ethnographic approaches to child care research: a review of the literature

Abstract

This article presents the findings from a review of ethnographic approaches to child care research. Ethnographic research has enhanced researcher and practitioner understandings of the child care environment by providing entry into the child care center as an important site not only of development and education, but also of social reproduction and enculturation. The extant research is summarized by identifying four dominant perspectives for viewing non-parental child care: (1) caregiver-centered, (2) mother-centered, (3) child-centered, and (4) societal. This article argues that studying the perspectives of caregivers, mothers, and children in isolation limits understandings of child care experience, since experience is shaped by continuous interactions among participants. We suggest that a more holistic ethnographic approach could enhance child care practice by increasing understanding of the relationships among caregivers, mothers, and children, and how these relationships influence children’s social and emotional development. The article concludes with a proposed agenda for ethnographic research on child care.