Advanced academic skills and your major study

This chapter presents an advanced academic skills into both assignment work and professional practice. A Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, and Threats analysis can help provide a structured reflection on the academic skills that practitioner have developed throughout practitioner’s degree studies. There are three broad categories of early year’s major studies: empirical research, literature-based research, resource design, development and evaluation. Empirical research approach involves the collection and analysis of primary data based on observations and experiences within early year’s contexts, for example, a setting or Forest School, or based on a group of children, or a particular child. Literature-based research approach involves the collection, review and critical analysis of a range of secondary literature sources to address a specific question or issue. An option becoming increasingly popular in early years major studies is the design, development and evaluation of an enterprise or resource. The chapter provides a substantial piece of independent research. It shows how to write a coherent major study.