Research methodology about children’s rights Kay Tisdall, k.tisdall@ed.ac.uk

Programme Director of MSc in Childhood Studies, University of Edinburgh

Co-Director CRFR

What might be a children’s rights approach to research?

• Research aims should be informed by the CRC standards;

• Research processes should comply with the CRC standards; and

• Research outcomes should build the capacity of children, as rights-holders, to claim their rights and build the capacity of duty-bearers to fulfil their obligations.

http://www.qub.ac.uk/research-centres/CentreforChildrensRights/ChildrensRights-BasedResearch/#d.en.335811

What do young people advise?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nB6rDYLPf0A

http://www.ncb.org.uk/media/110695/pear_leaflet_final_lores2.pdf

Turning to the person next to you …

Introduce yourselfand then talk about … What implications do

children’s rights have for research

methods?

Campaign Toolkit | Foothills United Way by Jim Williams

Claims for ‘participatory’ methods

1. Epistemological benefits: participatory techniques “access and valorize previously neglected knowledges and provide more nuanced understandings of complex social phenomena.” Kesby (2000, p.423). Helping to improve decision making and efficiency.

2. Ethical Benefits:“effective methodology and ethics go hand in hand…the reliability and validity, and the ethical acceptability, of research with children can be augmented by using an approach which gives children control over the research process and methods which are in tune with children’s ways of seeing and relating to their world.” (Thomas and O’Kane 1998, p.336-337)

3. Inclusive:a. Multiple methods allow for multiple ways of

communicatingb. Creative or arts-based methods are ‘levellers’,

so all can participate

More information on CRFR, University of Edinburgh ..

Continuing Professional Courses on research and consultation with children and young people …

http://www.crfr.ac.uk/eventsandtraining/training/cpd-training/

MSc/Diploma in Childhood Studies http://www.sps.ed.ac.uk/pgtcs