The Winding Road to Accessing the Voices of One Thousand Schoolchildren: A Nexus Analysis of Collecting Data for a Survey

Abstract

This article describes a nexus analysis of the lengthy, complex process of negotiating access to schools for a research project surveying 1,002 children (aged 9-12 years) about their digital and language practices. The analysis distinguished layers of adult-centered gatekeeping, each of which needed to be tackled in sequence. Bottlenecks particularly arose at the gatekeeping stage, in which superintendents of schools decided whether to grant research access to schools. Factors facilitating the research process included the hybrid data collection design, the procedures for obtaining parental consent, and the active collaboration with the children themselves. A significant discourse emerged among school stakeholders about research fatigue, a discourse that researchers need to take seriously. The implications for future school-based survey data collection involving children are discussed, particularly how collaboration between researchers and school stakeholders can be improved.