Abstract
While cultural-historical theory has been gaining momentum as a more holistic and comprehensive approach to early childhood education, researchers are challenged by a lagging recognition of, and a lack of information on, an associated methodology. In particular, scholars of “everyday” interactions have few guidelines on how to collect, select, interpret, and theorize the vast amounts of data required for rigorous and meaningful research. Moreover, the wealth of audio-video recordings and still imagery made possible by technology can often complicate and even paralyze disciplined inquiry. This chapter argues that research of “everyday” interactions calls into question the appropriateness and/or applicability of traditional research perspectives and protocols, and as such researchers need new methodologies and a reflexive judiciousness on how to apply them. It provides one possible framework for structuring visual data collection and analysis with full awareness of the logistical constraints of capturing the “everyday” as an outsider. Discussion is based on a case study of what and how children learn through daily activities and interactions in one rural Cambodian village within their families, schools, and communities.
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.
Access this chapter
Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout
Purchases are for personal use only
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Abu-Lughod, L. (1991). Writing against culture. In R. Fox (Ed.), Recapturing anthropology: Working in the present. Santa Fe: School of American Research Press.
Alcoff, L. (1991). The problem of speaking for others. Cultural Critique, 20, 5–32.
Anning, A., Cullen, J., & Fleer, M. (2009). Research contexts across cultures. In A. Anning, J. Cullen, & M. Fleer (Eds.), Early childhood education: Society & culture (pp. 1–24). London: Sage.
Canella, G., & Viruru, R. (1997). Privileging child-centered, play-based instruction. In G. Canella (Ed.), Deconstructing early childhood education: Social justice and revolution. New York: Peter Lang.
Chaiklin, S., & Hedegaard, M. (2009). Radical-local teaching and learning: A cultural-historical perspective on education and children’s development. In M. Fleer, M. Hedegaard, & J. Tudge (Eds.), Childhood studies and the impact of globalization: Policies and practices at global and local levels (pp. 182–201). New York: Routledge.
Corti, L., & Thompson, P. (2004). Secondary analysis of archived data. In C. Seale, G. Gobo, J. F. Gubrium, & D. Silverman (Eds.), Qualitative research practice (pp. 327–343). London: Sage Publications.
Croft, A. (2002). Singing under a tree: Does oral culture help lower primary teachers be learner-centred? International Journal of Educational Development, 22(3–4), 321–337.
Darlaston-Jones, D. (2007). Making connections: The relationship between epistemology and research methods. The Australian Community Psychologist, 19(1), 19–27.
Fleer, M. (2008). Using digital video observations and computer technologies in a cultural-historical approach. In M. Hedegaard & M. Fleer (Eds.), Studying children: A cultural-historical approach (pp. 104–117). Maidenhead/New York: Open University Press.
Fleer, M. (2010). Early learning and development. Melbourne: Cambridge University Press.
Fleer, M., & Quinones, G. (2009). Constructing childhood: Global–local policies and practices. In M. Fleer, M. Hedegaard, & J. Tudge (Eds.), Childhood studies and the impact of globalization: Policies and practices at global and local levels (pp. 86–107). New York: Routledge.
Fleer, M., Hedegaard, M., & Tudge, J. (2009). Constructing childhood: Global–local policies and practices. In M. Fleer, M. Hedegaard, & J. Tudge (Eds.), Childhood studies and the impact of globalization: Policies and practices at global and local levels (pp. 1–20). New York: Routledge.
Freitas, L., Shelton, T., & Sperb, T. (2009). Conceptions of early childhood care and education in Brazil. In M. Fleer, M. Hedegaard, & J. Tudge (Eds.), Childhood studies and the impact of globalization: Policies and practices at global and local levels (pp. 279–291). New York: Routledge.
Goncu, A., Ozer, S., & Ahioglu, N. (2009). Childhood in Turkey: Social class and gender differences in schooling, labor and play. In M. Fleer, M. Hedegaard, & J. Tudge (Eds.), Childhood studies and the impact of globalization: Policies and practices at global and local levels (pp. 67–85). New York: Routledge.
Hedegaard, M. (2008). Principles for interpreting research protocols. In M. Hedegaard, M. Fleer, J. Bang, & P. Hviid (Eds.), Studying children: A cultural-historical approach (pp. 46–64). New York: Open University Press.
