Rationale
Children have become a central feature within social science challenging previously held notions of competence. This has necessitated alternative research methods that provide opportunities for the active participation and inclusion of the child as a social agent.
This module enables students to become familiar with research in early childhood and provides the opportunity for students to develop a reflexive approach through which to explore the political, cultural, economic and social context in which research is situated. Having initially explored previously dominant approaches in research, this module then focuses on research methods appropriate to understanding childhood and the more reflexive, creative and innovative child-centred participatory approaches which actively challenge notions of adult ‘expert’ knowledge. In exploring methodologies that draw on children’s strengths rather than focusing on assumed incompetence, issues of power and social exclusion can be addressed and this facilitates a more reflexive approach to understanding children’s participation in research.