Course Description
Methodological and ethical issues involved in conducting interpretive research about and with children.
Athena Title
Interpretive Research Children
Equivalent Courses
Not open to students with credit in QUAL 8555E
Prerequisite
QUAL 8400 or QUAL 8400E or permission of department
Semester Course Offered
Offered fall
Grading System
A - F (Traditional)
Course Objectives
The objective of this course is to provide graduate students with a collegial context where they explore issues and methods involved in designing and conducting interpretive research projects with and about children. In this course, children are defined broadly. The course will focus on understanding the world from children’s perspectives by examining their lives in various contexts (e.g., school, home, community, peer and/or popular culture). Students will grapple with the following questions: (a) Who are children, and how is childhood defined differently in different sociohistorical contexts? (b) What methodological and ethical issues do researchers need to consider when studying with and about children? (c) How do children make sense of their world, and what insights do studies on children provide for educators?
Topical Outline
Topics: •Sociohistorial Views of Children and Childhood oEvolution of views oSocial change, children, and childhood •Methods and Ethics of Studying Children oInterpretive inquiry about children oIRB for studying with minors oResearcher roles, power relations, and ethics oThe role of gatekeepers oDesigning and conducting research on and with children oGenerating, constructing, and analyzing data •Making sense of children’s perspectives oWriting and children’s voice oUnderstanding children’s worlds and cultures •Review of research and literature on children