I have learned the importance of ethics when conducting research that involves children. It is very important that consent is given by a parent or guardian before a child participates in any research or study. It is also important that the researcher does not include anything that will be damaging to the child in their research. The researcher should also be sure that their research in age appropriate for the children participating. I have gained a sense of how important it is to be organized before and during research. The researcher should gather some information about his or her topic prior to researching. The type of research should also be known so that the researcher knows what direction to go as far as gathering the necessary information. This includes knowing rather the study is quantitative or qualitative. When it comes to planning, designing and conducting research, I learned that research design sets the tone for the research. Research designs are procedures that the research should develop that will guide them throughout their study. If the research design is not in order, there is a great possibility that their research will not be in order. All information and or data must fit together when conducting research. A challenge that I encountered was choosing the right research question. At first, my question was too broad. I met my challenge by narrowing my question down. My perceptions of an early childhood professional have been modified as a result of this course by becoming familiar with the importance of ethics. Ethics is a vital part of protecting children who participate in any research. Consent must be given for a parent or guardian prior to the child participating in the research. As we have come to the close of this course, I would like to thank each and every one of you for the collaboration and input you have contributed to furthering my education on the “how” and “why” aspects of conduction research. Although, this has been a challenging course for me, I am proud to say that I am leaving with much more information than I came with! Again, thank you all I you the best in your future endeavors(!

I think that some of the current international research topics include law, education and war. A surprising fact that I gained from exploring the international childhood website was the large numbers of orphanages in Zambia. These children’s family members have died which has caused them to become orphans. A child that has had one parent to die is referred to as a single orphan. When both of the parents are deceased, the child is referred to as a double orphan. When a child that has lost both of their parents, grandparents on both sided and any other family members they may have had are referred to as multiple orphans. According to the article, HIV/AIDS is the cause of some of these deaths. Poverty and anomie also play parts in the deaths. I also learned of an organization by the name of integrated early childhood care and development (IECD) initiative. This is an organization that works hard to ensure children’s rights are protected. This organization was approved by both the government of Zambia and UNICEF. IECD is an organization that works as advocates for children in several different aspects such as health, nutrition, intellectually and social and emotional care. Reference Akin ware, M. (1987). Pilot Study of the Adaption of an Established Measure to Assess the Quality of Child Services in a Selected Orphanage in Zambia: The Inclusive Quality Assessment. Retrieved from http://www.ecdvu.org/ssa/major reports.php