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Faculty of Education and Language Studies > People Profiles > Alison Clark

Alison Clark

Senior Lecturer

The Open University Faculty of Education and Language Studies Centre for Childhood, Development and Learning

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Profile

I am a Senior Lecturer in Childhood Studies at the Open University.

After graduating from Exeter University with a BA in History I completed my PGCE (Primary) at Sussex University and taught in the Bristol area for four years including three years as a reception class teacher in a village primary school. My research career began in 1992 working with a homeless families project SPACE to investigate the access to schooling of children living in bed and breakfast accommodation.

I joined the Thomas Coram Research Unit of the Institute of Education, University of London  in 1999 where I worked with Professor Peter Moss on a listening to the ‘voice of the child’ project that led to the development of the Mosaic approach. I completed an MA in Social Justice and Education during this period with a dissertation looking at the origins of Sure Start. I carried out two subsequent funded studies involving listening to young children: Spaces to Play (Carnegie Trust/Bernard van Leer Foundation 2003-2004) and the Living Spaces study (Bernard van Leer Foundation 2004-2007) focusing on young children’s involvement in the design and review of learning environments.  I worked on a range of projects at Thomas Coram Research Unit and the Social Science Research Unit on early childhood education and care and creativity including a Care Work in Europe study with Claire Cameron involving using stakeholder responses to visual data filmed in early childhood and eldercare settings in England, Hungary and Denmark. Current international research networks include the European Early Childhood Education Research Association Special Interest Group on Young Children's perspectives that I co-founded with Professor Deborah Harcourt in 2004. I am also an international advisor to the Norwegian Children's Spaces network. During May 2011 I was invited as a Guest academic to Vestfold University College, Norway.

Teaching Interests

I am interested in teaching research methodologies and methods and a range of topics relating to Early Childhood Education and Childhood Studies, particularly in relation to space, place and materiality. I seek to create research-infomed teaching materials and support students in bringing together theory and practice.

I am currently Chair of a remake of a Level 3 module on Research with Chidlren and Young People (EK310/311 Chair in Production).

I am a team member of the module team curently remaking the level 2 module Childhood (E212) including editing the book Childhoods in Context, one of the four core texts.

I have recently contributed to the remake of the level 2 module Extending Professional Practice in the Early Years (E210) that forms part of the Open University Foundation Degree in Early Years.

Research Interests

My re

My research interests include children’s experiences of place, school design  and the development of participatory research methods. Building on my earlier work developing the Mosaic approach with Professor Peter Moss at the Institute of Education, London I have adapted this multi-method, polyvocal approach for working with adults in multi-disciplinary settings.

Recent studies have included a three year study involving young children and adults in the design and review of schools (Bernard van leer Foundation) , an investigation of ‘tall schools’ (Cambridgeshire County Council) and a study of the impact of Post-War school design on contemporary design and practice carried out with academics and architects (Faculty of Education, Cambrdige).

I am interested in the relationship between design and practice in learning and institutional spaces.Current research is exploring perspectives on the physical environment of residential care homes for young people.

Current Research

'What is my space? Taking place seriously in residential care for young people in England and Scotland: a pilot study'

Advisor 'Places for learning': a Norwegian pre-project on the quality of space in early childhood instititions (2010-2011)

Publications

Authored Book
Clark, Alison and Moss, Peter (2011). Listening To Young Children: The Mosaic Approach (2nd ed.). London: National Children's Bureau.
Clark, Alison (2010). Transforming Childrens' Spaces: Children's and Adults' Participation in Designing Learning Environments. London: Routledge.
Clark, Alison and Moss, Peter (2005). Spaces to play: More listening to young children using the Mosaic approach. London, UK: National Children’s Bureau.
Clark, Alison and Moss, P (2001). Listening to young children: the Mosaic approach. London: National Children's Bureau for the Joseph Rowntree Foundation.
Book Chapter
Clark, Alison (2009). Undertaking research with children. In: Maynard, Trisha and Thomas, Nigel eds. An Introduction to Early Childhood Studies (2nd ed). London: SAGE Publications Ltd.
Clark, Alison (2005). Ways of seeing: using the Mosaic approach to listen to young children's perspective. In: Clark, Alison; Kjørholt, Anne Trine and Moss, Peter eds. Beyond listening: Children's Perspectives on Early Childhood Services. Bristol: Policy Press, pp. 29–49.
Clark, Alison (2005). Talking and listening to young children. In: Dudek, Mark ed. Children’s Spaces. London, UK: Architectural Press, pp. 1–13.
Clark, Alison (2004). The Mosaic Approach and research with young children. In: Lewis, Vicky; Kellett, Mary; Robinson, Chris; Fraser, Sandy and Ding, Sharon eds. The Reality of Research with Children and Young People. London, UK: Sage, pp. 142–161.
Clark, Alison (2003). Listening to children. In: Miller, Linda and Devereux, Jane eds. Supporting Children's Learning in the Early Years. London, UK: David Fulton Publishing, pp. 67–72.
Journal Article
Clark, Alison (2011). Breaking methodological boundaries? Exploring visual, participatory methods with adults and young children. European Early Childhood Education Research Journal, 19(3), pp. 321–330.
Clark, Alison (2011). Multimodal map making with young children: exploring ethnographic and participatory methods Special Issue. Multimodality and ethnography: working at the intersection,. Qualitative Research, 11(3), pp. 311–330.
Clark, Alison (2010). 'In-between' spaces in postwar primary schools: a micro-study of a 'welfare room' (1977-1993). History of Education, 39(6), pp. 767–778.
Clark, Alison (2010). Young children as protagonists and the role of participatory, visual methods in engaging multiple perspectives. American Journal of Community Psychology, 46(1- 2), pp. 115–123.
Clark, Alison (2007). Views from inside the shed: young children’s perspectives of the outdoor environment’. Education 3-13, 35(4), pp. 349–363.
Clark, Alison (2007). A hundred ways of listening: Gathering children’s perspectives of their early childhood environment. Young Children, 62(3), pp. 76–81.
Clark, Alison and Percy-Smith, Barry (2006). Beyond Consultation: Participatory Practices in Everyday Spaces. Children, Youth and Environments, 16(2), pp. 1–9.
Clark, Alison and Statham, June (2005). Listening to young children: Experts in their own lives. Adoption and Fostering, 29(1), pp. 45–56.
Clark, Alison (2005). "The silent voice of the camera"? Young children and photography as a tool for listening. Early Childhood Folio, 9
Clark, Alison (2005). Listening to and involving young children: a review of research and practice. Early Child Development and Care, 175(6), pp. 489–506.
Clark, Alison (2005). Time to listen: young children’s perspectives on spaces and design. Children in Europe, 8 pp. 28–29.
Clark, Alison (2003). Get creative. Nursery World
Other
Clark, Alison (2007). Early Childhood spaces: involving young children and practitioners in the design process. Bernard van Leer Foundation, The Hague.
Clark, Alison; McQuail, Susan and Moss, Peter (2003). Exploring the field of listening to and consulting with young children. Research Report 445. Department for Education and Skills, UK.