This case study discusses responsive walking methods from a yearlong river-child-walking project situated in early childhood education. Grounded by feminist anti-colonialism, this project reconfigured children's relations with a local river and challenged dominant, extractive methods of discovery. A behind-the-scenes approach is taken in this case…

This report considers the use of a focus group as a data collection tool in early childhood research. The report outlines one researcher's experience, analyzing the difficulties of gaining meaningful data during focused group discussions, considering in some depth the impacts of careful management on the validity of the findings, providing…

Identifying effective literacy interventions for teachers of very young children is important, but it is not easy. In this case study, we share our experiences implementing a quasi-experimental evaluation of an early literacy program. We describe the design and context of the study and discuss three key issues that we encountered with data…

In 2014, I enrolled as a PhD candidate within the discipline of Public Health with the aspiration of conducting research on young children's health and wellbeing as they transition to school. Initial review of the literature on young children's health and wellbeing highlighted two key aspects of the field: (a) there is no shared or agreed upon…

How do topics such as race and ethnicity "play out" in the preschool classroom? Are conversations surrounding these topics celebrated or discouraged? Do teachers actively engage young children to facilitate exploration and discussion of such topics? Do children naturally do this of their own accord? My first foray into qualitative…

This PhD research project involved working with parents, teachers, and children in two nursery classes. I was interested in finding out how individuals perceived the idea of parental involvement in their children's nursery education, with a view to improving practice in this area. In carrying out the research, I had to think carefully about…

This case study is directed at the methods used to examine group differences when random group assignment is not a feasible option. The authors discuss how to employ propensity score matching techniques and practical issues that arise when employing such techniques. The context of using propensity score matching is embedded in a research study…

This case study presents some of the practical aspects of focus-group interviews used in the frame of a broader research accomplished through Erasmus+ Project "Let's make it better! Raising the awareness of the triad nutrition-health-food safety in school education (EDU FOR HEALTH)." The interviews were conducted within the activity…