Knowing Children

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Gary A. Fine - Northwestern University
Kent L. Sandstrom - University of Northern Iowa, USA

Volume: 15

Series:
Qualitative Research Methods

Other Titles in:
Child Development | Qualitative Research

88 pages | SAGE Publications, Inc

To help the researcher understand why and how children react to adults who are doing ethnographic research, Fine and Sandstrom explore the methodological and ethical problems of qualitative research with minors. They correct numerous fallacies held by researchers that children think like adults and that they cannot hide their thoughts and feelings from adults, especially strangers. Recognizing that age is an important determinant of children's response, they discuss problems and present strategies for conducting research with three age groups of children: preschool children (4 to 6 year olds), preadolescents (10 to 12) and middle adolescents (14 to 16). This is the first major methodological statement on doing participant observation work with children.

Researchers and Kids

Participant Observation with Preschoolers

Participant Observation with Preadolescents

Participant Observation with Adolescents

To Know Knowing Children

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Gary Alan Fine

Gary Alan Fine is James E. Johnson Professor of Sociology at Northwestern University. He is a social psychologist, who has conducted a series of microsociological ethnographies of work sites and cultural scenes. His work focuses on the role of group cultures in shaping interaction orders and social structures. He is the author of Tiny Publics: A Theory of Group Action and Culture. More About Author

Kent L. Sandstrom

SAGE Research Methods is a research methods tool created to help researchers, faculty and students with their research projects. SAGE Research Methods links over 175,000 pages of SAGE’s renowned book, journal and reference content with truly advanced search and discovery tools. Researchers can explore methods concepts to help them design research projects, understand particular methods or identify a new method, conduct their research, and write up their findings. Since SAGE Research Methods focuses on methodology rather than disciplines, it can be used across the social sciences, health sciences, and more.

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