Computer And Contrast

Compare and contrast the approach to studying children’s friendships taken in the Bigelow and La Gaipa (1975) study with that taken by William Corsaro.


Identifying some ways in which the work of Bigelow and La Gaipa (1975) and that of William Corsaro (2006) are similar is a complex task and not to be approached superficially, nonetheless the issues and comparisons involved are not as dissimilar from each other as at first appears from a superficial reading because the aims of all three researchers are sincere and clearly based not purely on theory but also upon experience of knowing that friendships among children are often complex, and that their inner inhibitions and physical struggles may well be the product of experiences that one knows nothing about.   The way in which children engage and relate to each other in conversation, and placing attention on children’s personal understanding of the meaning of friendship was particularly interesting for William Corsaro.


An ethnographic approach was used whereby Corsaro took notes as the children played, on the different ways they interacted with others which was also videoed, a record being kept.   There is no mention of parental permission when videoing the children which would appear unethical.   This is in contrast with Carly Butler when she actively got the parents’ permission in order to use audio and tape with children. (Interview with Carly Butler: Part 1 (2010) Most important, when engaging with children, you should not be seen as a typical adult by choosing activities for them and asking too many questions, instead you should allow the children to draw you into their play .( Interview with William Corsaro (2010). By using this approach, interesting ways of the understanding of friendship by children has been underlined and ways on how they can be maintained and developed.   One example of Corsaro’s observation is of a group of children playing in a box.   Martin and Dwight are in   a box and as Denny runs...