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All views matter: Critically exploring the process and outcomes of child‐led research in conflict prone and other
complex environments
Childhood and Youth Studies NetworkNovember 2017
Patricio Cuevas‐ParraSchool of Social and Political Science
University of Edinburgh
OUTLINE
1. Theoretical framework
2. Research background
3. Findings
3. Discussion
o UN Convention on the Rights of the Child: Revolutionary in its promotion of children and young people’s participation rights (Verhellen, 2000)
o Children and young people as subject to rights and entitled to be heard and participate in decision‐making processes. Process and outcomes (Tisdall, 2013)
o Children and young people as competent social actors (Prout, 2002; James, 2007)
o Challenges of realising children’s participation rights in collective decision‐making: problems such as tokenism and lack of impact on decisions (Tisdall, 2014)
o Lundy’s model conceptualises the key components of Article 12: Voice, space, audience and influence (Lundy, 2007)
o Participatory rights in practice : Child‐led research as a new avenue to engage children and young people in influencing policy and practice ( Kellet, 2011; Sharpe, 2015; Shier, 2015)
FRAMEWORK
Background of the research
o Research project considers the operationalisation of children and young people’s rights in local social realities, in relation to child‐led research.
o Participatory experiences of Syrian refugee children in Lebanon, Jordan who have used child‐led research as an approach to influence decision‐making processes.
Methods and target populationo Qualitative research o Semi‐structured interviews and focus groupso 36 children and young people aged 12 to 18
and 13 adultso Ethical issues were duly considered
(participants’ consent, confidentiality, choice of opt out, child protection and cultural sensitivity)
RESEARCH BACKGROUND
Unpacking the practice of child‐led research
Participatory experiences of children and young people in Lebanon and Jordan who have used child‐led research as an approach to influence decision‐making processes
Child‐led researchResearch that children design, carry out and disseminate themselves with adult support rather than adult management. (Kellet, 2010)
o Children and young people aged 12 to 17o Claim that they have conducted a child‐led
research on the children’s rights situation in their host countries
o Supported by World Vision (international development organisation)
o Process and outcomes
FINDINGS o Children and young people bring new perspectives to the problems
they experiencedo Children and young people use their own experiences and the one
from their peers to understand issues affecting them o Children and young people are motivated to make a difference in
their communities and fight for social changeo Children and young people feel the project helped them to cope
with the pain and grief as a result of their refugee situation
o Impact of the child‐led researcho Positive tangible outcomeso Restrictions and lack of
information regarding the impacto Influencing decision‐making
remains partially unanswered
oUsing a reflexive approach with an intersectional lens (Scott, 2008).
o Race, ethnicity, social class, age, gender and other structural categories.
oReflecting on and adapting the techniques to the needs of specific group of children and young people.
oUnderstanding my role as researcher
ETHICS AND METHODOLOGY DEALING WITH THE TENSIONS
ETHICS
oInformed consento Free, voluntary and informed consento Understandable to the participants o Translated into the local language o What does mean meaningful consent? o Parents vs children and young people vs gatekeeper
oConfidentialityo Anonymisationo Exception to confidentiality
Competent social actors but parents or gatekeeper can limit their autonomy.
Recognition and credit for their contribution.Breaching
confidentiality.
oChild Protectiono Participants engaging in protection
strategieso Empowering and respecting cultural
sensitivitieso Ensuring safe environment for participants.o Selecting venues: safe location,
neutrality and accessibility
oAs the researcher, my own safety was also analysed, and it was found that this study did not pose any risk of harm to me.
o What did I mean by safety? o Bangladesh: detention, deportation, civil
unresto Lebanon: unsafe travels and checkpointso Jordan: iSIS attacks
Protection over participation mandate.
Same treatment but age
difference and status.
ETHICS Cont.
oCultural sensitivity
o Ethical and protection measures were contextualised and rooted in the local environment.
o Respected and followed the local behaviour codes, ensured to value the local language, used culturally appropriate techniques with children and young people, and honoured the differences among participants
o Minimised expectations by avoiding raising false expectations and not making any promises to children and young people that I could not keep
• Translation into practice as part of an advocacy agenda that aims to improve the condition of refugee children
• Dissemination strategy
• Key factors: networking and conducive environment
Child‐led research and children’s advocacy agenda
Alderson, P. and Morrow, V. (2011) The ethics of research with children and young people: A practical handbook, London: SAGE
Davis, J. (2009) Involving children. In Tisdall, E.K.M, Davis, J.M. and Gallagher, M., Research with Children and Young People: Research design, methods and analysis, London: Sage.
Fleming, J. (2011) Young people’s involvement in research: still a long way to go? Qualitative Social Work, 10 (2), pp207‐223.
James, A. (2007) Giving Voice to Children’s Voices: Practices and Problems, Pitfalls and Potentials, American Anthropologist, 109 (2), pp261–272, ISSN 0002‐7294.
James, A. and James, A. (2004) Constructing Childhood: Theory, Policy and Social Practice, Basingstoke: Palgrave Macmillan.
Kellett, M. (2011) Empowering children and young people as researchers: Overcoming barriers and building capacity, Child Ind Res, 4, pp205‐219.
Lundy, L., McEvoy, L. and Byrne, B. (2011) ‘Working With Young Children as Co‐Researchers: An Approach Informed by the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child’, Early Education and Development, 22(5): 714‐736.
Morrow, V (2008) Ethical dilemmas in research with children and young people about their social environments, Children’s Geographies, 6 (1), pp49‐61.
Sharpe, D. (2015) Young people's involvement in policy research, Children's Geographies, 13 (2), pp240‐248, DOI: 10.1080/14733285.2014.978488
Shier, H. (2015) Children as researchers in Nicaragua: Children’s consultancy to transformative research, Global Studies of Childhood, 5(2), pp206–219.
Tisdall, E.K.M. (2014) Child Should Be Seen and Heard? Children and Young People’s Participation in the UK. In Tisdall, E.K.M., Hinton, R., Gadda, A.M and Butler, U. (Eds.) Children and Young People's Participation and Its Transformative Potential, pp168‐188, Basingstoke: Palgrave.
Tisdall, E.K.M. (2017) ‘Conceptualising children and young people’s participation: examining vulnerability, social accountability and co‐production’, The International Journal of Human Rights, 21(1): 59‐75.
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