Postmaterial Participatory Research: Exploring the nature of self with children

Abstract

In this article, I argue for the value of participatory methodologies, in research with children, which aims to privilege their epistemologies and living experiences in relation to the nature of self. Researching self with children raises questions about the mainstream materialist paradigm which holds hegemony over most academic disciplines – and, importantly, over the life worlds of everyday people. Children’s experiences of self, others and the world challenge the dominant materialist paradigm, requiring investigation into other metaphysical models of reality, that may have more explanatory power than materialism. I address this by appealing to a body of scholarship referred to as ‘postmaterialist’. Reauthoring our nature as human beings carries an increasing importance and urgency in the face of current ecological, economical and health crises. I argue that any research, which seeks to facilitate social transformation through everyday people, needs to begin by asking ontological questions about the nature of the self - the subject of experience who holds and reports epistemological authority over their subjective experiences.

Rethinking Methodologies in Parapsychology Research with Children

“…It is women's imaginary as "inexhaustible, like music, painting, writing: their stream of phantasms" (ibid. : 877) -similar with children's playing, drawing and creativity when sharing experiences and meanings (see Thomas, 2021Thomas, , 2022b. L' ecriture feminine (feminist writing) is seen in the autoethnographic (Ellis et al, 2010), writing the body, metaphor and symbology.…”

“…These approaches to research open debate around who can be a knower, what can be known and what constitutes and validates knowledge (see Stanley & Wise, 2013). In my own studies with children, I argue how children's experiences and ways of being can also catalyze ontological concern, through exploring the nature of self and experience, and examining the ways children's experiences challenge the dominant materialist scientific paradigm (see Thomas, 2022b). White (1994) examines knowledge and queries whether feminist approaches to science are relevant for parapsychology research.…”

“…Researching unexplained experiences with children gives rise to reports involving talking with deceased relatives, premonitions, senses of being stared at, visions, voices, out of body experiences, and peak or mystical experiences (see Thomas, 2021Thomas, , 2022b. Example studies include: researching NDEs with cardiac arrest survivors (see Thomas, 2023), exploring subtle connections such as telepathy in children (see Thomas, 2022bThomas, , 2023 and identifying unusual experiences in children populations (see Thomas, 2022b).…”

“…Researching unexplained experiences with children gives rise to reports involving talking with deceased relatives, premonitions, senses of being stared at, visions, voices, out of body experiences, and peak or mystical experiences (see Thomas, 2021Thomas, , 2022b. Example studies include: researching NDEs with cardiac arrest survivors (see Thomas, 2023), exploring subtle connections such as telepathy in children (see Thomas, 2022bThomas, , 2023 and identifying unusual experiences in children populations (see Thomas, 2022b). Some studies I undertake with children also use traditional methods such as questionnaires and focus groups (a traditional qualitative research method that facilitates a group of participants to focus on a research topic), trying to traverse some thematic and statistical ground to legitimize the commonality of these kinds of experiences for children (see Thomas, 2021Thomas, , 2022a.…”

“…The 'real' research starts with the children, from co-design through to co-interpretation and analysis. Agendas are co-identified between the adult and children researchers (see Thomas, 2022b), as in many participatory research processes between adult researchers and children (see Crook, 2020;Dan et al, 2019;Larkins et al, 2013).…”