Research around the World

For this assignment I chose to explore the European Early Childhood Education Research Association (EECERA) website. Here's what I found.

What are some of the current international research topics?

        Like current research in the United States, the research topics listed in the 2014 issues of the journal published by this organization  are related to literacy, science,  professionalism in the field and ongoing professional development, emotional development, and how to support children's learning. Here are some of the titles of research studies published in the most recent journal:

The multiliteracy development of a young trilingual child: Four leading literacy activities from Birth to age six.

How often to Early Childhood Teachers teach science concepts? Determinants of the frequency of science teaching in kindergarten.

Developing Professionalism through reflective practice and ongoing professional development.

Consulting Young Children about barriers and supports to learning

Education for Sustainable development in early childhood education in Spain. Evolution, trends and proposals.

Children's meaning making of nature in an outdoor oriented and democratic Swedish preschool practice.

Stress and caregiver sensitivity among child care staff in Santiago, Chile

Further exploration of the first issue published in 2014 revealed additional research regarding play, social emotional development, mathematics in kindergarten, improving individualized education programs for students with autism, character development, and parent perceptions of quality in early childhood education.

What surprising facts/insights/new ideas about early childhood did you gain from exploring this international early childhood website?

I was pleasantly surprised to learn that there are so many professionals all over the world working to improve the lives and experiences of young children and families. While a subscription is necessary to read the full text of the articles provided, visitors to this website are able to read the abstracts of each article. I was not surprised to read that parents often overestimate the quality of early childhood education provided to their children when compared to ratings of the same environments using the Early Childhood Environment Rating Scale-Revised (ECERS-R). I also noted that the international community is looking to improve professionalism in the field, similar to efforts being made across the U.S. Additionally, I also noted a focus in involving children in assessing their own barriers and supports to learning, laying the foundation for children to develop the skills necessary to say (later in school) "Here's where I am stuck" or "Here's where I do well, I need more things like this to help me learn better."

 

What other noteworthy information did you find on this website?

I found that this organization has many similarities to our own NAEYC. Like the NAEYC, EECERA is an independent  organization that supports early childhood professonals and encourages, supports and publishes multidiciplinary research. Like the NAEYC, EECERA supports early childhood by promoting practices based on current and past well known early childhood research theories, methods and concepts that we know are developmentally appropriate. Finally, like the NAEYC, EECERA hosts a conference that promotes networking among early childhood professionals and connects teachers with researchers.

 

References

http://www.eecera.org