Can I just observe: Reflection on the role of the researcher in ethnography with young children

This paper analyses the complexity of the researcher’s role in ethnographic research with young children. As an inexperienced researcher, the author constantly felt the pressure from the intense emphasis on objectivity in early childhood research. This paper attempts to show that the engagement of self, including emotional engagement, moral involvement, and professional responsibilities in the process of research is far outside the objectivity arena. In relation to observations of young children, ethical conflicts and moral dilemmas continue to remain, and the researcher’s emotionality is strongly involved. While arguing the inappropriateness of objectivity in early childhood research, the paper reveals why the researcher had to conform to the conventional objectivity debate.