Northampton Electronic Collection of Theses and Research

Young children's research behaviour? Children aged four to eight years finding solutions at home and at school

Murray, J. (2013) Young children's research behaviour? Children aged four to eight years finding solutions at home and at school. Early Child Development and Care. 183(8), pp. 1147-1165. 0300-4430.

Item Type: Article
Abstract: Children's research abilities have become increasingly recognised by adults, yet children remain excluded from the academy. This restricts children's freedom to make choices in matters affecting them, underestimates their capabilities and denies children particular rights. The present paper reports on young children's problem-solving as part of a small-scale interpretive study designed to reconceptualise ways in which children's naturalistic behaviours may be perceived as research. Within a ‘jigsaw methodology’ designed to accommodate participatory, emancipatory and inductive approaches, multi-modal case studies were co-constructed with children aged four to eight (n = 138) and their practitioners (n = 15) in three primary schools and with selected children and their primary carers participating at home. Outcomes include the reassertion by academics of problem-solving as research behaviour, the capturing of young children's engagements in problem-solving as research behaviour and the identification of a range of factors affecting the children's problem-solving activity, including high-order thinking.
Uncontrolled Keywords: problem-solving, early childhood, children as researchers, children's rights, ‘jigsaw’ methodology
Subjects: H Social Sciences > HQ The family. Marriage. Women > HQ767 Children. Child development
L Education > LB Theory and practice of education > LB1139 Early childhood education
L Education > LB Theory and practice of education > LB1028 Educational research
Creators: Murray, Jane
Publisher: Taylor & Francis
Faculties, Divisions and Institutes: University Faculties, Divisions and Research Centres - OLD > Research Centre > Centre for Special Needs Education and Research
University Faculties, Divisions and Research Centres - OLD > Faculty of Education & Humanities
Faculties > Faculty of Education & Humanities > Early Years
University Faculties, Divisions and Research Centres - OLD > Research Centre > Centre for Education and Research
Research Centres > Centre for Education and Research
Date: 2013
Date Type: Publication
Page Range: pp. 1147-1165
Journal or Publication Title: Early Child Development and Care
Volume: 183
Number: 8
Language: English
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/03004430.2013.792255
ISSN: 0300-4430
Status: Published / Disseminated
URI: http://nectar.northampton.ac.uk/id/eprint/5717

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