Studying Children in Context

Book excerpt: What is the world like for todayÆs children? How do they construct meaning in it? Answering these key questions, Studying Children in Context explains the art and science of doing qualitative research involving children. Authors M. Elizabeth Graue and Daniel J. Walsh carefully discuss the research process, dealing succinctly with generic research issues yet emphasizing where work with children presents its own particular challenges. They look across the research enterprise in the first part of the book, conceptualizing it as a holistic activity. They next focus on fieldwork, and in the final section examine the interpreting and reporting aspects of qualitative research. In addition to presenting their own considerable experiences in fieldwork with children, Graue and Walsh also present the contributions of numerous researchers with their own insights on key issues. Studying Children in Context will be an invaluable addition to the libraries of teachers and researchers interested in qualitative research methods in general and in doing fieldwork with children in particular.