Routledge Autoethnography in Early Childhood Education and Care: Narrating the Heart of Practice

Autoethnography in Early Childhood Education and Care both embraces and explores autoethnography as a methodology in early childhood settings, subsequently broadening discourses within education research through a series of troubling narratives. It breaks new ground for researchers seeking to use non-conventional practices in early years research. Drawing together research and literature from several disciplines, this unique book challenges the perception of what it means to be an early years practitioner: powerful and compelling narratives, from the author’s first-hand experiences, offer both a creative and scholarly insight into the issues faced by those working in early childhood settings. This text: offers insight into working with autoethnography; its purpose and methodological tensions; provides professionals engaged in caring relational approaches with a series of vignettes for training and further reflection; encourages a wider debate and discussion of core values at a critical time in early years practice and other caring professions skilfully and sensitively illustrates how to adopt a creative research imagination. This book is a valuable read for researchers, postgraduate students and other professionals working in early childhood education and care seeking to give expression to their voices through creative methodologies such as autoethnography in qualitative research. About the Author Elizabeth Henderson has worked in education for more than thirty years in a variety of settings, both in the state and voluntary sector, from nursery through to university. Elizabeth currently works for a local authority in Scotland providing support and advice for those working in the early years sector.