Search results

Using a feminist, post-structural and posthuman theoretical framing the paper argues for elevating the complexity of conceptions of migrant children’s engagements with and contributions to their own lives.

This conceptual paper responds to contemporary concerns with research involving migrant children and childhoods in an Australian context. With researchers and teachers’ attention being drawn to enhancing the cultural wellbeing, identity and belonging of young children, it asks: who is “the migrant child”? In our response to this question, we disrupt expectations of simplistic, homogeneous views of children of migrant families or backgrounds, including confronting notions such as vulnerability, neediness and deficit.

Potential ways in which “the migrant child” is implicated by diverse social, environmental and political factors underlie the many ways in which children might exercise their autonomy and participation. In Australia, contemporary migration remains clouded by such policies as the only relatively recently overturned “White Australia” policy and so-called “boat turnbacks”, whilst, and especially in post-Covid times, Australian society simultaneously depends on migrant workers in many areas of employment. At the same time, Australia seems to openly celebrate what is seen as “successful” multiculturalism.

These multiple perspectives offer a deeply concerning social and policy environment for researchers and educationalists. It is in this context that we raise questions and speculate towards potential conceptualisations of “the migrant child” which recognise, rather than negate, the powers and insights arising from the child’s experiential, relational and deeply entangled onto-epistemological perspective/s.

By integrating diverse data sources, we aim to provide a nuanced understanding of the children’s experiences, perspectives and social interactions.

This article describes the development and application of a novel mixed-method approach to researching children’s lifeworlds. The study employs a combination of qualitative interviews, observational techniques and quantitative measures to comprehensively explore the multifaceted aspects of children’s lifeworlds.

Our findings contribute to the growing body of knowledge in childhood studies and inform the design of more responsive and contextually relevant interventions for the well-being of children in various settings.

No research limitations or implications were evident in this research.

This article has demonstrated an innovative approach to investigate children’s lifeworlds through integrating qualitative interviews, observation methods and qualitative measures. Through this comprehensive approach, it provided the means to delve into the intricate dimensions of children’s lifeworlds.

This article reflects on the adaption of Sarah Pink's video re-enactment methodology for exploring children's out-of-school lifeworlds.

Video re-enactments originate in the work of Sarah Pink who developed the methodology to study everyday routines, including activities associated with people's energy consumption at home. This article discusses the adaption of this methodology for exploring 9–10-year-old children's out-of-school lifeworlds in their homes in the global cities of Hong Kong, Melbourne and Singapore.

The article reflects on the practical ways in which the video re-enactment methodology was adapted to explore children's out-of-school activities in the three different locations. In terms of activities, the findings highlight that children's out-of-school lifeworlds included regular routines across a week that contribute to and constitute their everyday activities, with varying time spent on leisure, homework and scheduled activities.

The authors discuss and reflect on the implications of adapting a methodology in order to make it relevant and innovative in a new research context. The use of video re-enactments with children to explore their out-of-school activities gives greater insights into their lifeworlds and their engagement in various activities and the opportunity for children to reflect on their everyday lives.

The purpose of this article is to contribute to the research methodology literature that arose out of the (new) sociology of childhood and the UN Convention of the Rights of the Child (1989) with regard to conducting ethical research with children rather than on children. In particular, this article reflects on the development of a method (learning dialogues).

Learning dialogues were designed to enable children to share their responses to prompts about specific aspects of their lifeworlds. This was one method used to produce the data corpus which also included a large-scale survey, classroom ethnographies and (video) re-enactments of children's lives after school.

The piloting of the learning dialogues took place in several iterations and a particular form was used for the main study. The original idea and development of the learning dialogues highlights they were both a rich source of data that complemented the other data sources in the study and an activity that children indicated that they enjoyed. The authors discuss the practicalities involved with adapting a qualitative method to different settings and to projects with large numbers of children.

The conceptualisation of the learning dialogues as sources of personal documentation about aspects of children's lifeworlds was unique to this research. In thinking about the learning dialogues as one source of data within a broader project, the research aimed to be more inclusive of all participants in contributing to the findings produced in the project.

The purpose of this paper is to reflect on what it means to be an academic in contemporary times and particularly how the value associated with being a researcher has changed in currency over time.

Based on Cavarerro's work about stories of the narrated self, in which revealing self narratives are viewed as a vehicle for uncovering (self) identities, this paper reveals the pitfalls associated with trying to change focus and direction and attempts to reinvent oneself in times that are characterized by a return to the essentially conservative conventions of educational research. Neo‐liberal, market driven, utilitarian models of education dominate the contemporary research landscape. What constitutes evidence is under debate. How evidence is obtained and analysed is subject to traditional definitions which may not have direct relevance to contemporary phenomena in post‐modern times. Those in positions of power reduce performance to minutiae and constantly want prescriptive teaching to produce observable outcomes. Yet, is this possible in environs that are formed by individuals in a multiplicity of contexts, cultures and locations? What does this mean for research which focuses not only on the lived experiences in classroom but the recognition that no two classrooms are the same and the quest for the identification of a “good teacher” is like that of the holy grail?

This paper reveals the pitfalls associated with trying to change focus and direction in academic research. The author has reinterpreted the driving procedure – look in the mirror, indicate and then (if it is clear) move – in her career to being reflective and reflexive about where she has come from, signaling that she wants to change or shift her position and then attempting to make the move. This process of change is continuing and not always continuous.

The article reflects a personal story that is intended to resonate with audiences experiencing similar contexts in contemporary academic life.