Child and youth participation resource guide
Involvement in research, analysis, planning, implementation, evaluation
Research, assessment, analysis
Bartlett, Sheridan, Joanna Hill, Caroline Arnold, Conversations with Families to Prepare for Early Childhood Programming: Participatory Research Handbook, Save the Children Norway, US and UK with UNICEF ROSA, ISBN 92-806-3699, Kathmandu, 2001.
This handbook focuses on developing early childhood programming through a research initiative in rural Nepal. This is a practical guide for all researchers looking for guidance on how to plan, design and implement community research projects. It describes the step-by-step process in planning for data collection, analysis and implementation phases with community members, based on local needs and preferences.
Boyden, Jo, ‘Conducting Research with War-Affected and Displaced Children’ in Rethinking Childhood: Perspectives on children’s rights, Special issue of Cultural Survival Quarterly, Issue 24.2, Cambridge, MA, 2000.
Research in situations of conflict can be sensitive and may affect the privacy, well-being and security of subjects. This paper explores some of the ethical and moral obligations that should be met while conducting research with children. It also addresses the ethical dilemmas that are involved in the process.
Boyden, Jo and Judith Ennew (eds.) Children in Focus: A manual for participatory research with children, Save the Children Sweden, Stockholm, 1997.
This manual gives practical and ethical guidance on conducting research with children. It includes chapters on participation, child-centred and conventional research methods and child-focused research tools. It also contains examples of visual tools, including mapping, matrices, visual aids, transects, Venn diagrams and time lines.
Child-to-Child Trust, Listening to Children: Children as partners in research, Child-to-Child Trust, London, 2005.
This publication focuses on improving communication with children, learning to listen to what they have to say and helping them communicate their ideas. Drawing on Participatory Rural Appraisal and Participatory Learning and Action approaches, this book demonstrates many innovative tools to use with children in planning, designing and conducting research.
Christensen, Pia and Alison James (eds.), Research with Children: Perspectives and practices, Falmer Press, London, 2000.
This is a collection of papers written by authors from different academic disciplines exploring the methodological, practical and ethical dimensions of research with children. The chapters cover experiences working with children as researchers or spokespeople in studies on different aspects of their lives, including education, health care and social welfare programmes.
Ennew, Judith and Dominique Plateau, How to Research the Physical and Emotional Punishment of Children, Save the Children Sweden, ISBN 974-92438-6-6, Bangkok, 2004.
This book includes guidance and tools for programme managers and researchers for conducting scientific and ethical research with children. In clear language, it describes a 12-step process for planning, data collection, analysis and writing up research findings. Despite its title, this book also applies to more general research with children.
Ennew, Judith and Dominique Plateau, Research Protocol on How to Research the Physical and Emotional Punishment of Children, Save the Children Sweden, Bangkok, 2004.
This protocol for research on violence against children is a useful guide for those planning and designing research with children.
Email: alongkorn.parivudhiphongs@seap.savethechildren.se
Holmes, Robyn M., Fieldwork with Children, Sage Publications, ISBN 0761907556, Thousand Oaks, California, 1998.
This is one of the few qualitative research guides focusing specifically on fieldwork with children. It also includes an overview of the study of children and discusses basic methodologies. The book concludes with a discussion of how a researcher’s personal attributes, such as gender and ethnicity, affect research with children.
Johnson, Victoria, Joanna Hill and Edda Ivan-Smith, Listening to Smaller Voices: Children in an environment of change, ActionAid, London, 1995.
This is an early example of participatory research with working children in rural Nepal. The prime objective of the research was to understand children’s roles within households in the context of changing environments around them. The research used Participatory Rural Appraisal methods with children, which are described in detail in this report.
Johnson, Victoria, Edda Ivan-Smith, Gill Gordon, et al. (eds.), Stepping Forward: Children and young people’s participation in the development process, Intermediate Technology Publications, London, 1998.
