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.

In Detail

Since research in which children participate are very demanding, the research approach should be explained in great details, so I would like to add some more important notes.

It is always necessary to obtain the consent of the Ethics Committee first, no matter what type of study is conducted. Certainly, it is good to have any kind of consent from the Community, association, or similar.

Considering the fact that the research including children do not have same protocols, Ethics Committees might also ask for the consent signed by the child. For example, if the child can comprehend research, in addition to asking for the consent of the parents or guardian, it would be good to have the child's consent as well. It may happen that the parent/guardian agrees, but the child does not agree. The research should always be explained in detail to the parent, but also to the child if it is old enough to understand it. The parent, as well as the child, may later decide that they want to leave the research.

It is also necessary to explain in detail how the identity of the participant will be protected. In this case, it is best to anonymize the data so that no one could identify participants.

Data should be stored in a safe place, where no one has access without authorization. Data can also be coded, that is data pseudonymization. In this way, you need to take even more care of the data, because even though it is coded, the data is still very vulnerable. Certainly, it is necessary to follow all research instructions and local legislative, and GDPR. In the application to the Ethics Committee, it is necessary to state whether the research participant has any benefits or risks from participating. Whoever submits the research should clearly emphasize this in the application. Also, if it is a questionnaire, it would be the best id the children could fill in the questionnaire by themselves, so that there is no inherent bias. However, there is always the question if the child is mature enough to comprehend the meaning of the questions asked in the questionnaire. Therefore, when dealing with children, always have in mind if there are mature enough.

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