The Capability Approach in Research about Children and Childhood: a Scoping Review

Abstract

Although the Capability Approach (CA) has been applied in research about children, the extent of this is unclear. Developing knowledge about the CA applied to childhood is important to facilitate support that may benefit children’s well-being. To identify and synthesise the literature on this topic, we used a scoping review methodology with the guiding questions: How has the CA been used in research with children and their social contexts? Which data generating strategies have been used in this research? Searches conducted in June 2018 yielded 6773 records. Seventy-one studies met our inclusion criteria. While the CA was initially described in 1979, most studies were published from 2011 onwards. The CA was used most often in education research, with few studies in health research. The majority of studies used qualitative and/or participatory approaches. Children’s perspectives were included in the majority of studies, but only a fifth were with young children (<7 years). Researchers used the CA as a theoretical framework, and to generate and interpret data. Two knowledge gaps should be considered in developing future research: applying the CA to the field of children’s health, especially mental health; meaningfully engaging children of all ages in research processes, to promote children’s agency.