ERIC Number: EJ1353098
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2022
Pages: 18
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-0305-0068
EISSN: EISSN-1360-0486
Learning from Comparative Ethnographic Studies of Early Childhood Education and Care
Tobin, Joseph
Comparative Education, v58 n3 p297-314 2022
International comparative ethnographic studies of ECEC (Early Childhood Education and Care) are difficult to conduct but worth the effort. Comparative studies featuring thick description and polysemic interpretations can challenge taken-for-granted assumptions, expand the menu of the possible, expose the provincialism of national approaches, and illuminate the global circulation of ECEC practices and ideas. Based on reflections on four major comparative international studies I have led, in this paper I describe effective strategies for conducting comparative ethnographic research in ECEC settings, explicate the rationale for doing so, and provide examples of how this approach can impact research, practice, and policy. Issues I address include the rationale for selecting countries for comparison, the formation of a research team, and distributing interpretive voice and power.
Descriptors: Comparative Education, Ethnography, Early Childhood Education, Child Care, Educational Practices, Research Methodology, Educational Policy, Power Structure, Cross Cultural Studies, Educational Strategies, Global Approach, Barriers, Foreign Countries, Preschool Curriculum
Routledge. Available from: Taylor & Francis, Ltd. 530 Walnut Street Suite 850, Philadelphia, PA 19106. Tel: 800-354-1420; Tel: 215-625-8900; Fax: 215-207-0050; Web site: http://www.tandf.co.uk/journals
Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Descriptive
Education Level: Early Childhood Education; Preschool Education
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Identifiers - Location: France; Germany; China; Japan; United States; United Kingdom
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A