This publication is based on an international workshop on children’s participation in 1997. Drawing on case studies from various countries, it covers issues, such as the ethical dilemmas in addressing children’s participation, the process and methods of participatory research and planning with children, culture and children’s participation, institutional considerations and capacity building for children’s participation.
Kirby, Perpetua, Involving Young Researchers: How to enable young people to design and conduct research, Save the Children UK and Joseph Rowntree Foundation, ISBN 1 902633 45 8, London, 1999.
Drawing on Save the Children’s experiences, this guide focuses on involving children as researchers rather than conducting research on children. It addresses many fundamental issues, looks at various levels of children’s participation, discusses ethical research issues and provides guidance on research planning, design, data collection, analysis, report writing and dissemination of research findings.
Laws, Sophie and Gillian Mann, So You Want to Involve Children in Research? International Save the Children Alliance, London, 2004.
A toolkit supporting children’s meaningful and ethical participation in research relating to violence against children. It promotes research that sees children as active agents in their own lives rather than passive victims or research ‘subjects’. The booklet presents research techniques and pointers for involving children in secondary and primary research.
Mann, Gillian and David Tolfree, Children’s Participation in Research: Reflections from the care and protection of separated children in emergencies project, Save the Children Sweden, 2003.
This paper presents experiences from involving children in research on separated children in emergencies. It looks at the roles and responsibilities of children during the study and illustrates how research can be an empowering experience for children. It highlights ethical issues to be considered in research with children.
Nair, Deepika, Child-Centred Participatory Research: Integrated education for the visually impaired, some insights, Save the Children UK, London, 1996.
A useful example of research with a group of visually impaired children. It includes descriptions of participatory methodologies and discusses ethical dilemmas in working with physically challenged children.
Save the Children, Toolkits: A practical guide to assessment, monitoring, review and evaluation, Development Manual 5, Save the Children UK, London, 1995.
A practical guide that provides information about tools for conducting research with and about children.
Save the Children, Children and Participation: Research, monitoring and evaluation with children and young people, Save the Children UK, London, 2002.
This is an annotated bibliography and guide to resources on participatory research and evaluation with children.
Theis, Joachim (ed.), Handbook for Action-Oriented Research on the Worst Forms of Child Labour Including Trafficking in Children, Regional Working Group on Child Labour in Asia, ISBN 974-90865-2-X, Bangkok, 2003.
This handbook brings together essential information about conducting effective, action-oriented research on the worst forms of child labour using a children-centred approach. It includes information on a step-by-step research process with sample materials in a user-friendly manner.
UNICEF, Children Caught in Conflict: Assessing the impact of conflict on children in East Asia and the Pacific, Research Methods, UNICEF, no date.
Practical guide on how to develop a protocol for conducting research with conflict-affected children.
Email: eapro@unicef.org
UNICEF, Speaking Out! Voices of children and adolescents in East Asia and the Pacific, UNICEF EAPRO, Bangkok, 2001.
This report presents the findings of a regional opinion poll conducted in 17 countries in East Asia and the Pacific. Topics cover children’s relationships with parents and teachers, community safety, important values and children’s knowledge about their rights and about HIV and AIDS.
UNICEF, Young Voices: Opinion survey of children and young people in Europe and Central Asia, UNICEF, Geneva, 2001.
This report presents the findings of the Young Voices Poll, which was carried out in 35 countries in Europe and Central Asia. The purpose of the
Ward, Linda, Seen and Heard: Involving disabled children and young people in research and development projects. Joseph Rowntree Foundation, ISBN 1 899987 48 7, London, 1997.
With a good introduction to the key issues related to working with disabled children, this booklet includes a useful list of ethical guidelines and recommendations.
Worrall, Steve, Young People as Researchers: A learning and resource pack, Save the Children UK and Joseph Rowntree Foundation, London, 2000.
This publication is full of useful training exercises. It contains handouts on planning, designing and conducting research, tips on analysis and report writing, and information on the ethical issues that need to be considered while working with young people.
