ABSTRACT
This chapter is concerned with how a large international and interdisciplinary team of researchers collaborated to collect and interpret data on men’s career trajectories in and out of ECEC, an issue that is shaped by cultural and economic conditions particular to each participating country. It focuses on descriptions and analyses of methodological approaches, and especially on the challenge of balancing analytic rigour with an inclusive collaborative approach across this unusually large research team. Taking an interpretivist approach, we collected data on a total of 37 men from twelve countries. A three-part data collection protocol included a narrative interview, semi-structured interview, and a graphic storyline representation of career trajectories. The data produced was analysed using a distinctive cross-cultural inter-researcher perspective. Drawing on the concept of researcher reflexivity, the intersections between the researchers’ self-positionings and reflections from the researched participants were examined and compared in a global discourse of men’s scarcity in ECEC, informing potential approaches to a ‘globalised’ agenda in attracting and retaining more men. Though primarily focused on men, our discussions have broader implications for gender issues in ECEC and the wider society. The chapter also provides meaningful methodological experiences for references by researchers in ECEC and beyond.
