ABSTRACT
This chapter considers the interactional complexity of preschool social worlds as they relate to ethnographic research. Far from being a straightforward matter of teaching and learning the ABCs and 123s, the preschool as a field site requires a specific set of ethnographic sensibilities and competencies. Setting aside the generalized roadblocks typically associated with ethnographic fieldwork, I address matters specific to my research in the preschool such as preexisting relationships and roles, the importance of initial impressions, the relationship between the body and the field, and impression management strategies. Ellis Montessori Preschool, a pseudonym, is a nonprofit preschool in the Midwestern United States. It serves approximately 85 families with children in six classrooms ranging in age from 4 weeks to 6 years. Drawing on 2 years of ethnographic fieldwork, including 23 interviews with preschool teachers and countless conversations with parents, teachers, administrators, and preschoolers, this chapter turns an analytic eye to the context of doing ethnographic research in preschools and argues that the interactional demands of ethnographic research require a more tailored approach in which ethnographers manage complexities of situated identity rather than relying on generally prescribed research methods’ guidelines.
