Early Childhood Research Methods l Assignment

1Running head: ECE 306 - EARLY CHILDHOOD RESEARCH METHODS
ECE 306 - Early Childhood Research Methods
Author’s Name
Institutional Affiliation

2ECE 306 - EARLY CHILDHOOD RESEARCH METHODS
ECE 306 - Early Childhood Research Methods
Question 1: Critical Analysis of Sullivan and Bers’s (2018) Research Report
a) Examining the Alignment of Literature Review with Research Topic, Research
Questions and the Study’s Theoretical Framework
Overview. The paper written by Sullivan and Bers’s (2018) emphasized the
innovation that had been brought about in terms of engineering and technology pertaining to
early education on childhood in Singapore. Contextually, they introduced the new initiative
of teaching coding and robotics to students in preschools. The aim or the fundamental aspect
of the paper was to analyze the experience and knowledge gained by the children in the
classroom, where they were taught by making use of KIBO robotics. Along with it, the
experience of the teacher, teaching the coding and robotics in the classroom, has also been
shared in the article. The ultimate report of the research discloses that the adoption and
involvement of robotic techniques during the process of teaching younger children in the
classroom resulted in successfully gaining expertise in the concepts of foundational
programming (Sullivan & Bers, 2018, 325-346). Analyzing the research report, it is found to
include a number of literature reviews, where various summary and statements stated by the
different authors have been depicted in order to support the argument considered in the paper.
While researching and writing a paper, it is essential that the literature review relates to the
topic of research and questions prepared for research. This needs to be answered throughout
the paper, and with the theoretical framework so as to craft a good research paper. They also
observed that due to the engagement of robotics in the classroom, the interest of the children
towards technology and engineering has been increasing largely. The literature review of the
report has emphasized the importance of technology, as it may contribute to increasing the

3ECE 306 - EARLY CHILDHOOD RESEARCH METHODS
level of creativity within the children and can even solve the problem among them
effectively.
Critical Analysis of “STEM and STEAM Education in Early Childhood”. The
literature review as presented in the paper has been segregated under three separate heads,
where the first section is based on STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Mathematics)
and STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts, and Mathematics). This section
focuses on the education of early childhood. According to Bers (2008), during the past years,
the children were more interested in the subject of natural science. Thus, while demonstrating
the study of robots, it was assessed with respect to science, as by using robots or learning
through them, the children obtained additional information on technology and engineering.
Thus, the descriptions of those factors are required to derive the necessary outcomes in
relevance with the provided topic. The report was basically prepared based on the analysis of
developing the interest of children towards technology and engineering, which is part of
science as well. Thus, it could align with the main objectives of the paper. Children are taught
using the digital technologies and computers, thereby leading to the increase in the learning
capacity and the creativity of children, along with the knowledge of technology, which also
tends to develop (Cordes & Miller 2000; Oppenheimer 2003). Thus, robots were
implemented and involved in the classes while teaching the students in their early childhood
phase, the skill of developing their interest in the technology. This can be done by engaging
with the children and by enabling them to interact with robots as a part of their study course.
On the other hand, from the paper of Bers (2012) and Resnick (2006), it can be summarized
that the researcher has started focusing on how to generate new ideas to engage the children
in new technologies rather than teaching them the use of digital techniques. Thus, the given
statement supports the report associated with the new techniques of robotics and coding,
which were introduced in the class for the purpose of teaching them to engage the children

4ECE 306 - EARLY CHILDHOOD RESEARCH METHODS
and involve them with technologies. This is because later on, they can understand the
importance of technologies and some students may even continue their further studies in
engineering and technology.
Critical Analysis of “Coding and Robotics For Young Children”. The second
section of the literature review was based on the roles of robotics and coding on the learning
process of the younger children along with the manner, in which the implementation of this
factor has bought about changes in their education system. It has also added fun elements in
the classroom so that the children get attracted to attend the classes with complete
concentration and attentiveness in studies. Along with studies, their curiosity and excitement
about the robots with respect to their design and functioning will also get developed, in turn,
contributing to the increase in the interest of student towards engineering, programming
robots, and technology. This can prove to be beneficial in the case of science and
mathematics (Kazakoff et al., 2013, 245–255). Several authors suggested that even the
children of four years of age can build and program the robots, which are less complicated in
nature, based on the possession of the concept of robotics and foundation of engineering
(Bers et al. 2002, 123–145; Cejka et al. 2006, 711–722; Perlman 1976; Sullivan et al. 2013;
Sullivan and Bers 2015). The information abstract from the various sources was written in the
paper in order to make the research more valid. This is because it emphasized largely on the
initiative, which was taken after being researched upon.
Critical Analysis of “The Playmaker Programme In Singapore”. The third section
of the literature review was on the playmaker programme, which has recently been launched
in Singapore. It was distributed among 160 preschools for basically targeting the younger age
of children (Chambers 2015). The main objective of launching the programme and
introducing it to younger children was to make them familiar with the technology and even to
meet the growing needs of technology in the education sector (Chambers 2015; Digital News