Week 4: Can you do Research with Children?

Week 4: Can you do Research with Children? Introduction to Children, Childhood & Youth Studies

DR. ANN MARIE F. MURNAGHAN
All images in this PowerPoint are stock photographs from York University or Microsoft.

Agenda

• Albanese, P. (2020). Chapter 3: Doing Research on and with Children. Children in Canada today, third edition. Oxford University Press, pp. 38-55.

1. General Announcements
2. From Last Week: New Social Studies of Childhood
3. Doing research on and with children
4. Basics of research methodology
5. Research Ethics and Best Practices
6. Summary
7. Coming Up

General Announcements

• Announcements available on eClass for CCYSA – Children, Childhood & Youth Student Association.
• Academic Conduct Quiz is due by 5pm TODAY.
  • Only 1 attempt allowed, with a duration of 2 hours.
  • Students should start before 3pm.
• Self-Study quiz for chapter 3 is open until the end of next week.
• Tutorial 01 will be held in Curtis Lecture Hall 110 for the Fall term.

New Social Studies of Childhood

Overview of New Social Studies of Childhood (NSSC)

• Recognizes that children should not be viewed as passive beings.
• Emphasizes children's agency, the idea that:
  • Research on children should focus on their capabilities to create their own autonomous social worlds.
  • Children are recognized as persons, not property.
  • They are subjects, not objects of social concern or control.
• Treatment of children as individuals rather than a monolithic group.
  • It calls for differentiation based on factors like gender, “race,” ethnicity, sexual orientation, disability, and various cultural contexts.
• Highlights that childhood is socially constructed.
  • Challenges the notion of a “golden age” of childhood characterized by safety, protection, and innocence.

Recap of New Social Studies of Childhood

1. Children are competent social actors with agency and expertise regarding their own lives.
2. Recognizes diversity among childhoods and the idea that there is no universal child.
3. Considers childhood as a social construct that varies with time and cultural setting.

Doing Research on and with Children

Importance of Albanese’s Chapter on Methodology

• Introduces essential research terminology.
• Emphasizes the importance of conducting research with children instead of just on them.
• Aids in the assessment and clear description of research processes and findings.

Index Cards Questions

• Independent responses to be submitted at the end of class:
  • Why is it important to do research with children? (2 sentence answer)
  • What are 3 things that children are experts about? (3 point-form answers)

Basics of Research Methodology

Types of Research

• Inductive Research:
  • Described as a bottom-up approach.
  • Focuses on understanding what is happening and why through the development of theories from observations.
  • Utilized in exploratory studies and is flexible to new findings, often relying on qualitative analysis.
• Deductive Research:
  • Characterized as a top-down approach.
  • It starts with a hypothesis and analyzes whether it holds through observations.
  • Used in confirmatory studies that are structured, systematic, and primarily rely on quantitative analysis.

Differences Between Inductive and Deductive Research

Purpose of Research

• Various research purposes include:
  • Exploratory: Exploring a new field of study.
  • Explanatory: Understanding why changes or phenomena are occurring.
  • Descriptive: Identifying what is happening in a given context.
  • Evaluative: Assessing whether something is effective or successful.

Methods of Research

• Qualitative Methods:
  • Focus on words and descriptions, suitable for rich, textured elaborations.
  • Often used in micro approaches.
• Quantitative Methods:
  • Based on numerical data, advantageous for describing macro-scale issues and comparisons.
• Mixed Methods:
  • Combination of qualitative and quantitative approaches for a comprehensive understanding.

Quantitative Methods

• Common techniques include surveys and experiments.
• Modes of analysis primarily employ statistical methods.

Qualitative Methods

• Typical approaches include:
  • Participant observation
  • Ethnographic research
  • Qualitative interviews
  • Arts-based methods
• Modes of analysis often involve textual and image-based interpretations.

Characteristics of Research Methods

• Quantitative Methods:
  • Predetermined, with specific instruments used for structured data collection.
• Qualitative Methods:
  • Emerging approaches that allow for open-ended responses.
• Mixed Methods:
  • Combines predetermined and emerging methods to gather diverse types of information.

Time Frameworks in Research

• Cross-sectional Studies:
  • Data collection at a single point in time.
• Longitudinal Studies:
  • Data collection over an extended time period to observe changes.

Unit of Analysis

• Individual:
  • Examines a child or a most knowledgeable person (PMK).
• Social Groups:
  • Analysis can focus on families, classrooms, or ethnic groups.
• Social Artifacts:
  • Can include non-material culture (e.g., songs, proverbs, jokes) or material objects (e.g., advertisements, clothing, furniture).

Example: NLSCY (National Longitudinal Survey of Children and Youth)

• Longitudinal data revealing how changes occur over time.
• Censuses in Canada are conducted every 5 years, inclusive of all households.
• NLSCY tracked a representative sample of children from newborns to 11 years old every two years from 1994 to 2009.
• Parents provide context for their children while children under 10 share experiences via school and home instruments.

NLSCY Survey Instruments

• Household Contact Section:
  • Parent Questionnaire given at home
  • Child Questionnaire administered in schools
• Specific assessments include the Peabody Picture Vocabulary Test-R (for ages 4-13) and grade level reading and mathematical skills assessments.

Research Ethics

Principles of Ethical Research

According to Canadian guidelines, research involving humans is ethically justified when:

1. The research maintains scientific soundness.
2. The potential benefits significantly outweigh possible harm.
3. Informed consent and assent (if applicable) are adequately processed.
4. There is fairness and justice in participant selection.

Best Practices for Research with Children

• Drawn from Samantha Punch (2002):
  • Understand the participants deeply.
  • Avoid imposing personal views onto participants.
  • Build trust and rapport with child participants.
  • Use clear and accessible language for communication.
  • Employ innovative methods suited to the participants' context.
  • Create a comfortable and supportive research environment.

Summary

• Emphasizes the distinction between researching with children and researching on children.
• Types of research methodologies include induction and deduction.
• Research purposes categorized into exploratory, explanatory, descriptive, and evaluative.
• Differentiates between qualitative, quantitative, and mixed methods.
• Research time frames categorized as cross-sectional and longitudinal, with varying units of analysis ranging from individuals to social artifacts.
• Ethical considerations and best practices in research are pivotal for successful studies involving children.

Coming Up

• Week 5 (October 1): Focus on Children’s Spaces and Places.
• Reading Assignment: Cope, M. (2008). "Patchwork neighborhood: children's urban geographies in Buffalo, New York." Environment and Planning A, 40(12), pp. 2845-2863.
• Upcoming Tutorial: Children’s Spaces and Places.