Care was taken to ensure children’s comfort during visits; shy children often preferred the accompaniment of a parent and/or sibling.
Parental conversations were included in this study because parents, generally speaking, can provide information regarding the nature of children’s day-to-day activities. While the special place tours provided an opportunity to see children’s places firsthand, they seldom provided opportunities to view children in their authentic engagement with place. Additionally, it is often difficult for young children to articulate their feelings and behaviors (Piaget, 1936/1952). Therefore, parental interviews were included to provide further insight into the children’s experiences. However, parental insights were indicated as such in the findings and were not used to provide voice for the children.
Observational field notes were taken during all phases of the research. These notes consisted of contextual clues, incidents that stood out, and connections between data. Additionally, data collection activities were video recorded and transcribed for analysis.