Microaggression

         This week we have been learning about microagressions, most of the time unintended insults.  For this weeks blog assignment we need to be conscience of what was going on around us. My sister-in-law and I sell LuLaRoe. It is a newer direct sales clothing boutique that makes stylish but super comfortable clothes in sizes 2 T to 3 XL and the softest leggings you will ever wear (shameless plug:o)). We were at an event and a wife had stopped in to look at the clothes and fell in love with a shirt. She pulled it out a couple of times and talked about how she loved the colors. We talked for a bit and she walked to check out the next vendor booth. About 20 minutes later she comes back with her husband to show him the shirt she really liked. She was a heavier lady, He looked at her and then the shirt and said, "That shirt will never fit your arms." Her face fell. He looked clueless. He did not even realize his comment had hurt is wife. I felt so bad for her. She kinda nodded and walked away and he soon followed.

         This weeks observations has affected my perceptions of the effects of discrimination, prejudice and stereotypes on people. It showed me that we really need to think before we speak. That we unconsciously can really hurt a person with what we say. I think that the saying is true, that physical hurts can heal and go away over time but words always stay with us. We might not think we are prejudice, discriminate or perpetuate stereotypes but we are with the unconscious comments we all make sometimes.

Brandie

Perspectives on Diversity and Culture

I ask three people their definition of culture and diversity:

1.       Culture is a group of people who believe in and have the same values and ideals.

             Diversity is everyone’s different sets of values and beliefs.

2.      Culture is the language we speak, the food we eat, how we interact with others.

Diversity is everyone’s uniqueness. Things that make us different from one another.

3.      Culture is a person’s traditions, language we speak, religious beliefs. Culture is the things we share with others.

Diversity is a person’s gender, sexual orientation, religion, and beliefs. They are the things that make us different.

This assignment was fun, it was interesting to learn about different people’s definition of culture and diversity. There seemed to be a common theme in the definitions. Culture was things we had in common and diversity were things that were the same.  These definitions follow what we have been learning about culture and diversity these last couple of weeks.

This was a fun and interesting assignment. Learning about other people’s definition on culture and diversity made me think about my own definitions. Diversity is the things that make each of us unique. It is vital to accept and respect these differences. The languages we speak, the holidays we celebrate, how we dress, what we eat, all of these things and more go into diversity. Our cultures are the unspoken rules we live by that influence our daily lives without conscience thought, our beliefs, morals, and values.

Brandie

My Family Culture

Imagine the following:

A major catastrophe has almost completely devastated the infrastructure of your country. The emergency government has decided that the surviving citizens will be best served if they are evacuated to other countries willing to take refugees. You and your immediate family are among the survivors of this catastrophic event. However, you have absolutely no input into the final destination or in any other evacuation details. You are told that your host country’s culture is completely different from your own, and that you might have to stay there permanently. You are further told that, in addition to one change of clothes, you can only take 3 small items with you. You decide to take three items that you hold dear and that represent your family culture...

If a major catastrophe had almost completely devastated the infrastructure of the United States and me and my immediate family had to evacuate I would not be worried about taking anything with me, all I would need is my family. In my family, family is crucial. Things are just that things, they really don't mean anything. 

I would explain to others that within my family culture that our families are what is essential to us not things. It is vital to spend and celebrate life together, the little and the big moments. What I hope to pass down to my children is what my parents passed down to me,  that your family will always be there for you and they are important. That things are just things and there will be things in life that we value and treasure but nothing should be more important than family. 

An insight that I gained about my self and my family culture is that, I believe sadly, not all families feel this way. Many people joke that my family is intimidating at first. We are a loud, loving, crazy family. We fight but we always forgive. We celebrate the good and help pick up the pieces when it is bad. I realized with this assignment that who cares what I could bring or couldn't bring with me as long as my family was together. 

Brandie 

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Reflection

When I started this course I was so worried, I cringed at the idea of research and all that goes into it. I have gained many insights about research from taking this course. For one research is not cringe worthy at all. There is a lot of work that goes into research, that is still true, but when you are intrinsically motivated to find the answers to your question it does not feel like work at all. It was fun to learn all about research with the research simulation application project. Each week adding more and more to the simulation was an easier way to learn about all of the different aspects that go into research projects.

Research helps us “understand, explain and make sense of life experiences” (Mac Naughton, Rolfe, & Siraji-Blatchford, 2010, p. 6). Through this course I have learned that there are some basic principles that show up across the board when it comes to quality research. “Quality research is always ethical, purposeful, well designed, transparent, contextualized, credible, careful, imaginative and equitable” (Mac Naughton et al., 2010, p. 10). It is vital to conduct quality research to establish validity.

