with it.

My Research Topic:

As a kindergarten teacher, I am constantly working to incorporate developmentally appropriate practice into the current trends of standards and test based teaching and learning brought about by government policies such as No Child Left Behind.  Because of this, my research topic will be: ‘How can educators incorporate both developmentally appropriate practice (DAP) and standards-based learning into the early childhood setting?’  Reading the assigned chapters and forming the research chart has helped me to learn about the steps I will be taking while researching.  To this point, I selected my topic, I am working with relevant literature on my topic for this week’s application-2, and I have formulated my question.  I am currently reviewing the literature to take me into my next stage of research. 

I would love to hear if anyone else is struggling with incorporating DAP into state mandated standards-based learning.  How have you combined the 2 and are there any suggestions you could share with me?