Powerful Voices: Children as Research Consultants

• In Event: 51.078 - MTCC Roundtable Session 21
  In Roundtable Session: 51.078-2 - Foregrounding Children's Views and Voices in Critical Times

Abstract

Description and Objectives
Since the dawning of research on and about children, adults have determined what would be studied, who would be studied and how these studies would occur. In educational research children have been treated as objects of the researchers gaze and as those in need of protection (Smith, 2013). The research presented here sought to upend this dynamic by consulting with school-aged children for a desired later research study with three- and four-year-olds. Specifically, we wanted to know

1.Do primary grades children feel the further desired research project would be worthwhile? Are we seeking relevant information about children’s lives?
2.What methodologies would they recommend? How should we seek out the younger children’s ideas?

Methods and Data Sources
This small-scale study took place in one primary grade classroom in New Zealand. Twenty-two children in this Year 4 classroom agreed to be a part of this consultative process. Building upon current practices of this classroom, the researcher and teacher facilitated whole, small group and partner work with the children over five sessions. The sessions included drawn, dictated and written accounts brainstorming and then ranking potential research questions (including researcher’s); discussing with ‘pots and beans’ ranking for possible research methods to be used with the younger children; and returning for feedback on the proposed research protocol for further research with younger children (Smith, 2013; Thomas & O’Kane, 1998).

All sessions were audio recorded and transcribed to clarify points missed during the classroom-based recordings. The researcher and classroom teacher also recorded field notes following each class session.

Theoretical Framework
Virtually all we know about early childhood education has been driven by adults determining the questions, methodologies and findings, assuming that children are knowable through adult observations and measures (Smith, 2011). Yet as Lahman (2008) states, “even the most understanding, sensitive, early childhood researcher cannot fully achieve a relationship that is not Othered, between adult and child, researched and researcher due to inherent differences. In essence the child will remain always Othered” (p. 286, italic in original). Thus, this study addresses this power relationship by embracing General Comment No. 2 and having children’s perspectives taken seriously as part of the decision-making for a further study on younger children’s perspectives.

Results and Conclusions
The first category of findings relates to the consultative process itself and how children’s perspectives were sought, explored and utilised. The second category of findings are the specific recommendations from the child-consultants both as to the value of the adult-desired study with younger children and for the research protocol to be used. Additionally, we will share children’s thoughts about their role as research consultants.

Scholarly Significance
First, this study provides evidence of children as vital social agents demonstrating how their views and voices can inform and guide research about/with children. Second, the school-aged research consultants provide to the education research community keen insights for potential research methodologies for younger children. Finally, due to utilisation of ongoing practices occurring in this particular classroom, this study provides possibilities for further instructional practices for primary grade classrooms wishing to enact children’s rights-based strategies.

Author

• Sonya Gaches, The University of Otago