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Research by Children

“Are we there yet?”

Dr Karen Malone

UNESCO Asia Pacific Director

Growing Up In Cities Project

Centre for Interdisciplinary Youth Research

University of Wollongong, Wollongong, Australia “Just call me a child. Not a child with HIV or a child with AIDS. I amjust a child. I am no different from other children. I play, work,and do everything just like other children. When I get sick, I visita doctor.... Then I get better.... I'm not living with a deadly diseaseas people like to think, but rather living in a deadly world withpeople who don't understand and are unwelcoming.” 13-year-oldgirl, Thailand (Schenk and Williamson, 2005).

Who are you?Children as innocent

planting a seed

modelling clayromanticised childhoods

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turbo charged child

Growing up too fast???? Parents are under more pressure than ever toschedule their children and have them engage inorganised sports and other activities that may beage-inappropriate.

Unhappily, the overtesting of children in publicschools has become more extensive than it was adecade ago. I some communities evenkindergartners are given standardised tests.

Media pressures to turn children into consumershave also grown exponentially - David Alkind (2001) The Hurried Child

global terrorindvidualisation of risk

stranger danger

From this….. to this

Percent

Percent of children taken to school by car for cities in Germany, England and Australasia (Tranter, 1996)

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child’s view of the world

Over parenting?????

“I let Sarah ride to school on her bikebut I follow close behind to makesure she gets there safely” Helen,Mother of Sarah, age 12

Over parenting?????

“I brought Kate a mobile phone because shepestered me- and well all her friends hadthem. Even though I was worried aboutnot knowing who she was talking to, thefact she could call me or I could call her atanytime meant I didn’t have to worry thatshe might get stranded if I was runninglate to pick up her up after school or whenshe was at friends houses. Really I broughtit more for my peace of mind than for her.-Mother of Kate, age 10

bubble-wrapgeneration

working child war child

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The State of World’s Children 2005 makes clear, fornearly half the two billion children in the real world,childhood is starkly and brutally different from theideal we all aspire to. Poverty denies children theirdignity, endangers their lives and limits theirpotential. Conflict and violence rob them of a securefamily life; betray their trust and their hope.HIV/AIDS kills their parents, their teachers, theirdoctors and nurses. It also kills them. With childhoodof so many under threat, our collective future iscompromised. Only as we move closer to realizing therights of all children will countries move closer totheir goals of development and peace- (Kofi Anan,Secretary General of the United Nations, UNICEF2005).

privilege of concern

What do you know?Children as knowledge

brokers

smart kid with an attitude

“ Even inthe middle

of all thischaos,

I don’t needyou”

resourceful child

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•Have fun!

children as expert

child as competent

Child as competent

What can you do?Children as social agents

A convergence of forces inmodern life – including suchfactors as television, theInternet and changing childrearing patterns – has resultedin the erosion of the wall ofenforced ignorance that hassurrounded childhood inWestern society for the pastseveral hundred years.(McDonnell 2005: 190)

By-passingadults

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research on children

Much research, notably withinpsychological paradigms, has beencarried out on children, based on theassumption that children, comparedto adults, are incompetent,unreliable and developmentallyincomplete (Myall 2000: 121)

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This investigation is based upon theassumption that the original nature of thechild is so subject to environmentalinfluences that the only way to arrive atany conception of original nature is tostudy it as modified by differentenvironmental conditions. The repetitionof such observations will in time give usfar better basis of generalisation than canbe obtained by the observations ofindividuals within the confining walls ofone type of social environment (Mead,1963)

research with children

“We, the children, are experts on being8, 12, or 17 years old in the societies oftoday.... To consult us would make yourwork more effective and give betterresults for children. My proposal isthat you make us part of your team.”Girl, age 17, Norway (Schenk andWilliamson, 2005).

UNESCOGrowing Up in Cities Project

is an international actionresearch initiative to createbetter cities with children andyouth. It engages children, youthand adults as co-researchers inevaluating local environments toplan and implement change.

