Capturing the voice of young children in early childhood education and care

RESEARCH PROFILE

Dr Claire Blewitt

Capturing the voice of young children in early childhood education and care

HSCU researcher Dr Claire Blewitt (along with research assistant Yihan Sun) is partnering with Dr Alexandra Fraser and Julia Cornelius from Our Place to capture the perspectives of young children (aged 4–6 years) regarding their experiences at kindergarten, sense of self, and aspirations for the future.

Our Place is a holistic place-based approach to supporting the education, health and development of children and families in disadvantaged communities through the universal platform of school. Working with children, their caregivers and educators, we will interview over 100 preschoolers at 10 sites across Victoria in 2022/23.

Our approach was informed by a systematic literature review that explored how children’s voices have been captured in research and how issues such as inclusivity, rapport-building, and power imbalances were addressed. Child-led, play-based interviews and individualised methods are supporting all children to take part, including children with additional needs who are often missed in early years research. This work highlights the important and meaningful perspectives that young children can offer.

For more information: claire.blewitt@monash.edu