ABSTRACT
This conclusion presents some closing thoughts on the key concepts discussed in the preceding chapters of this book. The book has interwoven practice with research and theory in the field of early childhood education to suggest practical ways for setting leaders, tutors, practitioners, parents and students and others to recognise how young children construct knowledge in sophisticated ways the academy regards as research behaviour. The connections it makes between research and practice are based on research evidence drawn from the Young Children As Researchers (YCAR) project. The YCAR project was concerned with two aspects of research in the field of early childhood education. The first aspect was the project itself: a research study conducted in the field. The second aspect was the young children's research activity. Its connections between practice, theory and research highlight ways young children construct knowledge by behaving as researchers on the academy's terms in their everyday activities.
