Supporting the Forum through consultation on the Little Minds Project

The Centre for Research in Early Childhood (CREC) has a long-established reputation for ethical and practice-led research within the field of early childhood and we have been delighted to support the Joyce Morris Literacies Forum though our consultation on the Little Minds project. Alongside Professors Chris Pascal and Tony Bertram, I represented CREC on the content expert panel which involved initial online consultation, reviewing thematic research evidence and then, through face to face sessions at UEA, supporting the development and initial pilot of the Little Minds Programme. Little Minds is uniquely placed to address wellbeing through a mindful pedagogy that also supports communication and language.

‘Being’ mindful was both an important part of the programme, and an equally important part of our time together. The group consisted of researchers, academics, early years educators, educational psychologists and setting leaders and this breadth of expertise was a strength. Through reflective and critical dialogue, we were able to unpick research evidence and comment on programme development, the sequencing of activities, and then support a framework for reflection to build-in educator insight. Time was afforded to allow the group to get to know one another, enabling us to understand respective research positionality, bring professional heritage to the fore and really highlight what we could all contribute. We had the luxury of the wonderful grounds at UEA to punctuate our days, exploring the art installations, enjoying nature and, of course, further extending our discussions.

Mindful practice was embedded within our UEA sessions but also underpinned the overall methodological approach; for me this mirrored the participatory and ethical ways in which we work at CREC (e.g., Pascal et al., 2024). Our expert group was democratic and non-hierarchical, there was space for everyone’s contribution. Particular importance was placed on the insight early years educators could bring to the process. It was important that the research, and subsequent programme, had value for the sector and met the needs of settings without placing unnecessary additional burden on workload.

The group also unpicked the ethical complexities of engaging in practice-led research; children’s consent and assent remains an under-appreciated aspect of data gathering in settings (Lyndon, 2023); inclusion and exclusion criteria are impacted by the power that adults hold when data is generated as part of typical classroom practice; and we are reminded of children’s rights when we consider how researchers may listen-in to children’s speech and language (Clark and Moss, 2011).

What stood out for me, as the content expert group developed, was our ability for respectful, critique and challenge, another guiding ethical principle (Bertram et al., 2024). CREC champions a qualitative research tradition and often engages in fine-grained analysis and evaluation of projects. Through our post-graduate programmes, we support our students to engage in action research, typically within their own professional practice and we know that this practice-led approach can be transformational. Colleagues on the expert group bought a range of research expertise and, for my own personal development, it was refreshing to fulfil a mixed-method approach and to extend debate around quantitative data techniques; the professional challenge of proving impact was balanced with reflective details from educators through the form of a journal, all methods offered a deeply ethical approach to data that seemed to satisfy all of our research needs.

What was most enriching about the process was the impact evidenced through the pilot study; educators and children embracing mindfulness and the impact this had on early language and communication. The resources that have been produced as a result of this project will undoubtedly influence educators and become an invaluable and accessible resource. I am delighted that the Joyce Morris Forum provides UEA with the opportunity to further share Little Minds and I’m equally delighted that I’m able to represent CREC at this event. I look forward to seeing you there!

Bertram, T., Pascal, C., Lyndon, H., Formosinho, J., Gaywood, D., Gray, C., … Whalley, M. (2024). EECERA ethical code for early childhood researchers. European Early Childhood Education Research Journal, 33(1), 4–18. https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/1350293X.2024.2445361

Clark, A. and Moss, P. (2011). Listening To Young Children: The Mosaic Approach (2nd ed.). London: National Children's Bureau. http://resources.ncb.org.uk/resources/publications

Lyndon, H. (2023) ‘Embracing the breadth of ethical complexities in early childhood research’, European Early Childhood Education Research Journal, 31(2), pp. 143–146. https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/1350293X.2023.2208469

Pascal, C., Bertram, T., Cave, S., Bruce, T., Lyndon, H., Bennett, S. and Denham, A. (2024) ‘Praxeological action research: a Froebelian approach for professional development, flourishment and wellbeing’, European Early Childhood Education Research Journal, 32(6), pp. 1059–1078. https://doi.org/10.1080/1350293X.2024.2427849

Dr Helen Lyndon