Research Around the World

I selected the Early Childhood Development Virtual University (ECDVU) Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) website to explore. The title of this website alone made me curious enough to check it out.
The link to the research being conducted is http://www.ecdvu.org/ssa/major_reports.php


I was surprised to discover the current international research topics are the same as the current research topics here in the U.S.:  Quality child care, Quality Child Services, Sustainability, Cultural and Developmentally Appropriate Practice (DAP), Parent's perception of early childhood needs, Indigenous studies, Parent Collaboration, Parenting enrichment and training of trainers, leadership skills training, and school readiness, etc.


The research is being conducted in Uganda, Ghana, Eritrea, Nigeria, Malawi, Kenya, Tanzania, Zambia, Lesotho, and The Gambia.


Two research topics particularly caught my eye: "Assessment of Interaction and Stimulation in Single-Mother Low Income Families" and "Involving Fathers in Early Childhood Care and Development". I was completely surprised to see what is usually considered "urban problems" in America are also global issues. However, the urbanization of Uganda is also considered to have detrimental effects on the family structure and children's growth and development.


One study that I really enjoyed and gained some interesting insights and ideas about early childhood, which I think my colleagues may also find noteworthy is "Utilizing Indigenous Stories in the Promotion of Early Childhood Programs" in Uganda. The study explored indigenous storytelling-"myths, legends, tales, tricksters, fables, and other stories" and evaluated the usefulness of these stories for early childhood development (Barabogoza Gamurorwa, 2004). We read stories and share tales with children in our programs as part of curricula, but it is interesting to learn that cultural storytelling is not always perceived as useful in supporting children's development.


Of interest to note concerning my own research simulation topic; the study evaluated the issue of children preferring to watch television and listening to the radio or spending too much time watching television and listening to the radio. Television and media are perceived as being harmful to children's learning and development due to its adult influence such as, violence, language, and pornographic content. Some of the suggestions for reviving storytelling was to put the stories on television and the radio or on CD ROMs; forming radio listening clubs at school and in communities and then discussing the stories; and by putting the stories in comic books and videos (Barabogoza Gamurorwa, 2004).


Indigenous storytelling was seen as a way of offering psychosocial support for children with special needs such as, HIV/AIDS and growing up in civil war. The researcher felt it was essential to include indigenous storytelling in a new learning framework being developed by The Ministry of Education and Sports for preschoolers, to provide a more holistic approach to early childhood development-intellectual, social, moral, spiritual, and emotional components (Barabogoza Gamurorwa, 2004).

There were two stories included in the appendix. The second story seemed to be incomplete. The ending may have been omitted or perhaps I missed the point of the story. The first story was about a lazy frog who did not want to help, but wanted to reap the benefits of others' hard work. It was a similar tale to The Little Red Hen, who did all of the hard work to bake bread and when she was done all of the other animals wanted to help her eat it. Isn't it interesting how tales and stories transcend cultures and countries?

The research being conducted in these African nations underscore the importance of providing effective holistic early childhood education on children's growth and development and overall healthy well-being.

Reference
Barabogoza Gamurorwa, A. (2004). Utilizing indigenous stories in the promotion of early childhood development programs in uganda.  Retrieved from http://www.ecdvu.org/ssa/documents/major_projects/Gamurorwa-%20MP%20Final%20-%20UVic%20LP.pdf