Contrastación de hipótesis especifica 3

‘The researcher with a sociological imagination uses his or her own life experiences as topics of inquiry.’ (Denzin, 2002, p. 350). In defining the aim of this research enquiry, this was certainly the case. As outlined in Chapter 1 the research questions arose from an encounter with a ‘change of career’ graduate asking me for support in safeguarding and child protection as they entered early years employment, having secured the post of CPO in the setting. The actual quote is captured on page 16 but what particularly resonated with me were the words, ‘looking to me to know’. Reflecting upon this statement revealed that I did not ‘know’ either. I was not the EYT new to employment and new to the field of early years. This revealed to me a problematic issue in terms of my professional knowledge. I could not begin ‘to know’ the complexities of their safeguarding and child protection experiences. This led to a

motivation to explore and uncover how the problematic issue might be ‘organised, perceived, constructed, and given meaning’ (Denzin, 2002, p. 350). I was curious to find out why issues were arising as discussed in chapter one: how safeguarding and child protection training was perceived by the EYTs, what safeguarding and child protection experiences the EYTs encountered in practice and what insights might enable new ways of thinking about this phenomenon. I wanted to know what it was like to experience safeguarding and child protection aspects of practice in an early years context.

61 As the essence of the research began to take shape I used Mason’s (2002, p. 4) notion of ‘active reflexivity’ to focus my thinking. Mason (2002) advocates using active reflexivity throughout the research process in order to engage, respond and resolve issues as they emerge. She explains, ‘Reflexivity in this sense means thinking critically about what you are doing and why, confronting and often challenging your own assumptions, and recognising the extent to which your thoughts, actions and decisions shape how you research and what you see’ (Mason, 2002, p. 5). Drawing on Mason’s (2002) active reflexivity, I was aware that my approach to this research project was from the position of an education professional, with practitioner experience in early years, primary and HE and with interest in the EYTs as educators. I recognised that the research project would be influenced, shaped and affected by personal and professional histories: viewing, responding and acting through the lens of an educator (Brookfield, 2017) to assign meanings. My life-world would be present (Schütz, 1966) and as such Berger (2015, p. 220) suggests the need for ‘internal dialogue and critical self-evaluation of researcher’s positionality as well as active acknowledgement and explicit recognition that this position may affect the research process and outcome.’ In chapter one I make transparent the process of the progressive focussing of issues that influenced the framing of this research project and in section 3.2, I revealed some of the complexities of undertaking multiple roles as the professional practitioner/teacher researcher during the interview process (page 57). In terms of deciding the research questions, I used Mason’s (2002) questions of strategy to engage in active reflexivity, which included exploring my ontological and epistemological positions and critical reflections about the purpose of the research. It was through the process of these considerations that my research questions were formed.

 How are early years graduates, located in one higher education institution, educated in safeguarding and child protection?

 What are their experiences of safeguarding and child protection practices over a period of one year in first employment?

 How might emerging themes arising from the lived experiences of the graduates’ contribute to the enhancement of university education programmes in early years safeguarding and child protection?

62 Defining questions early in the research project enabled the study to be focussed and

indicative of the area and location of professional practice to be examined. The challenges I encountered related to ensuring that the questions would inform the design but would not restrict potential outcomes: that arguments could be constructed in attempts to address the questions in the course of the research project. I decided the variation of ‘how’ and ‘what’ questions should enable the problematisation and exploration of issues (Mason, 2002, p. 20). However, I was also aware the questions might be refined as the research project evolved. The questions were specific to a particular group of students on a particular training

programme and so sampling was part of the process of active reflexivity when exploring the initial essence of the project.

3.3.2 Sampling

The research concentrates its focus on a specific group of people who have chosen to undertake a ‘change of career’ graduate course to the award of EYTS located in one HE organisation. The notion of purposive sampling was therefore applied to ‘reflect the purposes and questions guiding the study’ (Punch, 2009, p. 162). The criteria for selection to take part in the project were specific. This is known as ‘criterion sampling’ that involves, 'all cases that meet some predetermined criterion of importance' (Patton, 2002, p. 238). In this case there was a need for participants to have trained at the same time at the specified HE organisation and have entered employment in a registered early years setting directly following the successful completion of their course, achieving the award of EYTS. The sample was therefore time bound as the research project could only be started with participants between the completion of their training programme and the start of their employment: typically a window of two months between July and September. Undertaking a preliminary study in the year 2014-2015 indicated that the response rate to the invitation to participate in the research project might be low (see subsection 3.3.3). However, it was anticipated that adjustments made following the preliminary study should mitigate against some of the reasons given for lack of previous engagement. The decision was taken to invite all former students at the HE organisation who had achieved EYTS and started employment in an early years setting in 2015, to take part in the research that would commence data gathering in October 2015 and complete in July 2016.

The cohort on the EYTS GE course for ‘change of career’ graduates at the HE institution that could be the participant sample for the research project consisted of ten. All were provided

63 with information about the research project in June 2015 on successful completion of their course and with the award of EYTS. This information included an expression of interest form for them to provide contact details should they be willing to participate in the research

project. All ten students expressed an interest in taking part subject to gaining employment in an early years setting. The EYTs were subsequently contacted in September 2015 to

determine eligibility to become participants.

The following table shows the participant sample at the start of the research project schedule (October 2015). To protect the participants’ anonymity (and the identity and location of their employment setting) only identification codes and general descriptions have been included.

Table 1 Research Project Participants and Locations of Employment

Allocated Code for Participant

Nature of Early Years Setting

Employment Status

P1020 Urban Nursery Early Years Teacher

P1100 Urban School Early Years Teacher

P1217 Urban Full Day Care Early Years Teacher P1318 Urban Full Day Care Early Years Teacher

P1419 Rural School Early Years Teacher

P1521 Urban School Nursery Teacher

P1622 Rural Nursery Early Years Teacher

P1723 --- Not employed in Early Years

P1824 No response to contact Unknown

P1925 --- Not employed in Early Years

Seven of the potential ten participants that were contacted in October 2015 successfully met the selection criteria to take part in the research project and arrangements were made to gain ethical consent and agree interview dates.

One of the limitations of this purposive sample is that it may be considered unrepresentative of the total population of ‘change of career’ EYTs. This is somewhat mitigated by

employment details that show participants located across a wide geographical area (urban and rural) and employed in a diverse range of early years settings. However, I consider that the specific group sample ‘does not pretend to represent the wider population’ (Cohen, Manion and Morrison, 2000, p.103) but might reveal ‘rich understandings’ (Newby, 2010, p. 251) of the phenomenon from their localised and unique positions. The sample is considered to be large enough to provide access to enough data to address the research questions (De Chesnay and Botteriff, 2015). In empirical phenomenology guidance suggests the sample size is

64 normally between three and ten in order to provide detailed and nuanced data on discussions concerning the phenomenon (Creswell, 2013).