What counts and matters in early childhood: Narratives of interests and outcomes

Abstract

Evidence of outcomes of the early years is highly dependent on what is considered as an outcome, the curriculum and relationships children experience, and the research designs and methods used to ascertain the value of early childhood education. This article reports from an original study in New Zealand that used narrative inquiry to interview young adults about their interests as children, ways these interests were stimulated and responded to, and the trajectory and outcomes of the interest in their lives-to-date. The findings suggest that interests provided sources of motivation, achievement, enjoyment and satisfaction in their lives, sustained the participants during difficult times, and led to a range of outcomes. This article argues that the evidence base for early childhood education needs to incorporate a broader view of what counts as outcomes and considers children’s interests thoughtfully as part of what matters. It also needs to include qualitative methodologies in studies seeking evidence of outcomes to enable the richness of human life experience and the social and cultural contexts of children’s upbringings to be captured.