Research Methods in Early Childhood

Penny Mukherji has been involved in educating students in the field of early childhood for 30 years and during this time has developed a deep understanding of how to support students on their learning journeys. Before her retirement Penny was a Senior Lecturer in Early Childhood Studies at London Metropolitan University, where an important part of her teaching involved supporting both undergraduate and postgraduate students completing their research projects. Penny continues to be actively involved in the university, both as a tutor for students who are distance learners and as a supervisor for students completing their dissertations. With a background in health and psychology, Penny is an established author, with a special interest in the health and well-being of young children. Deborah Albon was a Senior Lecturer in Early Childhood Studies at the University of Roehampton until her recent retirement when she became Honorary Fellow. Before this, she worked with Penny Mukherji at London Metropolitan University for many years. Deb has considerable experience teaching research methods to both undergraduate and postgraduate students as well as supporting them with their dissertations. Deborah’s research interests are primarily focused around food and drink provisioning and play in early childhood settings. Deborah is widely published in this area and has recently co-edited an early childhood related Special Issue of the journal Ethnography and Education.

Part I: Paradigms and Principles
Chapter 1: Positivist Research
Beyond Positivism: Interpretivism, ‘Critical’ Paradigms and Post-Structuralism
Chapter 3: Ethics
Chapter 4: Listening to Children
Part II: Approaches to Research
Chapter 5: Surveys
Chapter 6: Ethnography
Chapter 7: Case Studies
Chapter 8: Action Research
Part III: Methods
Chapter 9: Observation
Chapter 10: Interviews
Chapter 11: Questionnaires
Chapter 12: Using Documents and Other Visual ‘Texts’
Chapter 13: Using Journaling as a Research Tool
Chapter 14: Creative Methods for Listening to Children in Research
Part IV: Carrying out a Research Project
Chapter 15: Research Design
Chapter 16: Reviewing the Literature
Chapter 17: Analysing and Presenting Data
Chapter 18: Writing up