Understanding Research in Early Childhood Education

Nancy File is Kellner Early Childhood Professor in the Department of Curriculum and Instruction at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, USA.Jennifer J. Mueller is Associate Professor and Chair of Early Childhood Education in the Department of Curriculum and Instruction at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, USA.Debora Basler Wisneski is John T. Langen Early Childhood Professor in the Department of Teacher Education at the University of Nebraska-Omaha, USA.Andrew J. Stremmel is Professor and Department Head of the Department of Teaching, Learning, and Leadership at South Dakota State University, USA.

"File, Mueller, Wisneski, and Stremmel have successfully mapped the vexed terrain of early childhood research and, through clear examples, brought their research alive. They position the actors and acts in historical and paradigmatic contexts in a way that teaches a very important lesson: that what we know depends on how we know."--Beth Graue, Sorenson Professor of Childhood Studies at the University of Wisconsin Madison, USA"Understanding Research in Early Childhood Education accomplishes its aim to prepare early career professionals to be competent consumers of educational research. The book tackles head-on the complexities of both quantitative and qualitative research, providing clear descriptions and abundant examples of high-quality work in each paradigm. It will be a welcome primary source for any introductory-level early childhood research course; in fact, its comprehensive coverage and clear explanations make it useful reading not just for professionals trying to understand early childhood research, but for future scholars who need a solid starting place for entering the world of research."--J. Amos Hatch, Professor of Urban-Multicultural Teacher Education at the University of Tennessee—Knoxville, USA, and author of Reclaiming the Teaching Profession: Transforming the Dialogue on Public Education

• AcknowledgementsChapter 1 IntroductionPart I Structures of ResearchChapter 2 How Do We Know?Chapter 3 The Culture and Context of Research in Early Childhood EducationChapter 4 MethodologiesChapter 5 Qualitative Research: Aims and MethodsChapter 6 Understanding Analyses in Qualitative ResearchChapter 7 Quantitative Research: Aims and MethodsChapter 8 Understanding Analyses in Quantitative MethodsPart II Asking Research QuestionsChapter 9 Research Questions about ChildrenChapter 10 Research Questions about the Adults in Children’s LivesChapter 11 Research Questions about Classrooms and CurriculumChapter 12 Research Questions about Institutions and PolicyChapter 13 Teacher ResearchPart III ConclusionChapter 14 Research and Practice: Promises, Pitfalls, and LimitationsGlossaryReferencesIndex