New Trends and Issues Proceedings on Humanities and Social Sciences How is a research that children want? Hearing the children's voices during the research process (original) (raw)
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How is a research that children want? Hearing the children's voices during the research process
It is important to get the views of children during participation in the research process. The Committee on the Rights of the Child mentions the aspects to be conveyed to children who participate in research processes. A 'symmetrical approach' must be adopted for getting children's own consent, and informing them about the research and participatory methods. This study aims to utilise children's voices for research processes, and their participation and the participatory methods they prefer are the main goals. Children's views on their research processes, their needs and their interests are investigated and the data collected via semi-structured interviews from seven male and seven female children by sampling and snowball sampling techniques. The majority of the children were found to be keen to participate in the research and they wanted a positive approach; they also have different expressions according to their contextual characteristics, like the place to conduct the research.
2007
Increased emphasis on children's "voices" and their rights to be involved in events and decisions which affect them has seen a move towards children becoming participants and co-researchers in research projects about their lives. This has prompted a further step towards enabling children to become "active" researchers in their own right (Kellett, 2005). The Children's Research Centre (CRC) at the Open University is a pioneering initiative in this field. This paper draws on data from a doctoral study exploring the experiences of groups of English primary school children who have undertaken research training through the CRC programme prior to carrying out research projects of their own choice. Issues emerging include the importance of (i) identifying a reliable method of evaluating what children have to say about their experiences of doing research (ii) offering them an authentic role in evaluating the efficacy of such a method and (iii) recognising the research knowledge and skills they have developed. 10 and 11 year old children's evaluations of a particular participatory technique as a means of representing their views have raised some important points. The value these children place upon the recognition of unique perspectives, the dangers of concealing individual priorities within group data and issues relating to internal validity all have implications for how the data generated with children within the context of this study can be analysed and represented. This is a crucial consideration if the technique is to be used to make comparisons across groups as the study continues.
Journal of Childhood Studies
The aim of this paper is to discuss examples of ethical and methodological choices that respect children’s rights to participation by encouraging them to be actively involved in the data generation process. The paper introduces the boxes, a model for confidentially obtaining ongoing and informed consent. It also discusses the use of cultural artifacts, chosen by the children themselves, to communicate with the researcher during the interview process. This paper concludes by emphasizing the need to design and cocreate open, flexible approaches in research that encourage children to obtain control and ownership of the research process.
Children’s participation in research
Journal of Sociology, 2010
This article draws attention to a number of critical issues that exist in the current Australian research context which simultaneously enable and constrain children’s participation in research. These include prevailing understandings of children and childhood, the emerging research assessment environment and the ethical frameworks that regulate children’s involvement in qualitative research. The discussion is framed by a number of questions that remain unsettled for the authors as they attempt to pursue research with and for children and young people that is unselfconsciously focused on ‘improving’ rather than ‘proving’ the social conditions that shape their lives.
Researching with Young Children: Seeking Assent
Child Indicators Research, 2010
Changing views of children and childhood have resulted in an increased focus on the nature of children's participation in research. Rather than conducting research on children, many researchers now seek to engage with children in research. Such a change recognises children's agency as well as their rights to have a say in matters that affect them. Research that reflects a participatory rights perspective and respects children's agency must be based on children making informed decisions about their participation. However, prevailing views of children's competence to make these decisions often preclude their involvement. While recognising the importance of informed consent from parents/guardians, we argue the importance of assent as a means of recognising the wishes of young children in relation to research participation. In this context, assent is defined as a relational process whereby children's actions and adult responses taken together, reflect children's participation decisions.
ACADEMIC BACKGROUND AND GUIDANCE ON STEPS TO ENGAGING YOUNG CHILDREN IN RESEARCH
STEPS TO ENGAGING YOUNG CHILDREN IN RESEARCH VOLUME 1: THE GUIDE , 2014
Chapter/Authors: Johnson, V.; Hart, R.; Colwell, J.; West, A. and Carvalho, X. (2014) Since the development of the Convention on the Rights of the Child (UNCRC) in 1989, children’s right to express opinions in matters affecting their lives as articulated in Article 12 (Van Beers et al. 2006) has been increasingly recognised. This has helped to highlight their opinions and voices in broader processes of consultation and participation in key areas of child rights. Many different types of organisations, including non-governmental, networks and coalitions have joined discussion relating to children’s participation (Boyden 1997), for example Save the Children (1995) called for a ‘New Agenda for Children’. There is a range of responses to articles of the Convention and how rhetoric is translated on the ground, for example as expressed in research in Vietnam (Burr 2006), and in the separate regional interpretations of the Convention (for example in the development of a separate charter for Africa). In broader international development contexts, however, children’s participation has often been poorly understood (Theis 2010). In developed country contexts there is also the suggestion that ‘educational developments have shown little concern for children’s rights’ (Taylor 2000, p32, referring to the UK context). (see https://www.brighton.ac.uk/secp-archive/research-projects/engaging-young-children-in-research.aspx)
Research with young children: contemplating methods and ethics
Journal of Educational Enquiry, 2007
The United Nations Rights of the Child mandates the right of children to express themselves and participate in decisions that affect them, while receiving care and protection from adults. However, children's voices have not often found their way into research. Concerns about their powers of communication and cognitive abilities have restricted children's participation. Empirical evidence suggests that if one appropriately engages children in the information-gathering process there is no reason why their perceptions and thoughts should not be regarded as competent. However, methodologies that require researchers to adopt a role of passive observer potentially pose ethical dilemmas. When working with children ethical dilemmas can be minimised by taking on the role of a participant adult. The participant adult role for the researcher is entirely congruent with the cognitive and social needs of children to participate meaningfully in research.