ABSTRACT
In Chapter 1, I explain how the emphasis to prepare children for school in Early Childhood Education and Care (ECEC) policy caused further strain on the relationships between the school and ECEC setting personal where I worked. These changes led me to explore parents’, ECEC practitioners’ and teachers’ beliefs of the term ‘school readiness’ and their relationships during children’s transition to school. Following is a discussion about the research approach and my ontological and epistemological beliefs that underpin the research. The participants and the contexts in which they prepare children for school are then introduced. There is also consideration of the research relational context and how the researcher’s and the participants’ relationships can shape; the research design, the research environment and can unintentionally position participants as vulnerable. The chapter ends outlining the content of the following chapters.
