My chosen international early childhood interest is the European Early Childhood Education Research Association (EECERA). This journal is one of the most prestigious early childhood periodicals in the world and has been in existence for 18 years. Some of the current topics include articles on Introducing Children’s Perspective and Participation in Research, Participating Research with Preschool Children With and Without Disabilities, Seeking Meaning and Understanding of Children as well as looking into the professionalism of educators. As you can see there is quite a bit of concentration in the research area focusing on children and their participation. The articles informed you of effective methods and ideas used to conduct research successfully. These articles were of great interest as we are preparing our on research with children and families.
The insights I expanded upon as I read through and learned more about this international association was their attention to the importance of childhood play and how it relates to children’s success. Educators and the general public are very interested in the correlation between how and when children play and the significance of how it affects development. Articles address the concern of how teacher professionalism can be improved upon and practiced within the Early Childhood field in ways that uphold children's rights and interests while promoting the vital role early childhood teachers play in young children’s daily lives.
Other noteworthy information on this website that caught my attention was their conference list and the importance of sharing research information with various institutions locally and nationally. The Special Interest Groups (SIG) mentioned assume a large role in the life of this organization as they critique, encourage and support various issues through global partnership. A SIG formed in Malta and based their needs on specific work. The actions of this group have been underway since 2007 and making great strides with their efforts.
References:
http://www.eecera.org
When we examine all the research available to us, internationally, we come away with the knowledge that we are not alone in the questions we have or the answers we seek. Many research studies in other developing parts of the world address the same issues we struggle with here in the industrial nations. The most reassuring thing is, children are children everywhere and they are not being forgotten.
ReplyDeleteIt is interesting to see other countries' perspective on dealing with researching children. We are all invested in furthering our knowledge on what is best for our children's future and ensuring that families know the importance of what is best for them.
ReplyDeleteIt is nice to see that other countries are focusing on play as well. The strange part is their work on children participating in research and how it affects them. I wonder if anyone here in the United States has thought of this topic?
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