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Photography

Start with what they know.Build with what they have.

GUIC Goals•Enable young people to voice their perspectives and

opinions about where they live.

•Understand how young people perceive and use theirenvironments.

•Create opportunities for child and youth participationand leadership.

•Value young people’s creative insights and capacities.

•Connect young people and adults to advocate for change.

•Educate policy makers, practitioners and the publicabout research outcomes and processes.

•Transform local environments to make them moresupportive places.

GUIC principles Young people’s voices and participation

1.Be inclusive of all young people.

2.Facilitate different types of meaningfulparticipation that enable young people to makechoices.

3. Provide tools and spaces for children and youth tovoice their perspectives and ideas.

4. Invest ownership of the project in young people;ensure transparency in all aspects of the project.

5.Act ethically; protect the interests and rights ofchildren and youth.

GUIC principles Research and Action

6. Focus on the local environment as a starting pointfor young people’s exploration of community issues.

7. Use engaging methods for participatory researchand problem solving.

8. Work toward long term goals; ensure thatparticipants see short term outcomes and successes.

9. Create child and youth friendly policies andimprove how institutions and communitiesfunction.

!Melbourne and Frankston

•Bangalore•Hanoi

•Port Moresby•CookIslands

!Johannesburg and Durban

•Amman•Saida

Trondheim •

•Warsaw

Northhampton

!•Göteborg

•Buenos Aires

!Caracas

Oakland•

Vancouver!Gatineau ! !Nova Scotia

Montreal

!

!Sao Paulo

"Nairobi

"Manila

Growing Up in Cities, around the world

!New York

!Guadalajara

!Tokyo"Sarajevo

" in development

!currently active

• completed

"SLC

•New Delhi

!Sydney

" Arnhemland

Interviews and surveys

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Observations and behaviourmapping

Children’s drawings andspatial maps

Children guidedneighbourhood tours

Photography

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time schedules Interviewing community adults

Workshops and focus groups Story maps

www.earth4kids.typepad.com/guic

Virtual interactions analysing data

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designing solutions Reporting to Community

taking action

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Hanabada Village,Port Moresby

• Urban Village on ocean

• Indigenous village, Port Moresby

• Built 1950

• Population 50 000

• Pollution, poverty, resources,health, development

Hanubada Village

Drawingscognitive maps

time schedulesTour Guides

•

participants-tour guides

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•

play environments home environments

significant sites

Siremi Village, Popendetta

Local Environmentlocal environment

Drawingscognitive maps

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Betty’s map/ drawing

Time Schedulestime schedules

Guided Toursguided tour Guided Tourshome environment

significant placesBetty’s house

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places of concern

GUIC Braybook 1972-1997

streetspace

roamers groupies

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workers (carers)homebodies

players

Children’sdesigns

adventureplay park

researchin action

community andchildren’s centre

communitygarden

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GUIC Outcomes

• New Global Baseline Data

• Indicators of ‘Life Quality’

• Lessons of Partnerships withPractitioners, Government Officials andAcademics

• Local Participatory Research withChildren

• Model and Methods Tool Kit ofChildren’s Participation and Evaluationfor UNICEF CFC

Indicators of Local Environmental Quality-from a child’s perspective

Positive Social QualitiesSocial Integration

Freedom from social threats

Cohesive community identity

Tradition of community self-help

Negative Physical Qualities Positive Physical Qualities

Lack of gathering places Healthy Green areas

Lack of varied activity settings Provision of basic services

Lack of Basic services Variety of activity settings

Heavy Traffic Freedom from physical danger

Pollution, Geographic isolation Freedom of movement

Sense of political powerlessness

Insecure tenure

Racial tensionsFear of harassment and crime

Boredom, social exclusion and stigma

Negative Social Qualities- +

+ +- +

- -

Chawla, Louise (2001) (ed) Growing Up In An Urbanising World, Earthscan: London.

