Qualitative research with primary school-aged children: ethical and practical considerations of evaluating a safeguarding programme in schools
Journal of Children's Services
ISSN: 1746-6660
Article publication date: 9 August 2019
Issue publication date: 8 October 2019
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to explore some of the ethical and practical challenges of working with primary school-aged children to conduct qualitative service evaluations regarding sensitive safeguarding topics.
Design/methodology/approach
The paper centres on the author’s learnings from conducting school-based, task-assisted focus groups with 5–11 year olds. The reflections are drawn from notes made during fieldwork, debrief discussions with evaluation colleagues and wider team debates. This was a consultative participatory evaluation and the findings are situated within the wider literature around rights-based approaches to research.
Findings
Using multi-method and creative approaches can facilitate young children to assent and dissent from service evaluation in a school setting. However, the challenges of helping children understand confidentiality are highlighted, as is the challenge for researchers in recognising and responding in situ to disclosures. Using suitable and creative activities, this evaluation demonstrates that primary school children can contribute meaningful data to assist with service development. However, the approach to collecting these data from the youngest children needs careful consideration.
Practical implications
Researchers may need to adopt full participatory methods to better help children understand the confidentiality bounds of research and to form views on the subject matter. More discussion is needed in the wider safeguarding research literature to show how researchers have navigated the challenges of handling disclosures.
Originality/value
This paper contributes to the literature by providing examples of how to overcome issues of children’s participation, consent and protection in service evaluation focussed on a sensitive topic.
Keywords
Acknowledgements
The author would like to thank Credit Suisse for their funding of the evaluation on which this paper is based, and ResearchAbility for their help with designing the consent methods and focus group activities for children.
Citation
Jackson-Hollis, V. (2019), "Qualitative research with primary school-aged children: ethical and practical considerations of evaluating a safeguarding programme in schools", Journal of Children's Services, Vol. 14 No. 3, pp. 194-204. https://doi.org/10.1108/JCS-01-2019-0005
Publisher
:Emerald Publishing Limited
Copyright © 2019, Emerald Publishing Limited