Rethinking attitudes toward young children's rights, this book draws on new theories, research, and practical evidence about their daily lives. It offers insights that challenge conventional perspectives, making it a valuable resource for educators, caregivers, and anyone involved with young children. The engaging and informative content encourages readers to consider the implications of children's rights in contemporary society.
Critical realism helps researchers to extend and clarify their analyses. This original text draws on international examples of health and illness research across the life course, from small studies to large trials, to show how versatile critical realism can be in validating research and connecting it to policy and practice.
This text is unusually rewarding in that its author has pulled off the rare trick of providing deep philosophical and theoretical underpinnings to a comprehensive reconsideration of childhood. Alderson illuminates not only our understanding of the presence, and absence, of children in our lives and discourses, but also the field of childhood studies.
Focusing on critical realism as a practical toolkit, this book aids researchers in enhancing their analyses by bridging gaps between various research methodologies. It showcases the applicability of critical realism through international health and illness studies, illustrating its versatility in validating research and linking it to policy and practice. Based on a UCL course initiated by Roy Bhaskar, the text addresses the increasing interest among students and researchers, providing insights into both small-scale and large-scale trials.
The second volume of Priscilla Alderson's popular and renowned book Childhoods Real and Imagined relates dialectical critical realism to childhood. By demonstrating their relevance and value to each other, Alderson presents a practical introductory guide for applying critical realism to research about children and young people. Each chapter summarises key themes from several academic disciplines and policy areas, ranging from climate change and social justice between generations, to neoliberalism, social reform and imagining utopias. Children's and adults' views and experiences are reviewed, and whereas the first volume deals with more personal and local aspects of childhood, this volume widens the scope into debates about global politics, which so seldom mention children. Each chapter demonstrates how children and young people are an integral part of the whole of society and are often especially affected by policies and events. This book is written for everyone who is researching, studying or teaching about childhood, or who cares for and works with children and young people, as well as those interested in critical realist approaches.
Practical Application of Critical Realism and Childhood Studies
This volume explores the intersection of dialectical critical realism and childhood, offering insights into their mutual relevance. Priscilla Alderson provides a practical guide for researchers focusing on children and young people, emphasizing how critical realism can enrich the understanding of childhood experiences. The book serves as an essential resource for those interested in applying these philosophical concepts to research in the field of childhood studies.