Eva Mikuska

Early childhood education and care for the Hungarian national minority in Vojvodina, Serbia

Abstract Vojvodina is one of the most ethnically diverse regions in Europe where, according to the latest census in 2011, Hungarians are the largest non-Serb national minority group. In recent decades, this northern province of Serbia has faced continuous depopulation, forcing schools and nurseries to face an uncertain future. We argue that despite the decreasing population in general, the nature of Serbia’s minority rights regime currently produces social inequality, as policies that seek harmony by accepting ethnic separation may give rise to future conflict. In these challenging times, we focus on the political culture that is currently functioning in Serbia, in which the Hungarian national minority is (re)positioning itself to secure its own identity. In this paper, we will cover the history and function of the nurseries (bölcsőde) and kindergartens (óvoda) of the Hungarian national minority in Serbia. We will cover the early years curriculum and qualification requirements of the early childhood workforce. Furthermore, we will explain the influence of educational and cultural traditions and values through early childhood education and care (ECEC), giving specific attention to the usage of the native language that is fundamental to cultural identity.

The Importance of Piloting or Pre-Testing Semi-Structured Interviews and Narratives

The aim of this case study is to highlight the importance of piloting or pre-testing the research design (in this case, semi-structured interviews and narratives). Most textbooks offer minimal guidance about pre-testing the research design, and published reports rarely report whether the research was piloted and, if so, what were the results. Therefore, this case study argues that researchers need to report on their pilot study so that others embarking on the research can learn from it. In this case study, I explore the concept of piloting and pre-testing the research, explain the process of collecting the qualitative data using semi-structured interviews, and demonstrate the complexity of analyzing the data when using a narrative approach, especially when the data are unexpected.

The relationship between higher education, emotion and gender: a qualitative study using text and interviews

My own ‘naturalistic observation’ was pertinent to the genesis of this research project, which investigated mature students’ emotions within higher education. I have been involved for many years in the kind of classroom environment where I have observed that many female mature students lack confidence in their academic ability, something that is often attributed to repeated experiences of difficulties in understanding and obeying the rigorous and unfamiliar bureaucratic environment of higher education. Students studying full-time on the Foundation Degree in Childhood (FD) programme with which I was involved often combined work and family responsibilities with their studies and it was therefore not surprising that a large number of such students have heightened emotional responses to their personal situations, often to the detriment of their academic studies. Mature female students frequently questioned their own academic ability, seeking solutions to how to balance their personal and work/employment-related commitments with their academic requirements. It is these students on whom this research project has focused, which investigated the place, the nature and the effects of female mature students’ emotion in higher education. To investigate this phenomenon, a general qualitative inquiry was adopted. In practical terms, this involved using qualitative interviews and reflective tasks (text) as research instruments.