This case study is based on qualitative research carried out with four 4-year-old children attending a kindergarten in Malta. The aim of the study was to first observe children playing without adult intervention to see if, and how, they would engage with mathematical ideas as they played. In the second part of the study, I interacted with the…

This case study examines the challenges of researching one of the most sensitive topics in education contexts: racism. Based on a research project that critically examined the culture in a U.K. university, data were collected using participant observation and in-depth interviews with participants from an underrepresented group. The data were then…

Studies of play often involve face-to-face research with children in settings such as homes, schools, and playgrounds. The COVID-19 pandemic affected children's play in many significant ways; yet, traditional in-person research methods were not possible due to restrictions such as lockdowns, school closures, and social distancing. "A National…

The COVID-19 pandemic caused qualitative researchers to use virtual platforms more extensively than they had done in the past. This case study discusses how doctoral students who were completing their dissertations used the Zoom platform to conduct research that focused on social justice issues in education. It provides a historical backdrop of…

This case study is aimed at postgraduate and early career researchers who wish to embark on using ethnographic techniques in educational research. The topic in question is school food and its impact upon learning. In this case, it is the social aspect which is being addressed. This research did not aim to address the nutritious element but the way…

In 2007, Eve Bernstein started her doctoral research examining how students perceive competitive activities in physical education class. The literature in physical education explored many of the variables that create a successful competitive activity for students in these classes. Factors such as time and appropriate practice, skill progression,…

Determining the researcher role is an important, yet challenging decision for any project. It is especially difficult for new educational researchers whose prior experiences as teachers, administrators, and students may make it challenging to disengage from participant roles. In this case, we offer an example of a research project in which we…

The work presented in this case study results from a study conducted in 2012-2014 examining a newly created teacher evaluation system to determine the inter-rater reliability of the classroom observation instrument. The teacher evaluation system was the result of a partnership between the school district and the university in the same city…

This case study describes the process I engaged in to plan for and implement a design-based research project in an effort to explore what critical language study looked like in practice as well as how teachers and students responded to this instructional approach. In this case study, I focus, specifically, on the choice I made to take on the role…

A warm and comprehensive child-centered approach to early childhood education "Who Am I in the Lives of Children? An Introduction to Early Childhood Education" reflects a practical, constructivist approach to early childhood education (birth to grade 3) and care programs that is dedicated to the development of the whole child--physical,…

This case study focuses on a project designed to empower and enable early childhood education practitioners to observe and document the creativity of the young children they work with. Through workshops, practitioners became skilled in making video observations of children engaged in creative processes. When viewing observations together,…

The research on which this case account is based was motivated by my interest to understand what counts as literacy in schools. I started my career as a primary school teacher, teaching English language to children. The children were avid readers. Although they were good readers and communicators, what baffled me were the dismal language scores…

In January 2014, I began working as an evaluator on an education reform project being implemented by faculty in science and engineering departments at my university. The core goals of the project were for participating faculty members to improve students' learning, engagement, and recruitment and retention in selected introductory-level courses…

During the summer of 2013, four faculty members conceived of a project to explore diversity through a different approach. The project would include two phases: an arts-based mixed-medium phase and a duoethnography phase. A duoethnography consists of intentional, critical conversations between two or more co-researchers to explore a concept or…

This case study describes how I used multiple methods to investigate learning in a classroom where I was also the teacher. Any classroom contains a lot of interconnected activity, and a lot of learning these days is mediated through computers and other digital devices. I explain how and why I used multiple methods to develop a vivid, rich, and…