Lenses and Lessons: Using three different research perspectives in early childhood education research

910

Abstract

In contemporary Western research, collaboration is held in high esteem. This developing practice is chal¬lenging particularly for researchers who follow varying theoretical approaches. However although a challeng¬ing endeavour, when viewing the one data set with different lenses, there are various lessons that can be shared. A key aspect of this paper is involved researchers' different analytical perspectives in one data set to learn more about each other's research insights, rather than become instant expert in other's approaches. The interview data reported in this paper originates from a larger study researching parents' experience of using early child¬hood education and care (ECEC) in Australia. Here we analyse and report on two shared interview excerpts and use three different research lenses for analysis; phenomenographic study, conversational analysis and cul¬tural-historical theory. The finding of this paper demonstrates that applying different lenses provide different interpretations, including strengths, limitations and opportunities. In this paper we argue that collaborative research practices enhance our understanding of varying research approaches and the scope, quality, transla¬tion of research and the researchers' capacity are enhanced.

General Information

Keywords: early childhood, research perspectives, phenomenography, conversation analysis, cultural-historical theory

Journal rubric: Theory and Methodology

Article type: scientific article

DOI: https://doi.org/10.17759/chp.2015110307

For citation: Irvine S., Davidson C., Veresov N.N., Adams M., Devi A. Lenses and Lessons: Using three different research perspectives in early childhood education research . Kul'turno-istoricheskaya psikhologiya = Cultural-Historical Psychology, 2015. Vol. 11, no. 3, pp. 75–85. DOI: 10.17759/chp.2015110307. (In Russ., аbstr. in Engl.)

References

  1. Abes E. Theoretical Borderlands: Using multiple theo­retical perspectives to challenge inequitable power structures in student development theory. Journal of College Student Development, 2009. Vol. 50 (2), pp. 141—156.
  2. Akerlind G.S. Variation and commonality in phenom­enographic research methods. Higher Education Research and Development, 2005. Vol. 24(4), pp. 321—334.
  3. Atkinson J.M., Heritage J. Jefferson's transcript nota­tion. In: Jaworski A., Coupland N. (eds.) The Discourse Reader. Routledge, London; New York, 1999, pp. 158—166.
  4. Bowden J.A. Experience of phenomenographic research: A personal account. In Bowden J. (eds.) Phenomenography, RMIT Melbourne, 2000, pp. 47—61.
  5. Burck C. Comparing qualitative research methodologies for systematic research: the use of grounded theory, discourse analysis and narrative analysis. Journal of Family Therapy, 2005. Vol. 27, pp. 237—262.
  6. Collier D.R., Moffat L. and Perry M. Talking, wrestling, and recycling: An investigation of three analytical approaches to qualitative data in education research. Qualitative Research, 2014, pp. 1—16. DOI: 10.1177/1468794114538896
  7. Davidson C. Transcription: Imperatives for qualitative research. International Journal of Qualitative Methods, 2009. Vol. 88(2), pp. 35—62.
  8. Garfinkel H. Studies in ethnomethodology. Toronto, Prentice-Hall. 1967. 304 p.
  9. Green J., Harker J. Multiple perspective analyses of classroom discourse. Norwood, N.J: Ablex Publishing Corporation, 1988. 360 p.
  10. Hedegaard M., Fleer M. Studying Children: A Cul­tural-Historical Approach. New York: McGaw Hill Open University Press, 2008. 232 p.
  11. Honan E., Knobel M., Barker C., and Davis B. Pro­ducing possible Hannahs: theory and the subject of research. Qualitative Inquiry, 2000. Vol. 6(9), pp. 9—32.
  12. Irvine S. Parent conceptions of their role in Early Childhood Education and Care: A phenomenographic study from Queensland, Australia. Doctoral thesis, Brisbane: Queensland University of Technology, 2005. 316 p.
  13. Leontev A.N. Problems in the development of the mind. Moscow, Russia: Progress, 1981. 419 p.
  14. Marton F. Phenomenography: Describing conceptions of the world around us. Instructional Science, 1981. Vol. 10, pp. 177—200.
  15. Marton F. Phenomenography: A research approach to investigating different understandings of reality. Journal of Thought, 1986. Vol. 21, pp. 28—49.
  16. Marton F. The structure of awareness. In Bowden J.A. (eds.) Phenomenography. Melbourne, RMIT, 2000, pp. 102—116.
  17. Marton, F. Necessary conditions of learning. New York: Routledge, 2015. 324 p.
  18. Nardi B. A. Studying context: A comparison of activity theory, situated action models, and distributed cognition. In Nardi B. (ed.) Context and consciousness: Activity theory and human-computer interaction. United States of America: Massachusetts Institute of Technology, 1996, pp. 69—102.
  19. Patrick K. Exploring conceptions: Phenomenography and the object of study. In Bowden J.A. (eds.) Phenomenog­raphy. Melbourne, RMIT, 2000, pp. 117—136.
  20. Sacks H. Lectures on conversation. Jefferson G. (eds.). Oxford: Blackwell, 1995. 1520 p.
  21. Sacks H., Schegloff E. A., Jefferson G. A simplest sys­tematics for the organization of turn-taking for conversation. Language, 1974. Vol. 50, pp. 696—735.
  22. Schegloff E. Sequence organization in interaction: A primer in conversation analysis. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2007. Vol. 1. 318 p.
  23. Schutz A. On phenomenology and social relations: Selected writing. Chicago; London: The University of Chicago Press, 1970. 366 p.
  24. Slaughter S., Dean Y., Knigh H., Krieg B. The Inevi­table Pull of the River's Current: Interpretations Derived From a Single Text Using Multiple Research Traditions. Qualitative Health Research, 2007. Vol. 17(4), pp. 548—561.
  25. Veresov N. Refocusing the lens on development: Towards genetic research methodology. In Fleer M.(eds.) Visual Methodolo­gies and Digital Tools for Researching with Young Children: Trans­forming Visuality. Switzerland, Springer, 2014, pp. 129—149.
  26. Vygotsky L.S. The problem of the environment. In. van der Veer R. (eds.) The Vygotsky reader. Oxford: Blackwell, 1994, pp. 338—350.
  27. Vygotsky L. S. The collected works. New York: Plenum Press, 1997. Vol. 4. 294 p.
  28. Vygotsky L. S. The problem of age. In: Vygotsky L.S. The Collected Works. New York: Plenum Press, 1998. Vol. 5, pp. 187—207
  29. Wittgenstein L. Philosophical Investigations. Oxford: Basil Blackwell, 1968. 250 p.
  30. Zimmerman J., Shunk D. Self regulated learning and academic achievement theory, research and practice. New York, Springer. 1989. 288 p.

Information About the Authors

Susan Irvine, PhD in Psychology, Senior lecturer, School of Education, Faculty of Education, Charles Sturt University, Australia, e-mail: s.irvine@qut.edu.au

C. Davidson, PhD in Psychology, Senior lecturer, School of Education, Faculty of Education, Charles Sturt University, Australia, e-mail: cdavidson@csu.edu.au

Nikolay N. Veresov, PhD in Psychology, Associate Professor, Faculty of Education, Monash University, Melbourne, Australia, ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-8714-7467, e-mail: nveresov@hotmail.com

Megan Adams, PhD student, Monash University, Australia, e-mail: megan.adams@monash.edu

Anamika Devi, PhD student, Faculty of Education, Monash University, Australia, e-mail: Anamika.devi@monash.edu

Metrics

Views

Total: 2064
Previous month: 8
Current month: 0

Downloads

Total: 910
Previous month: 2
Current month: 0