ethics ofparticipation

manipulation

decoration

toklenism

assigned but informed

consulted and informed

adult-initiated shared decision

child-intiated and directed

child-initiated and shareddecision adults

types of participation

assigned

prescribed

invited

negotiated

graduated

collaborative

self-initiated

researchon children

researchwith children

researchby children

research by children

taking participationseriously

“Usually when we children talk aboutparticipation and making our views heard,most adults see it as a passport todisrespect. The adults have forgotten thatthe world is dynamic and things we knownow they didn’t at our age and might stillnot know. We have to move from the stagewhere children are to be seen and notheard to a stage where children shouldhave a voice in decision making in mattersthat affect him or her.” Girl, age 14, Ghana(Schenk and Williamson, 2005).

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choices of types of participation andresearch role

choices: when

where

how

who

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GUIC regional Victoriashared methods workshop

interview community

surveyed young people

plan and design research project

Interactive feedback weblog

conduct indivdiual research

analyse, document, report and act

feedback to youth, community policy makers

make changes

model of research sharedmethodsworkshop

collecting datareporting back

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I live in Condah. It is half way between Hamilton andHeywood. I live on a farm, it is very dry. I travel toHamilton each Saturday to play hockey and eachSunday I travel to Heywood to play football. I am ina family of six. I am the second oldest. I love to workon the farm and to feed the calves. I also love to ridemy motorbike, I have a track with some good jumps.I have a cow, her name is Eddy, she had a heifer calfcalled Eddy Junior. - Josh age 13

weblog• Backroung Info

We think that the Hamilton Skatepark is no good! It's small, ghettoand restricts kids from learning because of the lack of stuff to dothere.If you look around in local areas they all have descent parks likeColeraine, Heywood and Warnamboolas examples.If this idea isn't thought about soon kids will just start skating thestreets.Plus being dangerous it's bcoming a hang out place for peoplewho smoke and drink.

• MethologyVideo InterviewsBehaviour MappingPhotos

• Key Questions*What we want to find out like if they think its is bad, small or justboring*We want to find out if a new skatepark can be built.

• Posted by: Tom, Jarrad, Jean and Michael | May 31, 2005 11:44 AM

Penny’s research

… and then I formed my conclusion, whichbasically stated that more lighting wasneeded on the Tyrendarra netball courts.Solar lighting appeared to be the best optionas its harmless to environment andinexpensive. I presented the project to thefootball and netball club and my opinion wastaken into consideration. Earlier this seasonword came through that more lighting wason its way ready for the new season.

research by childrenare we there yet?

• Are wenegotiation- relationships and roles

scaffolding - moving towards child centred

ethics - formal and informal

methods - for and of authentic engagement

analysis - process and purposes

action - expectations and realities

key referencesCadzow, Jane (2004). The Bubble-wrap Generation, Good Weekend The Age,

January 17, pp. 18-22.

Chawla, Louise (2001) Growing Up In An Urbanising World, Earthscan: London..

Christensen, Pia and Allison James (2000) (eds) Research with Children:Perspectives and Practices, London: Routedge

Darbyshire, Phillip, MacDougall, Colin and Wendy, Shiller (2005). Multiplemethods in qualitative research with children: more insight or just more?Qualitative Research, 5 (4) pp. 317-336.

Mayall, Berry,(2000). Conversations with Children: Working with generationalissues, in Pia Christensen and Allison James (eds) Research with Children:Perspectives and Practices, London: Routedge.

Scott, Jacqueline,(2000). Children as respondents: The challenge for qualitativemethods in Pia Christensen and Allison James (eds) Research with Children:Perspectives and Practices, London: Routedge.

Schenk, Katie and Jan Williamson. (2005). Ethical Approaches to GatheringInformation from Children and Adolescents in International Settings:Guidelines and Resources. Washington, DC: Population Council.