ethics-guideline research-ethics young-participants
“‘Steps to Engaging Young Children in Research’ is split into a Researcher Resource and a Researcher Toolkit. These have been developed to assist researchers to design research which is ethical, sensitive to the needs of the children, the community in which they live, whilst also being engaging for young children. These steps suggest an initial process of reviewing capabilities, developing ethical protocols and building trust and relationships.This Researcher Resource provides academic background about why young children should be involved in research and provides more guidance on each of the six steps to engaging young children in research. For each of the steps guidance is given about what the researcher might include in their research when considering each step.For each cluster of methods an overview is provided to show the range of the types of methods that could be applied with young children, key strengths and weaknesses of these methods and a consideration of the potential contextual, ethical and capacity issues which may arise through the use of such methods" (“Steps for Engaging Young Children in Research Volume 1: The Guide”, 2014, p. 8)“Steps to Engaging Young Children in Research Case Studies of Learning from Practice are included in this Researcher Resource to demonstrate research processes have been applied with young children around the world. These demonstrate the adaptation and combination of methods that have been applied to answer particular research questions in different contexts. These examples are not meant to be prescriptive, but to give researchers examples from particular settings and to demonstrate the complexity of engaging young children in research. ...The accompanying Researcher Toolkit encourages researchers planning to work with young children to consider not only the types of methods needed to answer different research questions, but also the context in which the methods are to be applied and the skills that will be required to use them. ...A collection of methods provides a number of examples of methods successfully used in research with young children. This will support researchers to identify and trial different methods in their context to answer their research questions. The methods presented have been divided into six separate, though interlinking, clusters:
Gaining Consent and Developing Trust
Interviews and Discussion
Child-led Tours and in-Situ
Visual Free Expression
Structured Visuals
Drama and Performance
Play and Games This Researcher Toolkit is presented as guidance rather than as a ‘how-to guide’ to be strictly followed. Each research problem is unique, each group of children will have different needs and abilities and as such researchers need access to a variety of methods that can be applied flexibly, modified, and combined in different ways to provide a unique research design. Many questions are raised for researchers to consider as they engage in this creative process of design. Collaboration with other researchers is encouraged. In doing so, if researchers continue to share their progress and extend ideas, then a community of practice of those engaging young children in research can be expanded and strengthened. Detailed descriptions of how methods have been applied in different contexts are included in the Researcher Toolkit. These show how methods have been applied in a range of countries and settings so that researchers can get ideas of innovative tools and how they may be suited to their needs.” (“Steps for Engaging Young Children in Research Volume 1: The Guide”, 2014, p. 9)Step 2 re ethics sets out some clear very specific issues that should (in all cases) or could (depending on the research) be considered, with examples of practical guidance.In considering each method (step 5) _an “ethics and context” section provides some specific elaboration for that method and examples of research that might be drawn onIn the _case studies (p.67 on)- which give examples of research conducted - “ethical considerations” are set out briefly.