Children in research: methods and challenges
What is this about?
Childhood was primarily viewed as a social construction, and children were viewed as social actors instead of being in the process of becoming one. From a postmodern perspective, children are seen as competent, strong, and powerful members of society. What are the methods of research with children, how to explain the elements of research to children, how do they participate in research and what are the challenges that arise during research with children? As society evolves, is the age limit for children to participate independently in research also shifting? How great is the parental influence on research results among the younger ones themselves? What is good research practise in situations where more advanced children of parents with less education are willing to participate in research, while the parents as guardians refuse to participate for cultural, sociological and ideological reasons?
Why is this important?
With changing perspectives, social changes, interest in research involving children. There is a growing interest in empirical research with children. How to explain the elements of research to children, how they participate in research in all its phases and what are the goals of the research? Children do not have the experience that adults have and may not know what research is and what is expected of them. Research involving children is often a slippery slope 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 need to be explain 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 would not harm them.
Fourthly, can such a form of participation lead to a better awareness and understanding of one's health problem and ultimately to a better regulation of the underlying disease.
For whom is this important?
What are the best practices?
In a 2007 study, Einarsdóttir collected data in several ways. 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. Some researchers suggest the use of props such as toys, paper and crayons, clay, or sand. 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. Furthermore, children’s drawings are a convenient method for 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 appliances were used in a way that was given to children. They were told that they could take photos of what they want and what they consider important in kindergarten, and after developing, the teachers sat down with the children individually and talked to them about what was in the photos and why they were taken. Furthermore, the survey is 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
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