Children’s ecological experiences through the eyes of children
Researcher(s): Hugo Turvey
Setting(s): Recliffe Nursery and Children’s Centre
Status: Ongoing
I have been enrolled on a professional M.A programme, largely with colleagues, with Bath Spa University since 2013. So far I have successfully completed a double module on teaching mathematics in the Early Years, undertaken an independent action enquiry based on young children’s early experiences with nature and done a module dedicated to research methodology, as a preparation for my chosen dissertation. I am currently engaged in writing a proposal for this. The focus for my dissertation will be on children’s ecological experiences, informed by our nursery forest experience, as seen through the lens of children’s perspectives and dialogical practice. Reference will be made to socio-historical-cultural theory. The study will rely on ethnographic principles with a strong ethical stance. I am particularly interested in the question of how children make meaning from their direct experiences of nature and what adults working with children can learn from this. I anticipate that the nature of adult-child dialogic relationships will play a significant role in this study.