Hedegaard, M., & Fleer, M. (2008). Family practices and how children are positioned as active agents. In M. Fleer, M. Hedegaard, & J. Tudge (Eds.), Childhood studies and the impact of globalization: Policies and practices at global and local levels (pp. 86–107). New York: Routledge.
Hedegaard, M., Fleer, M., Bang, J., & Hviid, P. (2008). Studying children: A cultural-historical approach. New York: Open University Press.
Liamputtong, P. (2010). Cross-cultural research and qualitative inquiry. Turkish Online Journal of Qualitative Inquiry., 1(1), 16–29.
Macdonald, D., Kirk, D., Metzler, M., Nilges, L., Schempp, P., & Wright, J. (2002). It’s all very well, in theory: Theoretical perspectives and their applications in contemporary pedagogical research. Quest, 54(2), 133–156.
Mbebeb, F. (2009). Priming entrepreneurial mindsets through socialization in family occupations. International Journal of Early Childhood, 41(2), 23–34.
Nimmo, J. (2008). Young children’s access to real life: An examination of the growing boundaries between children in child care and adults in the community. Contemporary Issues in Early Childhood., 9(1), 3–13.
Nsamenang, A. (2009). Cultures in early childhood care and education. In M. Fleer, M. Hedegaard, & J. Tudge (Eds.), Childhood studies and the impact of globalization: Policies and practices at global and local levels (pp. 23–45). New York: Routledge.
Park, J. (2011). Metamorphosis of Confucian Heritage Culture and the possibility of an Asian education research methodology. Comparative Education, 47(3), 381–393.
Penn, H. (2008). Working on the impossible: Early childhood policies in Namibia. Childhood, 15(3), 379–395.
Pennay, S. (2010). Everyday interactions in a rural Cambodian community: An exploration through imagery and dialogue. Unpublished masters thesis, Monash University, Melbourne.
Subedi, B. (2006). Theorizing a halfie researcher’s identity in transnational fieldwork. International Journal of Qualitative Studies in Education, 19(5), 573–593.
Sullivan, C., & Cottone, R. (2010). Emergent characteristics of effective cross-cultural research: A review of the literature. Journal of Counseling and Development, 88, 357–362.
Tudge, J. (2008). The everyday lives of young children: Culture, class & childrearing in diverse societies. New York: Cambridge University Press.
Tudge, J., & Odero-Wanga, D. (2009). A cultural-ecological perspective on early childhood among the Luo of Kisumu, Kenya. In M. Fleer, M. Hedegaard, & J. Tudge (Eds.), Childhood studies and the impact of globalization: Policies and practices at global and local levels (pp. 142–160). New York: Routledge.
Vygotsky, L. S. (1966). Play and its role in the mental development of the child. Voprosy Psikhologii, 12(6), 62–76.
Williams-Kennedy, D. (2009). Building bridges between literacies. In A. Anning, J. Cullen, & M. Fleer (Eds.), Early childhood education: Society & culture (pp. 91–102). London: Sage.
Wong, J., & Poon, M. (2010). Bringing translation out of the shadows: Translation as an issue in methodological significance in cross-cultural qualitative research. Journal of Transcultural Nursing, 21(2), 151–158.
Yang, R. (2011). Educational research in Confucian cultural contexts: Reflections on methodology. Comparative Education, 47(3), 395–405.
Acknowledgments
Professor Marilyn Fleer provided invaluable guidance on my unpublished master’s thesis, from which this chapter was born. The research also could not have been possible without the Temple Garden Foundation and the two brave families who opened their homes and hearts to a stranger and her video camera.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Editor information
Editors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
Copyright information
© 2014 Springer International Publishing Switzerland
About this chapter
Cite this chapter
Pennay, S.A.S. (2014). A Cultural-Historical Framework for “Everyday” Research: Theorizing Development Through Visual Imagery and Dialogue. In: Fleer, M., Ridgway, A. (eds) Visual Methodologies and Digital Tools for Researching with Young Children. International perspectives on early childhood education and development, vol 10. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-01469-2_6
Download citation
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-01469-2_6
Published:
Publisher Name: Springer, Cham
Print ISBN: 978-3-319-01468-5
Online ISBN: 978-3-319-01469-2
eBook Packages: Humanities, Social Sciences and LawEducation (R0)