Research
Around the World
By Lisa Martin
For my blog entry I went to the Early Childhood Development
Virtual University (ECDVU) and looked at research done by students in Sub-Saharan
Africa countries. I was surprised by the variety and quantity of research to be
reviewed, so I focused on the countries where I had friends from Ghana and
Nigeria. Once again, I was immediately drawn to the fact that the issues they
are researching are questions we are investigating here in the United States as
well. The various research addressed concerns like better training of
non-professionals who work in the early childhood setting, as well as parents,
and improving overall administration and oversight of the early childhood
education system. While it was comforting to know that the early childhood
field all around the globe is facing the same issues, I felt a bit disappointed
to realize that the United States is not a clear leader in the field of early
education.
I was really touched by Ezirim (1990) who studied how we could use
indigenous knowledge through storytelling to promote care and education of the
child in a more holistic manner in his thesis titled Integrating Indigenous Knowledge in ECD
Training and Services (p. 1). This
research may have spoken to me because it is Black History month and I feel
that young inner city African- American children do not know their heritage;
and knowing it I believe would improve their success in school. “Integrating
Indigenous knowledge into education also encourages teachers and students to
gain enhanced respect for local culture, its wisdom and its ethics, and
provides ways of teaching and learning locally relevant knowledge and skills”
(Ezirim, 1990, p. 2). I gained further insight when I read that UNESCO has a whole
list of objectives for incorporating indigenous knowledge into education. I am
sure many of you try to get parents and grandparents to come in for circle time
and tell stories related to their particular culture or heritage, and you
should definitely check out the UNESCO objectives. I just feel strongly that
for us to increase our cultural competence and foster it in the children we
must make it part of the curriculum. It increases communication and opens up
dialogue that makes us more connected and empathetic. It is just refreshing and
encouraging to know that these concerns are being addressed on an international
level.
The sub-Saharan link of ECDVU provided so many
interesting research papers. There were topics that touched on my research
subject, as well as most of my colleagues’ choices. Overall, I am sure most of
the studies mirrored work that was done here in the United States as well. The
early education field is constantly changing and evolving all around the world,
and thanks to directives from organizations like UNICEF, each country is
examining similar problems and areas for improvement.
Reference:
Ezirim, M. (1990).
Integrating indigenous knowledge
in ECD training and services. (Master thesis). Retrieved from http://www.ecdvu.org/ssa/documents/major_projects/Ezirim%20-%20MP%20Final%20-%20UVic%20LP.pdf
