I was invited to contribute an ethics case study for the “Ethical Research Involving Children: International Charter and Guidelines”. [UPDATE Oct. 30, 2013: The charter has now been published and can be found with additional resources at this website: Ethical Research Involving Children.] In my previous post I described the background context and ethical challenge. Here is … Continue reading
Filed under Pakistan …
Research ethics: Implementing international guidelines in complex local realities
Many of us who engage in research with children, especially in diverse contexts of the world, often struggle with ethical concerns. In response to this, a group of international researchers has been developing an international set of guidelines and considerations for ethical research with children. The document “Ethical Research Involving Children: International Charter and Guidelines” … Continue reading
A tribute to my grandmother, Dr. Shireen Lakhani (Valliani)
My grandmother, Dr. Shireen Lakhani (Valliani) has been one of the most significant influences in my life, and much of who I am today is because of her. Two weeks ago, she passed away. In the fields of child development, psychology, education, and social work, we know the importance of extended family, loving adults, and … Continue reading
Effects of an early childhood intervention on classroom quality and child outcomes in Pakistan
Earlier I posted about the ‘Investing in Mothers and Children’ international symposium held about ten days ago to mark the official launch of the inter-disciplinary Fraser Mustard Institute for Human Development at the University of Toronto. I was fortunate to be able to present some of my research work from Pakistan at the poster session held at … Continue reading
Early childhood education: Questioning play and child-centred approaches
Despite increasing awareness that culture and context shape our understandings and practices, there are still concepts in the early childhood discourse that we take for granted and don’t question as core tenets or principles. For example, we don’t generally interrogate or critique the idea that children learn through play, or the larger notion of ‘child-centered’ … Continue reading
The status of education in Pakistan
Recently the South Asian Forum for Education Development (SAFED) released their annual report on the status of education in Pakistan: Annual Status of Education Report 2011. (The full report in pdf format is available here.) The report highlights some of the key challenges facing education in Pakistan. In rural areas, one out of every five children … Continue reading
Sadaf Shallwani 