Researching Children: The Woes and Joys of Observing and Interviewing Four-Year-Olds

Abstract

Using young children as informants for a research study is a necessary, but often troublesome, method of collecting data. This article is not a report of research findings. Rather it is an account of the frustrations and traumas (the ‘woes’) and the excitement and rewards (the ‘joys’) of working with four-year-old children in a preschool setting while collecting data for a research study. The data for this study were collected using both videotaped recordings of naturalistic non-participant observations and audiotaped recordings of informal focused interviews. The article details the pitfalls that occurred and elaborates how these can be avoided. Also discussed are the importance and the limitations of piloting data collection methods with young children.