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In The Process Of Research, The Consent Of Children And Their Caregivers Is ...



In the process of research, the consent of children and their caregivers is taken; besides, the interviews are limited to only 4 simple questions and the observations are made in an unnoticeable way. As for the latter aspect, neither children nor adults are interrupted during their plays in the outdoor environment. For all that, interests and identities of preschool children are preserved during the analysis; no confidential information is uncovered and no pressure is put on participants. As is obvious from the interviews, almost all children are willing to express their thoughts (they even interrupt each other during the conversation), except for Dylan and Anna who sometimes refuse to give definite answers, keeping silence and turning away. Overall, the research is conducted in a familiar setting and in a speed that is appropriate for children of 3-5 years.
3.6. Assessment of research methodology
The triangulation methodology that is used in this research has both advantages and disadvantages. Undoubtedly, the integration of the qualitative and quantitative data results in more profound findings on the impact of the adult interaction on children's learning in the outdoor environment. While the quantitative method provides the crucial objective information, employing the recent studies, policies and reports, the qualitative approach gives the accurate subjective data. Actually, the face-to-face interviews with preschool children offer some immediate means of validating the data (Denscombe, 1998 p.8). In other words, it is easier to identify the improper information in a face-to-face interview than in a written questionnaire; moreover, the response rate in such interviews is more adequate than in other methods of the data collection. However, due to the fact that the qualitative method may provide the findings that contradict the quantitative results, some controversies may appear during the research. In the majority of cases it is rather difficult to resolve these controversies, as, on the one hand, the qualitative data may be biased, but, on the other hand, the quantitative data may be too generalised. Nevertheless, despite their disadvantages, the methods used in this research are selected because they are appropriate for specific aspects of investigation and specific kinds of problems (Denscombe, 1998 p.3).

IV. RESULTS AND FINDINGS
As Bilton (2005) states, Outside is a natural environment for children; there is a freedom associated with the space that cannot be replicated inside (p.4). In the research Dylan, Josh, Ben and Daniel prefer to interact with adults in the outdoor environment and they express dissatisfaction that their parents are too busy and rarely play with them outside.


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