A challenge I encountered was figuring out the difference between qualitative and quantitative approaches and keeping them straight in my head. I have learned that qualitative approach involves the collection of non-numerical data and are used by researchers that seek understanding rather than explanation. Quantitative approach deals with numerical data and is used by researchers to determine and/or explain relationships (Mac Naughton et al., 2010). I enjoyed this course more than I thought I would. I really enjoyed reading the blogs and discussions of my fellow classmates. They were very informative and I learn a plethora of vital information from them. I will you luck in your continued educational journey for your Master’s degree and hope to see you all in future courses.

Brandie

References

Mac Naughton, G., Rolfe, S. A., & Siraji-Blatchford, I. (2010). Doing early childhood research (2nd ed.). Missouri: McGraw-Hill Higher Education.

Research Around the Word

          For this blog assignment we needed to research some of the current international research topics. It was a fun and interesting assignment. I visited many different websites and explored the different topics being researched around the world. Here are some of the research topics I found from the UNICEF website http://www.unicef-irc.org/ "Research supported by UNICEF – whether undertaken with partners or independently – takes place across a range of geographic, social and economic settings and needs to respond to different thematic priorities and accommodate different levels of research capacity" 

I found a wonderful publication from UNICEF that is called The Best of UNICEF Research, this publication  presents the top 12 studies. It is an annual publication "that promotes the sharing and recognition of quality research for children". 

https://flipflashpages.uniflip.com/3/97869/342422/pub/html5.html#page/1

One of the studies was about a recent research study by UNICEF in East Asia and the Pacific. This research "has broken new ground by gathering data on child maltreatment from every country in the region and by developing a model from which the minimum economic associated costs can be established" (p. 7)

Another study was Water Sanitation and hygiene in Bolivian schools; Empowering girls through WASH. (WASH: WAter, Sanitation, and Hygiene)

The Best of UNICEF Research was a wonderful read and I learned so much about the many research projects around the world. I recommend if you get a chance to check it out.

Brandie Madrid

Resource

https://flipflashpages.uniflip.com/3/97869/342422/pub/html5.html#page/1

http://www.unicef-irc.org/ 

Research that Benefits Children and Families

This week’s blog assignment was to find and share a positive example of the effects of research on children and/or families. I found an article about Early Head Start Research and Evaluation Project. “The national evaluation conducted by Mathematica Policy Research, Inc., and Columbia University’s Center for Children and Families, in collaboration with the Early Head Start Research Consortium, found that 3-year-old Early Head Start children performed significantly better on a range of measures of cognitive, language, and social-emotional development than a randomly assigned control group” (Administration for Children and Families [ACF], 2006, p. 1). The research shows that through early intervention programs like Early Head Start children can thrive despite the negative obstacles that may impact their family’s and/or their lives.

“The Early Head Start Research and Evaluation Project involved 3,001 children and families in 17 sites; half received Early Head Start services, while the other half were randomly assigned to a control group that did not receive Early Head Start, although they were free to use other services in the community. Parents and children were assessed when the children were 14, 24, and 36 months old. Families were also interviewed about their use of a wide range of services at 6, 15, and 26 months after enrollment and when they exited the program. The 17 sites were selected to reflect the array of all Early Head Start programs according to geographic region, racial-ethnic status, urban-rural location, program auspice, and program experience in serving infants and toddlers”(ACF, 2006, p. 2). This research will have a positive impact on many children’s lives. It proves the importance of early intervention.

Brandie

References

Administration for Children and Families. (2006). Research to practice early head start benefits children and families. Retrieved from http://www.acf.hhs.gov/sites/default/files/opre/research_brief_overall.pdf

My Personal Research Journey

I have decided that the topic I will use for the research simulation will be, how poverty affects a child’s learning and development. I have chosen this topic because I live in a rural area and many children and their families suffer from poverty. Many children the only food they receive for the day is what they get at school. Just at our local elementary school over 60% of children are on the free and/or reduced lunch program. I am hoping to learn about the effects poverty have on children and their learning and development to find intervention strategies to help children and ways early intervention can help them.

Constructing the research chart has been very enlightening. I really like the section key terms. It has helped me understand the articles I have been reading. It is a wonderful tool to use. To take words I do not completely understand and defining them in my own words has not only expanded my vocabulary but has helped me understand the research articles I have been reading.

I have had some difficulty using the Walden library and if any classmates have any handy tips to make it easier I would love them. I am never sure of which data bases to use. I have found some research articles but it took me quite a while to find them. I have found some wonderful resources and would love to share them. If you have any resources to share that would be wonderful.

Brandie

Resources

Gundersen, C. (2015). Food assistance programs and child health. Future of Children, 25(1), 91-109. Retrieved from http://web.a.ebscohost.com.ezp.waldenulibrary.org/ehost/pdfviewer/pdfviewer?sid=5e7efeb8-0548-44d4-8d99-c2187d9812d3%40sessionmgr4003&vid=5&hid=4104

Simpson, D. (2013). Remediating child poverty via preschool: exploring practitioners’ perspectives in England. International Journal of Early Years Education, 21(1), 85-96. http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/09669760.2013.771327