Research in ECE
The Rasmussen University Online Library has a lot of different ways for you to find sources for your research. Check out our video series for more information about getting the most out of the online library, including information about:
Research Process: The Basics
1. Define your topic.
2. Do some background research.
3. Use library resources to find relevant books, articles, reliable websites, videos to support your argument.
4. Evaluate the quality and reliability of the resources gathered.
5. Take notes and record bibliographic information.
6. Organize notes and create an outline.
7. Write a rough draft.
8. Insert citations for resources integrated into the paper.
For more information on writing a research paper, visit The Writing Guide.
Dictionaries & Encyclopedias: Early Childhood Education
- Credo Reference This link opens in a new window
Credo Reference offers full-text online versions of hundreds of reference books in all major subjects. It includes dictionaries, bilingual dictionaries, thesauri, encyclopedias, quotations and atlases, plus a wide range of subject-specific titles. Also featured are concept maps for visual learners, tables, interactive maps, timelines, and talking dictionaries.
- GALE Ebooks This link opens in a new window
Hundreds of reference ebooks (dictionaries, encyclopedias, & topic overviews) across all subject areas.
Specific ECE Encyclopedias and Dictionaries:
- Early Childhood Education: An International EncyclopediaA landmark contribution to the field, this compendium addresses key historical and contemporary issues, research, theoretical perspectives, national policies and practices in early childhood education and care.
- Encyclopedia of Special Education: A Reference for the Education of the Handicapped and Other Exceptional Children and AdultsThe highly acclaimed Encyclopedia of Special Education addresses issues of importance ranging from theory to practice and is a critical reference for researchers as well as those working in the special education field. This completely updated and comprehensive A-Z reference includes about 200 new entries, with increased attention given to those topics that have grown in importance since the publication of the third edition, such as technology, service delivery policies, international issues, neuropsychology, and RTI. The latest editions of assessment instruments frequently administered in special education settings are discussed.
- Cambridge Encyclopedia of Child DevelopmentAn authoritative, accessible and up-to-date account of all aspects of child development. Covers everything from prenatal development to education, pediatrics, neuroscience, theories and research methods to physical development, social development, cognitive development, psychopathology and parenting. It also looks at cultural issues, sex differences and the history of child development.
- A History of Children's Play and Play Environments: Toward a Contemporary Child-Saving Movementhis valuable book traces the history of children's play and play environments from their roots in ancient Greece and Rome to the present time in the high stakes testing environment. Through this exploration, scholar Dr. Joe Frost shows how this history informs where we are today and why we need to re-establish play as a priority. Ultimately, the author proposes active solutions to play deprivation. This book is a must-read for scholars, researchers, and students in the fields of early childhood education and child development.
- International Encyclopedia of Marriage and FamilyThe second edition of the International Encyclopedia of Marriage and Family revises and expands Macmillan's 1995 Encyclopedia of Marriage and the Family, adopting an international, cross-cultural approach to such diverse topics as adolescent parenthood, family planning, cohabitation, widowhood, domestic violence, child abuse and neglect, codependency and commuter marriages. It includes articles specific to countries and to religious traditions, examining the history of family life within these cultures and discussing how families have been affected by political and social change.
Library Databases: Early Childhood Education
- Education Research Complete This link opens in a new windowEducation-related articles from more than 2,100 scholarly and practical journals and 500+ books. Covers all levels of education (early childhood to college) and all educational specialties (educational psychology, school nursing, technology, curriculum and instruction, classroom management, and supervision and administration).
- Education via ProQuest This link opens in a new windowEducation, psychology and social science databases from ProQuest.
- Children's Literature Comprehensive Database (CLCD) This link opens in a new window
Children's Literature Comprehensive Database (CLCD) includes over 2.6 million fiction/non-fiction records with 650,000+ national and international awards plus 540,000+ quality, professional reviews. It includes over 330,000 author/title links plus lesson plans and teaching guides. The search engine offers 45 search-limiters to easily find appropriate materials such as: determining interest & reading levels; select trade books based on standards; create thematic, annotated biographies; interpret reviews; develop STEM book collections and more. Students can set up their own My CLCD account to save their search assignments.
- ERIC: The Educational Resource Information Center This link opens in a new windowA comprehensive source of articles from both practical and scholarly education journals. Also includes the most comprehensive source of "gray" literature in the field of education (reports, conference proceedings, activity guides & case studies).
- Discovery Search This link opens in a new window
Discovery is an all-in-one search platform. Search most of our academic databases at one time on our familiar, easy-to-use EBSCO platform.
- Mango Languages This link opens in a new window
Offering 25+ foreign languages and 10+ ESL programs. Use at your own pace.
For help with searching in these databases, visit the Database Search Tips box below!
Web Resources: Early Childhood Education
- Zero to Three**Note for faculty - If you want to use Zero to Three's videos or articles in a course, you need to submit a request form. You can find that form here: https://www.zerotothree.org/permissions.
Unsure of whether or not a website you found is credible and appropriate to use for an assignment? Visit this Answer!
eBook Databases: Early Childhood Education
- eBooks and Academic eBooks This link opens in a new window
24/7 access to eBooks in all program areas.
- Ebook Central This link opens in a new window
eBook Central (ProQuest) is a collection of ebooks selected by Rasmussen University Librarians to aid in research and support course assignments.
- cloudLibrary This link opens in a new windowA collection of ebooks that supports leisure reading, life-long learning, and course assignments.
Instructions:
1. Select Country (United States)
2. Select State (Minnesota)
3. Select Library (Rasmussen College Library)
4. Click the green Login button. A dialog will appear asking for your Library ID Card. Enter your Rasmussen “smail” email address (firstname.lastname@smail.rasmussen.edu), then click Login and Accept.
Download the app for an improved reading experience:
When cloudLibrary opens, click the appropriate box for the device you are using to download the app.
Video Resources: Early Childhood Education
Videatives is a database of over 290 early childhood education videos and clips. You can browse by subject or age.
EdFlicks: Child Care Exchange Videos offers over 130 videos on Early Childhood Education topics ranging from addressing challenging behaviors to promoting wellness, building enrollment to child assessment, and caring for infants and toddlers to supporting teacher performance.
Zero to Three provides resources (video and articles) surrounding four topics:
**Note for faculty - If you want to use Zero to Three's videos or articles in a course, you need to submit a request form. You can find that form here: https://www.zerotothree.org/permissions.