Peer-reviewed article
Ethnography in Early Childhood Education and Care
Mirja Köngäs, Kaarina Määttä ·
Summary
Written by AI, not yet AICS's view · claude-haiku-4-5-20251001This article examines ethnographic research methods for studying children in early childhood education and care settings. It discusses how ethnography can reveal children's cultures, experiences, feelings, and voices in ways that other methods may not. The authors identify key challenges including researcher reflexivity and the need to center children's perspectives rather than adult interpretations. They emphasize that successful ethnographic work requires building trust with children and respecting their agency.
Key points
- ECEC ethnography aims to make visible the culture, experience, feelings, voice and actions of young children
- A key challenge is that researchers represent adult culture and must practice reflexivity
- Five key themes for ethnographic researchers in ECEC: data collection, degree of participation, researcher role, accessing child voice, and ethically sound reporting
- Respect for children and earning their trust are essential to the approach
- When successful, ECEC ethnography can contribute to supporting children's development and well-being
Limitations
This is a methodological paper that does not evaluate outcomes from specific ethnographic studies or interventions with children. It does not provide evidence about the actual impact of ethnographic approaches on child well-being, only theoretical arguments about their potential.
Abstract
Childhood research is increasingly being conducted from different disciplines, and research methods for showing the child's world are also increasing and evolving. This article examines the challenges and opportunities of childhood research in an early childhood education and care (ECEC) environment from an ethnographic approach. The purpose of the article is to create a vision of what ECEC ethnography is, which can be used to make visible the culture of an under-school-age child, his or her experience, feelings, voice, and actions. A key challenge in ECEC ethnography is that the researcher is a representative of adult culture, emphasizing the need for reflexivity. We highlight five key themes for the researcher: the acquisition of material, the degree of researcher participation, taking on the role of a researcher, reaching the child's voice, and describing the results in a child-centered and ethically sustainable way. Respect for the child and earning the child's trust are essential. When successful, ECEC ethnography provides knowledge and understanding of childhood in a way that can contribute to supporting children's development and overall well-being.