Research with Children

1. Prompts

1.1. Pros:

1.2. Can help children who may be confused with the task gain understanding.

1.3. Helps children feel more at ease because it does not seem as direct as using prompts can be inclusive and allows all children to partake.

1.4. Help children communicate better with sensitive topics

1.5. Cons:

1.6. Children may not want to engage.

1.7. Might be triggering.

1.8. Children may not cooperate.

2. Diaries:

2.1. Pros:

2.2. Can reflect on a child's feelings.

2.3. Can be effective in adult and child communications.

2.4. Allows children who find speaking difficult to express themselves better.

2.5. Cons:

2.6. Confidentiality issues.

2.7. Children may feel it is homework and not engage in it properly.

3. Observations

3.1. Pros:

3.2. Can be more effective on younger children.

3.3. Allows researcher to observe, engage and reflect on the children.

3.4. Allows children to not feel under pressure and behave in a more natural manner.

3.5. Cons

3.6. Can be difficult on older children as they will be more aware and may act differently.

4. Photography

4.1. Pros:

4.2. Shows Visual Image.

4.3. Enables children to express facets of their lives in a unique way.

4.4. Photographs can act as prompts for when a child is telling a story.

4.5. Photographs can help keep interviewee’s attention more easily and for longer.

4.6. They can give structure to an interview as they provide a focus and act as a clear prompt.

4.7. Photographs can provoke emotions and effectively charged responses.

4.8. Cons:

4.9. The researcher has no control over what the child chooses to use the camera for.

4.10. Children may feel embarrassed to use the device in fear of producing something that could be considered inadequate standard.

4.11. Children may feel entitlement over their pictures and want to keep them.

5. Drawing

5.1. Pros:

5.2. Children are free to be expressive.

5.3. Children can draw on their own interests.

5.4. Can help children feel at ease and allow them to regain calmness.

5.5. Helps children gain control over the process and their emotions whilst giving them time to be reflective.

5.6. Cons:

5.7. Not all children think drawing is fun and some may be embarrassed about their drawing capabilities.

5.8. Older children might not want to draw pictures as they can see it as being ‘childish’.

5.9. If this is used in a classroom setting drawings can be easily seen and copied by peers

6. Questionnaires

6.1. Pros:

6.2. Can be an effective prompt in seeing how children respond and feel.

6.3. More likely for older children to engage.

6.4. Cons:

6.5. must be age appropriate and critically thought through to be suitable for the aimed audience.

6.6. Unlikely to work effectively in younger children.