Understanding Research in Early Childhood Education: Quantitative and Qualitative Methods

Understanding Research in Early Childhood Education: Quantitative and Qualitative Methods prepares readers to be informed consumers of early childhood research. Rather than following the traditional format of covering quantitative and qualitative methods separately, this innovative textbook offers side-by-side coverage and comparison about the assumptions, questions, purposes and methods for each, offering unique perspectives for understanding young children and early care and education programs. Understanding Research in Early Childhood Education is broadly based across the major research paradigms, and numerous examples are offered throughout the text. Through the use of this book, students will be able to more knowledgeably read, evaluate, and use empirical literature. These skills are becoming more important as early childhood educators are increasingly expected to use evidence-based research in practice and to participate in collecting and analyzing data to inform their teaching.

Table of Contents:
Acknowledgements Chapter 1 Introduction Part I Structures of Research Chapter 2 How Do We Know? Chapter 3 The Culture and Context of Research in Early Childhood Education Chapter 4 Methodologies Chapter 5 Qualitative Research: Aims and Methods Chapter 6 Understanding Analyses in Qualitative Research Chapter 7 Quantitative Research: Aims and Methods Chapter 8 Understanding Analyses in Quantitative Methods Part II Asking Research Questions Chapter 9 Research Questions about Children Chapter 10 Research Questions about the Adults in Children’s Lives Chapter 11 Research Questions about Classrooms and Curriculum Chapter 12 Research Questions about Institutions and Policy Chapter 13 Teacher Research Part III Conclusion Chapter 14 Research and Practice: Promises, Pitfalls, and Limitations Glossary References Index

About the Author :
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.

Review :
"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