Ethics is something which should underpin every research project; it is not a separate paragraph to be added on at the last minute or a disclaimer statement. It is also not just about minimising risks, but about maximising benefits too. As it is such a large subject, it requires quite a lengthy blog post! But I hope that this will inspire those who are considering undertaking research with young children, and give you some help and insight into the complexities of ethical issues.
Approaching research with young children holds many ethical dilemmas, some of which I hope to address in this post. This is by no means exhaustive. I am speaking from the viewpoint of my specific research project, which is learning about the experiences of young children aged 2-4 years when moving house.
Accessing participants
In order to make my research ethical, it has to provide benefits for parenting and practice in the future. The only way I can do that is by having at least two case studies to provide cross case analysis as well as within case analysis. So I need to carefully consider how I access participants. This particular subject makes it even more tricky because participants need to be moving house at the time of the research taking place. Therefore, I have gathered a list of settings (nurseries, preschools and childminders) who are willing to identify appropriate families of children who access their services. This at present gives me access to over 500 families, so the likelihood of finding families who are moving should be positive. However, there is no guarantee that identified families will be willing to participate in my study. This is why it is so important to have access to such a large selection. If, however, I have several families come forward and do not think I will have the time to commit to field research with all of them, I will need to think of an ethical way around this. If I were to turn away families, it would be rude - so I need to think of other ways in which I can incorporate families' experiences which will not take much time, such as a one-off visit to the family after the move to discuss their experience.
Gaining consent
Consent with adults is tricky enough to negotiate, but consent with young children is an ethical issues in itself. In order to provide informed consent, all participants need to know as much as possible about the implications of participating, We start with the initial invitation to participate, which will be given to parents/carers via the childcare setting. When they express an interest, further information needs to be given. This includes the childcare setting owners and practitioners and family members of the child as well as the child themselves. Because each type of participant will have a different type of role, I have made different information sheets for them. So there is information for settings, information for parents/carers and information for the child. Each of these correspond to a consent form, and also a separate consent form for each visit throughout the research for audio recording conversations (because there might be some days when they just don't want to be recorded). Some may not wish to read extensive information sheets, so this information is also going to be available in audio format on a website (www.movinghouseresearch.co.uk).
When it comes to consent/ongoing assent with young children, this comes down to the relationship built between the researcher and the child. I will need to be very careful to observe and sensitively understand if the child's body language is showing me they are uncomfortable. My role is to ensure that the child's voice is heard through my research, and I need to be aware of power relations because the child will likely look up to me as an adult. I need to ensure that the child understands their ability to guide the process, by explaining in child friendly language and reminding them regularly that they have control over what happens.
Data collection tools
I will be using the following tools for data collection: primarily audio recording, observing and writing notes, using children's drawings/mark making/artwork and also giving children the opportunity to take photographs of their favourite things/places in their old and new houses. The artwork and photographs are fairly easy to access; however, to take them away may not be an option if the child wants to keep them. I need to be aware of this and take steps to enable photographing their artwork and having copies of their photographs. Writing notes may not be easy to do when in the moment; there is also the possibility that I will forget exactly what was said or done and write it in a way which is biased towards what I want it to say. I need to be aware of this, and this is why I chose to use audio recordings as my primary method of data collection. This will ensure better accuracy of verbatim quotes. However, as I previously noted, some days people may not want to be recorded. In this case I will need to take notes, and need to be prepared for this every time I attend the field. If at any time throughout the process I find that a particular method of data collection is proving ineffective, I will need to stop using it and reflect on how I can improve my methods. This will help me to elicit the best data possible, to provide authentic stories of children's experiences, making the process more ethical.
Analysis of data
If I take away the data and sit in a room by myself analysing it, there is a strong possibility that my analysis will include plenty of bias. I need to ensure that children and their families have input in the analysis, so there are some steps I will take in order to do this. When children create artwork or take a photograph, I will ask them to tell me about what they have done. I will correlate their thoughts with the artefacts, and go over these with them again to get a second view - which may be the same as the first, strengthening it - or may be different, thus creating further questions. Parents will also have the opportunity to be involved in this process of analysis, as their thoughts can also contribute to my understanding of the child and what they might be trying to say through their actions. When I have transcribed conversations with any of the participants, I will talk through these transcriptions with those people and see if they have anything to add - they may be in a different mood and have a different understanding on another day. Enabling them all to be a part of the analysis process will strengthen the data and help to create robust case studies with plenty of details to work with.
Use of data
So where does it go from here? When the field research is complete and the data is analysed - if it comes to no use and is not shared, this would make the entire process unethical. The whole point of intervening in people's lives is to create change for the future and it needs to be worthwhile for those participants - they need to know that they have contributed to something that will help others in the future. One of the things that is important to consider here is my methodology; using the most effective methods will help to elicit the most helpful data - so methodology, although perhaps considered part of research design only, is also a huge part of ethics too. My methodology needs to continuously be fine-tuned as I am engaging in field research, in order to ensure its efficacy.
I also need to consider how I am going to share the findings in appropriate ways. There are a number of possibilities; obviously I will need to write my project manuscript to hand in as my final assignment for the Master of Research. I can use this in a condensed format to submit an academic journal article - although I need to consider which journal I would like to submit to. This subject comes under many remits - early years, parenting, children's geographies - it is important to send the article in the right direction to have the best impact. I may even consider writing several articles from slightly different standpoints to cater for each perspective. But in order to get this information to the people who need it, it has to be disseminated in different ways. For a start, all participants will need to receive feedback, so a summary of the findings and suggested strategies for future practice will be given to all participants, as well as the families receiving a copy of their own child's case study.
I will be presenting my findings at the International Festival of Childhood in June 2017 in Bath, and also creating an article for childcare practice to submit to Early Years Educator - to reach practitioners directly.
Data protection
Of course with anything involving human participants, it is really important to ensure the safety and confidentiality of the data. Anything that is on paper, I will keep in a locked filing cabinet. Anything that is electronic, I will keep on my password protected computer. Names and identifying features will all be removed on electronic records so even if there was a breach of privacy, participants could not be identified. If I make this explicitly clear to participants, it should help to put their minds at ease and be open about their experiences, knowing that their data is going to be safe and protected.
Additional data
Whenever I have talked about my research, there have always been stories that people wish to share with me. Even conversing casually with a stranger at an exhibition, he shared an enlightening story with me about a childhood move and how it has affected his entire life. Having seen how engaging this subject seems to be for a lot of people, I have decided to include a further study of retrospective stories. These will not necessarily be included in my Masters manuscript, but will certainly be taken forward for my PhD thesis. To this end, I have created a further information sheet which contains the information, a box to write their story in, and boxes to tick for consent. These stories will be anonymous - I will be the only person who knows who sent them to me. I think it is an important aspect of the subject, because when people look back, they can see the impact a situation has had on their lives and place it in a social ecological context, rather than just the facts and figures that quantitative research has explored. For my PhD, this will triangulate my evidence - the review of literature, the retrospective stories and the children's direct experiences. Correlating and contrasting these three things should help me to identify some really interesting points that are worth considering for the future.
