Looking at Reader 6 and exploring
different research tools for inquiry I think a qualitative method is better for
my line of inquiry. With my line of inquiry being aimed at a target audience
e.g. people who work with early years it’s best to use my contacts such as work
colleagues and friends who I have a good relationship with in order to conduct
an in depth interview for better results and evidence.
Using my everyday professional
practice as an early years teaching assistant/singing teacher as a basis for my
inquiry allows me to observe pupils I work with closely on a daily basis to
notice the effects music and movement have on the pupil’s development, if it be
via a learning activity or continuous play. With this participant/insider
researcher method I need to be aware of a bias outcome for my inquiry so I need
to consider the negatives as well as the positives music and movement have on
the effect of a child’s development.
The important matter of using my
primary school for research evidence is gaining trust and permission from the head
teacher and fellow teachers for their co-operation to take part in an interview
and the permission to use child development recorded progress data. I arranged
a meeting with my Head teacher before carrying out any trial interview for my
inquiry to ask her permission to allow teachers to participate. Once I got her
permission I asked Emma a reception teacher her permission/consent to take part
in my inquiry by signing a consent form. All evidence and data used will be
sensitive to the participant and kept confidential especially pupil progress
data, pupils names will not be used. If I need any photographic evidence of observational
evidence e.g. pupils taking part in a music and movement activity, the Head
teacher explained I need parental consent if the images are used outside the
school setting and not to use children who are under safeguarding agencies. To
overcome this issue I need consider selecting a small group of pupils whose
parents wouldn’t mind me allowing their child to participate and create a
parental consent form explaining the line of inquiry and to allow their child
to participate and be photographed strictly for university purposes.
Deciding on the research tools of ‘Interview’
and ‘Observation’ I carried out a trial interview with a fellow
colleague/friend whose a reception teacher. I decided to record the interview
as an audio as I want to keep the participants identity confidential. The
interview was carried out as a semi-structured interview, participant was aware
of inquiry topic and given questions so they could prepare informal answers.
This method was successful and produced great evidence which supports the inquiry
question that music and movement helps early years development, it also opened
up new ideas for me to explore and research further to develop my inquiry.
Below is a link to the transcript of the trail interview
that took place (I have signed consent for using interview answers) :
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