Research with Children

Theory and Practice

Michelle O?Reilly, Nisha Dogra, Pablo Daniel Ronzoni, Michelle O?Reilly, Michelle O?Reilly, Michelle O?Reilly, Michelle O?Reilly, Michelle O?Reilly, Michelle O?Reilly, Michelle O?Reilly, Michelle O?Reilly, Michelle O?Reilly, Michelle O?Reilly

• Publisher: SAGE Publications Ltd
• Year: 2013
• ISBN:
  9781446291689
• Edition: 1
• Topic: Education
• Subtopic: Research in Education

Thought-provoking, pertinent and engaging, this book provides an overview of every aspect of carrying out research with children. It is unique in its particular focus on vulnerable groups of children such as those with mental-health problems, physical health problems and learning disabilities, along with young offenders and looked after children.

The book helpfully addresses each stage of the research process:

-Part I introduces the main elements of doing research with children, including seeking ethical approval for sensitive research topics.

-Part II guides the reader through the initial stages of the research project including recruitment issues and communicating with gatekeepers.

-Part III outlines the data collection, data analysis, writing up and dissemination stages of research and covers both quantitative and qualitative methods.

Filled with practical advice and useful activities for each chapter, this book is an essential resource for any student, academic or professional working with, or doing research with, children.

1 Introduction: Setting the Context

Chapter Outline

• Introduction
• The sociology of childhood
• Children's rights
• Research
  • Research ‘on’ children
  • Research ‘with’ children
• Useful resources
• Further reading

Learning Outcomes

By the end of this chapter you should be able to:

• Identify the ways in which society has changed how it views children and their place in society
• Critically appraise the new sociology of childhood
• Reflect on the role of children in research

Key Words

• childhood
• children's rights
• children's welfare
• society
• sociology

Introduction

The term childhood is non-specific and relates to a varying range of years in human development in different contexts. Developmentally, it refers to the period between infancy and adulthood, but it has been argued that it is a sociological concept rather than a natural phenomenon and thus accordingly has changed over time as views of children have changed.

In this chapter, we provide a very brief history of children and childhood to explore their place in society to set the context for the book. First, we describe the theory of childhood and signpost you to a range of sources that provide a comprehensive discussion of the theories and views. We present a timeline to highlight changes in the concept of childhood over the centuries and illustrate how this has affected the development of legislation around children's rights. Second, we explain how the concept of childhood has moved from a position where children were perceived as vulnerable, incompetent and passive recipients of adult care, to competent social actors shaping their place and role in society; and we outline the interactions with legislation, which is mainly approached from a generational order (when members of a group are categorised by age and legal rights). Finally, we discuss how the process of researching children has evolved in parallel to the changing social, political and legal views about children.

The Sociology of Childhood

As our understanding of children and childhood is historically, culturally and politically influenced, it is useful to consider the concept of childhood as a dynamic process. That is to say that the concept of childhood changes in response to societal changes and also that the perspectives of society change in response to new ideas or findings. The perspectives and views of children held within any given culture are important as they influence whether and how children are understood and prioritised by politicians, health providers, lawyers, social workers, educationalists, families and other parties, including researchers.

Concepts of developmental age as opposed to chronological age and the meanings given to these age-related groupings are neither fixed nor universal. Childhood as a definition and its components is subject to the changing values, definitions and expectations within any society. Over time our understanding of children and childhood has changed quite considerably and these changes are briefly outlined in Figure 1.1.

During the last century there has been a growth in interest in treating children as a distinct population that warrants inquiry in its own right. Initially there was a surge of looking at children's development and their abilities, which was later criticised for treating children as objects. However, historically, society's interest in children's roles began well before this time.

If you are interested in this topic then we recommend you source one or more of the following textbooks which provide a good comprehensive discussion of the debates, issues, theories and developments in this field.

• Corsaro, W. (2011) The Sociology of Childhood (3rd edn). Thousand Oaks, CA: Pine Forge Press.
• James, A. and Prout, A. (eds) (1997) Contemporary Issues in the Sociological Studies of Childhood. London: Falmer Press.
• Jenks, C. (2005) Childhood. London: Routledge.
• Woodhead, M. and Montgomery, H. (2003) Understanding Childhood: An Interdisciplinary Approach. Milton Keynes: Open University.
• Wyness, M. (2011) Childhood and Society (2nd edn). Basingstoke: Palgrave Macmillan.

Please note that this is not an extensive list and there are lots of other good textbooks on this issue, but this should help you to get started.

Activity 1.1

There is a long history to the concept of childhood and how it is encapsulated. What are your views on children? Are they mini adults or are they not? Write down a few of your preconceptions about childhood and children. Think about how your own perception of childhood and your own experiences as a child might influence how you undertake your research with them.

We provide some discussion of this issue for you to refer to when you have completed the activity at the back of the book. You might want to compare your ideas with these.

Figure 1.1 A timeline in the history of childhood

Children's Rights

The contemporary sociology of childhood is organised around two central discussions, namely the child as a social actor and the generational view. We do not go into detail here as this is beyond the scope of this book, but rather provide a brief introduction to the issue.

The social actor approach: The concept of childhood has evolved from children being a uniform group perceived as vulnerable and irrational, to the view that children actively operate in their environments and are able to make sound decisions on a daily basis, as competent social actors that define their sense of self through interactions with others. In other words, this social actor approach focuses on children's everyday life and the ways they orientate themselves in society, engaging with the cultural performances and the social worlds they construct and take part in.

The generational view: The second approach that has shaped the sociology of childhood is called the generational view. This centres on socio-structural and socio-theoretical questions concerning social equality and social order, which categorises their members by age and segregates them in many respects (rights, deeds, economical participation, as...

Table of contents

• Cover
• Half Title
• Publisher Note
• Title Page
• Copyright Page
• Contents
• Illustration List
• Illustration List
• About the Authors
• Acknowledgements
• Illustration List
• Preface
• 1 Introduction: Setting the Context
• Part 1 Preliminary Issues
• 2 Cultural and Diversity Issues
• 3 Ethics in Child Research
• 4 Children's Capacity to Make Decisions
• Part 2 Starting a Research Project with Children
• 5 Planning to do Research with Children
• 6 Getting Started in Research with Children
• 7 Children with Specific Characteristics
• 8 Recruiting Children and Families: Communicating with Gatekeepers, Parents and Children
• Part 3 Practical Issues
• 9 Choosing a Method for your Research
• 10 Quantitative Methods of Data Collection and Analysis
• 11 Qualitative Methods of Data Collection and Analysis
• 12 Writing up and Dissemination
• Answers to the Activities
• Glossary
• References
• Index