Worthwhile work? Childcare, feminist ethics and cooperative research practices

ABSTRACT

Interdisciplinary research collaborations are often encouraged within higher education while the practicalities of such collaborations are glossed over. This project specifically addresses the praxis of research collaborations, exploring how feminist academics within different countries and disciplines came together to explore their mutual concern about the perceived worth and well-being of early childhood practitioners. Engaging in a formal methodological dialogue over eight months, seven academics discussed, analysed and dissected their different investments in research methods and intents, with the aim of agreeing to a common methodological framework. Unexpectedly, what emerged was not a product, but a process. We argue that this process offers much to those seeking deep collaboration in and through shared research. Building on a collective research interest, we found ourselves in a process of becoming, germinating the seed of a transnational research cooperative, based on trust and mutual respect, rather than the arid methodological contract originally envisioned.

KEYWORDS:

• Early childhood
• methodology
• feminist research practices
• transnational cooperation
• dialogue
• research configuration

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.

ORCiD

Yarrow Andrew http://orcid.org/0000-0003-3050-2602

Jayne Osgood http://orcid.org/0000-0001-6382-8591

Notes

1. Although our aim is to make this an inclusive global project, we must acknowledge that all the current participants are from economically privileged countries, and are native English speakers. Our analysis may be limited by these forms of academic privilege.

2. We used GoogleDocs, although any similar document sharing application would be effective, in managing scattered and asynchronous data gathering.

3. Interestingly, mirroring the structure of the ERI, the quantitative instrument proposed in the methodological provocation.