Participatory-research methods with young children: experiences from the field

Abstract

For some time now, many childhood sociologists and early childhood researchers have argued that children are active participants in research and not merely passive recipients of experiences (Clark & Moss, 2001). Alongside growing interest in children's rights and childhood sociology, there has been concurrent stream of interest in listening to children (Moss, 2006; Podmore, May, & Carr, 2001; Prout & Hallett, 2003; Smith, 2002). It is no longer regarded as appropriate to marginalise children as objects to be studied--there is now an expectation that researchers adopt participatory-research approach (Christensen, 2004; Davis, 1998; Thomas & O'Kane, 1998) to include children's contribution to research about the conditions of childhood. Aotearoa New Zealand has led the way in curriculum development with Te Whariki (Ministry of Education, 1996) and in research-led professional development resources like Kei Tua o to Pae/Assessment for Learning. Early Childhood Exemplars (Ministry of Education, 2004). A significant feature of these two resources, particularly the latter, is the recognition given to the voice of the child. Research in early education needs to consider how to support children's participation in the actual research process. How might strategies support children's active participation in research about them or the conditions of childhood? This article details some participatory-research approaches used with children in kindergarten setting that was part of wider doctoral study. Participatory-research strategies included: reading book together with children; making posters of some of the pictures from the book; conversations with persona doll (Brown, 2001; Derman-Sparks & the Anti-Bias Curriculum (ABC) Task Force, 1989); and conversational interviews with groups of children as they went about their day-to-day activities in the kindergarten. Background to the study This study investigated perceptions of children's rights in three early childhood settings (an under-two care and education centre, playcentre, and kindergarten). Four teachers (one reliever), student teacher, and an education support worker, together with 43 four-year-old children participated in the research, which was conducted during the morning sessions (held five times week) over one month. When the research started, there were two permanent trained teachers and trained reliever. A week into the research, new permanent appointment was made and this teacher began in the last week of data collection. She participated fully in the research for that short time period. The following questions were the focus of the study: 1. How do teachers and children perceive children's rights in early childhood settings? 2. How are these rights enacted in early childhood settings? The research design adopted mixed-method approach, intended to reveal a different slice of the social world (Denzin, 2001, p. 326). The combined effect of the topic children's rights, plus commitment to the methodological paradigm, participatory-research approaches, was influential. A wide range of traditional ethnographic research methods were used--observational field notes, photographs, interviews, and focus group meetings; and as mentioned earlier, strategies to include children as participants were: book; posters made from the book; and persona doll, as well as conversational interviews. These strategies were all successful with some children, and each one generated different data, which eventually acted together to support the robustness of the findings. Consent or assent? Gaining entry to the kindergarten was very straightforward. The proposal was discussed during staff meeting with the teachers month before the fieldwork started, and information sheets were handed out (by the researcher) to parents and children at the end of kindergarten session, two weeks before the fieldwork began. …