Positivist research -- Finding out about the world around us -- What do we mean by a 'paradigm'? -- The meaning and origins of positivism -- The scientific method -- Positivism and the quantitative methodological approach -- Experimental method -- Correlational method -- Validity and reliability -- The possibilities and limitations of positivist research -- Beyond positivism: interpretivism, 'critical' theories and post-structuralism -- What do we mean by interpretivism? -- What do we mean by 'critical' theories in research? -- What do we mean by post-structuralism? -- Qualitative research and early childhood studies -- Qualitative research approaches and methods -- Combining qualitative and quantitative research methods -- Ethics -- What do we mean by 'ethics'? -- Why is a consideration of ethics important in early childhood research?^^^

What does 'informed consent' mean in the context of early childhood research? -- Ethical considerations throughout the research process -- Ethical guidelines, university ethics committees and legal considerations -- Listening to young children -- The development of interest in listening to young children -- Ethical issues when involving young children in research -- The child as researcher -- Surveys -- What is a survey? -- Why are surveys used? -- Designing a survey -- The use of surveys in early childhood -- Ethnography -- What do we mean by 'ethnography'? -- Ethnography and early childhood research -- Carrying out ethnographic fieldwork -- The possibilities and limitations of ethnographic research -- Case studies -- What is a case study? -- Historical background -- Case study design -- Methods that can be used in case studies -- Possibilities and limitations of using case studies -- Ethics --

Action research -- What is action research? -- Who does action research? The practitioner as researcher -- The action research cycle -- Methods used in action research -- The possibilities and limitations of action research -- Observation -- Historical overview -- When is it appropriate to use observation in research? -- Types of observation -- Recording information -- Interviews -- What is an interview? -- When to use interviews -- Types of interview -- Carrying out and recording interviews -- Questionnaires -- What is a questionnaire? -- Why are questionnaires used in research? -- Types of question used in questionnaire design -- Putting a questionnaire together -- Administering a questionnaire -- Possibilities and limitations of questionnaires -- Using documents and visual texts -- What is a document? -- Social media and new technologies -- Why might we use documents and visual texts in research?^^^

How might we evaluate documentary sources? -- journaling as a research tool -- The self as a legitimate subject for study -- What do we mean by a 'journal'? -- Why use journaling as a research tool? -- Tools to help develop reflective journal writing -- The possibilities and limitations of using journaling as a research tool -- Creative methods for listening to children in research -- Listening to young children in research: developing an inclusive approach -- Photography -- Drawings -- Play as a research strategy -- Story-telling and narrative approaches -- The Mosaic Approach -- Possibilities and limitations -- Research design -- The stages of planning a research project -- Developing an area of investigation, research question or hypothesis -- Choosing a research design -- Choosing appropriate methods -- Choosing a sample -- Reliability and validity -- Writing a research proposal^^^d visual texts in research?^^^

Keeping a research diary or journal -- Working with a research supervisor -- Reviewing the literature -- What is a literature review? -- Why is it important to conduct a literature review? -- What makes for a successful literature review? -- How to go about reviewing the literature -- Analysing and presenting data -- What do we mean by analysis? -- Getting organised -- Quantitative methods of data analysis -- Presenting quantitative data -- Qualitative methods of data analysis -- Presenting qualitative data -- Writing up -- Writing up a research project -- Finding a 'voice' when writing up research -- Writing the voices of others -- Sharing what you have learnt with others.