Re-Imagining Research Partnerships: Thinking through "Co-research" and Ethical Practice with Children and Youth

Abstract

Intentions to co-research and engage in participatory research pervade education and social science research with children and particularly research on engagement in digital spaces, with digital tools. Starting in the 1900s, there were many attempts to explicitly describe co-research methods and intentions in education but recently co-research has been used in a more taken-for granted way. Using snapshots from three research projects, I trouble my own attempts at co-research. Firstly, in a two-year ethnographic study, research positions were shifted by following the children’s lead and multimodal textmaking interests. Secondly, in an arts-informed classroom study of family photography and family stories, the ways in which the children understood the research process, and gave or withheld assent, influenced how they engaged as co-researchers. Finally, a larger comparative arts-informed study of youths’ digital practices in Hamilton is explored with an eye to how co-research evolved for the youth throughout the project. None of these projects were designed to engage with co-research in a comprehensive way. Yet, across these snapshots, a more nuanced understanding of co-research is envisioned; one that involves reflexive ethical practice and an emergent and attentive focus on consent.

Expression in the Virtual Public: Social Justice Considerations in Harvesting Youth Online Discussions for Research Purposes

“…If participants are not aware that they are being observed, such observation cannot disturb the value of online social interactions, nor restrict participation or speech, unless the covert researcher participates in those interaction, a practice which raises other ethical issues (see e.g., Brotsky & Giles, 2007). Some data suggest that young people may easily become accustomed to observation by researchers, and express limited interest in negotiation ongoing consent once they have agreed to being observed (see e.g., Collier, 2019). If such accommodation is easily achieved, then even overt research observation might only minimally disturb the social environment.…”

“…A third issue involves youth's somewhat limited understanding of the role of researchers and the implications of being observed, especially in settings such as online discussions where researchers somewhat disappear into the background. In analyzing three co-research settings with youth, Collier (2019) found that the presence of researchers became normalized, that "children did not appear to imagine audiences beyond me," (p. 48), and "negotiating ongoing consent was tricky, primarily because they did not see the need for it" (p. 51). This process of normalization is also likely in studies such as Hung's (2020), in which the author was invited to join a group of 16-18 year old boys on Xbox's Live's party chat as they discussed a range of issues, such as abortion rights, as well as "intimate and personal issues, such as romantic relationships, quarrels with parents, and expectations for the future" (p. 600).…”

Photography as a Research Method with Learners in Compulsory Education: A Research Review

“…Allen's (2009) study on sexual cultures within secondary schools viewed photography as offering participants 'alternative means of recounting their stories' (p. 550). Taking representation further, Collier's (2019) work with children (as part of families) wished to 'disrupt normative representations of families' (p. 48). Therefore it was not just about offering a standardized representation of experience, but also challenging current or common representations.…”

“This is Not Me” – A Critical Discussion About Methodological Issues Concerning Agency and Participatory Sense-Making in Qualitative Research with Children

“…Researchers highlight that children should be treated as active agents, and emphasize the importance of ensuring that the children feel safe and respected (Bourke, 2017; Harcourt & Sargeant, 2011; Kjørholt & Winger, 2013; Öneren Şendil & Sönmez, 2020). There is also recognition of the fact that children’s interest in a project may be quite limited and that they must be given a clear opportunity to decline or accept participation in an ongoing, negotiated research process (Collier, 2019; Ericsson & Boyd, 2017).…”

“…A research project can be difficult to grasp and understand, and children may feel pressured (by teachers or parents, for example) to give their assent. They may also find it difficult to withdraw once the project is under way (Collier, 2019; Gallagher et al, 2010). Given the growing interest in including children in research, researchers have become increasingly aware of ethical considerations and dilemmas, including the unequal status and power between children and adults (Hill, 2006).…”