Theme:7f203e80-6f50-4469-9311-e4fe8b657506

Themes

Research with children

What is this about?

There is a growing interest in empirical research with children. But how to explain the elements of research to children? How can they participate in research in all its phases? What are the suitable goals of the research with children? Children do not have the experience that adults have and may not know what research is and what is expected of them.

Why is this important?

Research involving children is challenging for several reasons.

First, the close relationship between the researcher and the child. Children are potentially more vulnerable to unequal power relations with an adult researcher than other groups, and perhaps some children are not accustomed to adults who are interested in their views.

Second, elements of informed consent need to be explained in a child-friendly way. Children must be given sufficient information in a language they understand to enable them to make an informed decision to participate.

Third, protection of the identity of the research participants is very important so that the information collected will not harm them.

Fourth, can participation lead to a better awareness and understanding of one's health problem and ultimately to a better regulation of the underlying disease for a child?

For whom is this important?

Ethics committee membersStudentsJunior researchersQualitative researchers

What are the best practices?

In a 2007 study, Einarsdóttir collected data in several ways:

Group and individual interviews combined with observation

Interviews were primarily used, which together with observations are the most common method used in research with children. They can be group or individual. The emphasis here is on talking to the child, that is providing an opportunity to be heard. Group interviews involve mostly preschool children who are used to being together in groups, and through interacting with other children they learn and form their attitudes towards the environment.

Using props

Some researchers suggest the use of props such as toys, paper and crayons, clay, or sand. Children’s drawings can also provide insight into the view and experience of young children. The advantage is providing non-verbal expression, and children are active and creative as they draw. The disadvantages are the possible imitation of other children's drawings or simply the child does not like to draw. Many authors recommend the use of photographs taken by children as a method of data collection. Photographing combined with touring increases the power of children because data collection is directly in their hands. Photography gives children the opportunity to express their views in different ways, inviting them to combine visual and verbal language. In addition, in the above-mentioned study, disposable cameras were given to the children. They were told that they could take photos of what they want and what they consider important in kindergarten, and after developing the photos, the teachers sat down with the children individually and talked to them about what was in the photos and why they were taken.

Modified surveys

Surveys are not a common method for research with children primarily because of their age. However, there is the possibility of constructing a questionnaire in the form of a child-friendly game. This may include paper forms of different colors that contain questions that the children in the game answer. This allows data to be collected during everyday children’s activities rather than in a fictional context.

Natalie Evans, Ana Marusic, Ivana Vladušić, Paola Krnjaić, Luka Androja contributed to this theme. Latest contribution was Feb 09, 2023

Other information

Who

• University of Split

When

• March 2022

Virtues & Values

• Care
• Dignity
• Responsibility
• Safety

Good Practices & Misconduct

• Informed consent
• Research involving children
• Obligations to Research Subjects

Research Area

• SH - Social Sciences and Humanities