This book consists of a set of studies and essays that represent the best work being done in the area of qualitative research in early childhood settings (children from birth to about age 8). Research in this area involves studies of young children in educational contexts, day care, and preschool settings. The Introduction, "Qualitative Research in Early Childhood Settings," by J. Amos Hatch discusses the evolution of the book and introduces the chapters. Part 1 includes the following studies: (1) "The Emotional Culture of Infant-Toddler Day Care" (Robin L. Leavitt); (2) "Family Day Care as Mothering: A Study of Providers' Perspectives" (Margaret K. Nelson); (3) "Heart, Mind, and Soul: Head Start as a Reminder of the Powerful Function of Schools for Their Communities" (Maike Philipsen and Jo Agnew); (4) "Life History of a First Grade Teacher: A Narrative of Culturally Sensitive Teaching Practice" (Mary E. Hauser); (5) "Policy Issues in the Development of Child Care and Early Education Systems: The Need for Cross-National Comparison" (Sally Lubeck); and (6) "Qualitative Research in Early Childhood Settings: A Review (Pamela C. Browing and J. Amos Hatch). Part 2, Methods, Ethics, and Theory, contains these papers: (7) "Studying Childhood as a Cultural Invention: A Rationale and Framework" (J. Amos Hatch); (8) "Children in Context: Interpreting the Here and Now of Children's Lives" (M. Elizabeth Graue and Daniel J. Walsh); (9) "Learning from Classroom Ethnographies: Same Places, Different Times" (David E. Fernie, Rebecca Kantor, and Kimberlee L. Whaley); (10)"Toward a Stronger Teacher Voice in Research: A Collaborative Study of Antibias Early Education (Beth Blue Swadener and Monica Miller Marsh); (11) "Multiple Voices, Contexts, and Methods: Making Choices in Qualitative Evaluation in Early Childhood Education Settings" (Mary Jo McGee-Brown); (12) "Ethical Conflicts in Classroom Research: Examples from a Study of Peer Stigmatization in Kindergarten" (J. Amos Hatch); and (13) "Post-Structural Research in Early Childhood Education" (Joseph Tobin). Each of the chapters includes references. (DR)