Activities

Activity 1

Anne is a student on an early childhood studies degree course. She is about to embark on her dissertation and is interested in researching something relating to children with special needs. As part of her course she is on placement for two days a week in a preschool setting with children aged from three to four. The setting has a policy of offering inclusive care and education for children with special needs and disabilities. The facility is expecting to admit a three-year-old who has cerebral palsy, communicates by signing and uses a wheelchair. Anne has three months for data collection and her first thoughts are that she would like to evaluate how the child settles in and the provision that is made available.

  • Write an overall aim for Anne’s research.
  • Suggest possible research questions.
  • What methodological approach will be most appropriate (quantitative or qualitative)?
  • Suggest suitable methods of data collection that will provide Anne with the information she needs to answer her research question.
  • What ethical issues will Anne need to think about? (Chapter 6 in the textbook will help.)

Activity 2

Read the following research studies and suggest an appropriate sampling method, outlining possible advantages and disadvantages. The table included in this activity may help you organise your thoughts.

  1. A longitudinal, prospective study investigating the effects of maternal smoking on the development of babies and children.
  2. A cross-sectional study aimed at understanding the decisions parents make when choosing day care for their children.
  3. A piece of action research being undertaken in a private daycare facility with the aim of improving parental partnership. (Chapter 11 in the text describes action research.)
  4. A study investigating practitioners’ practice and attitudes towards supporting preschool children who enter the school not speaking English, but who have well developed language skills in their home language.
  5. An investigation into the various approaches taken by early childhood settings to superhero and weapon play. (In this scenario we want to know how you would go about obtaining a sample of relevant settings.)

No

Suggested sampling method

Advantages

Disadvantages

1

 

 

 

2

 

 

 

3

 

 

 

4

 

 

 

5