Abstract
This paper outlines a participatory research methodology we have found to be successful in researching the educational experiences and perceptions of children with migrant or refugee backgrounds in Australia for whom English is a second language, aged between 5 and 7 years. As such, the paper focuses on research methods that are effective in research with (rather than on) young children who have experienced transitions involved with forced or voluntary migration and resettlement. The paper outlines these methods, together with their effectiveness and usefulness in allowing children to express themselves on their own terms and become fully involved in the research process. In particular, the paper is interested in allowing children to have voices in research concerning perceptions of ‘doing well’ at school. Finally, the paper addresses the ethical issues of working with migrant and refugee children, and the common critiques of participatory research with young children.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Bandura, A. (1990). Multidimensional scales of perceived self-efficacy. Stanford: Standford University.
Bankston, C., & Zhou, M. (2002). Being well vs. doing well: self-esteem and school performance among immigrant and non-immigrant racial and ethnic groups. International Migration Review, 36(2), 389–415.
Barker, J., & Weller, S. (2003). “Is it fun?”: developing children centred research methods. International Journal of Sociology and Social Policy, 23(1), 33–58.
Beazley, H., & Ennew, J. (2006). Participatory methods and approaches: tackling the two tyrannies. In V. Desai & R. B. Potter (Eds.), Doing development research (pp. 189–199). London: Sage Publications.
Ben-Arieh, A. (2005). Where are the children? Children’s role in measuring and monitoring their wellbeing. Social Indicators Research, 74, 573–596.
Ben-Arieh, A. (2006). Measuring and monitoring the well-being of young children around the world. Paper commissioned for the EFA Global Monitoring Report 2007, Strong foundations: Early childhood care and education. United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation.
Brodzinsky, D., Elia, M., Steiger, C., Simon, J., Gill, M., & Hitt, J. C. (1992). Coping scale for children and youth: scale development and validation. Journal of Applied Developmental Psychology, 13, 195–214.
Buchanan, H. (2005). Development of a computerized dental anxiety scale for children: validation and reliability. British Dental Journal, 199, 359–362.
Carboni, I., & Morrow, N. (2011). Finding the right balance between standardization and flexibility: a compendium of indictors for measuring child well-being. Child Indicators Research, 4, 597–618.
Cassity, E., & Gow, G. (2005). Making up for lost time: the experiences of Southern Sudanese young refugees in high schools. Youth Studies Australia, 24, 51–55.
Chambers, C., & Johnston, C. (2002). Developmental difference’s in children’s use of rating scales. Journal of Pediatric Psychology, 27(1), 27–36.
Clark, A., & Moss, P. (2001). Listening to young children. London: National Children’s Bureau and Rowntree Foundation.
Crivello, G., Camfield, L., & Woodhead, M. (2009). How can children tell us about their wellbeing? Exploring the potential of participatory research approaches within Young Lives. Social Indicators Research, 90, 51–72.
Driessnack, M. (2006). Draw-and-tell conversations with children about fear. Qualitative Health Research, 16, 1414–1435.
Ebrahim, H. (2010). Situated ethics: possibilties for young children as research participants in the South African context. Early Child Development and Care, 180(3), 289–298.
Einarsdottir, J. (2005). Playschool in pictures: children’s photographs as a research method. Early Childhood Development and Care, 175(6), 523–541.
Eiser, C., Mohay, H., & Morse, R. (2000). The measurement of quality of life in young children. Child: Health, Care and Development, 26(5), 401–414.
Fattore, T., Mason, J., & Watson, E. (2007). Children’s conceptualization(s) of their well-being. Social Indictors Research, 80, 5–29.
Fernandes, L., Mendes, A., & Teixeira, A. (2011). A review essay on the measurement of child well-being. Social Indicators Research, 106(2), 239–257.
Flewitt, R. (2005). Conducting research with young children: some ethical considerations. Early Child Development and Care, 175(6), 553–556.
Franks, M. (2011). Pockets of participations: child-centered participation research. Children and Society, 25, 15–25.
Gallagher, M., Haywood, S., Jones, M., & Milne, S. (2010). Negotiating informed consent with children in school-based research: a critical review. Children and Society, 24, 471–482.
Gifford, S. M., Bakopanos, C., Kaplan, I., & Correa-Velez, I. (2007). Meaning or measurement? Researching the social contexts of health and settlement among newly arrived refugee youth in Melbourne, Australia. Journal of Refugee Studies, 20, 414–440.
Hart, J. (2002). Children and nationalism in a Palestinian refugee camp in Jordan. Childhood, 9, 35–47.
Hopkins, P. (2008). Ethical issues in research with unaccompanied asylum-seeking children. Children’s Geographies, 6(1), 37–48.
Masuda, T., Ellsworth, P., Mesquita, B., Leu, J., Tanida, S., & Van de Veerdonk, E. (2008). Placing the face in context: cultural differences in the perception of facial emotion. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 94(3), 365–381.
Matthews, J. (2008). Schooling and settlement: refugee education in Australia. International Studies in Sociology of Education, 18(1), 31–45.
Miller, J. (2006). Language use, language and social interaction: migrant students in Australia. Research on Language and Social Interaction, 33, 69–100.
Morrow, V. (2008). Ethical dilemmas in research with children and young people about their social environments. Children’s Geographies, 6(1), 49–61.
O’Kane, C. (2000). The development of participatory techniques: Facilitating children’s views about decisions which affect them. In P. Christensen & A. James (Eds.), Research with children: Perspectives and practices (pp. 136–159). London: Falmer Press.
Olliff, L., & Couch, J. (2005). Pathways and pitfalls: the journey of refugee young people in and around the education system in Greater Dandenong, Victoria. Youth Studies Australia, 24, 42–46.
Punch, S. (2002). Research with children: the same or different from research with adults? Childhood, 9(3), 321–341.
Reynolds-Keefer, L., & Johnson, R. (2011). Is a picture worth a thousand words? Creating effective questionnaires with pictures. Practice Assessment, Research and Evaluation, 16(8), 1–7.
Riggs, D. W., & Due, C. (2011). (Un)common ground?: English language acquisition and experiences of exclusion amongst new arrival students in Australian primary schools. Identities: Global Studies in Culture and Power, 18(3), 273–290.
Scott, J. (2000). Children as respondents: The challenge for quantitative methods. In P. Christensen & A. James (Eds.), Research with children: Perspectives and practices (pp. 87–108). London: Falmer Press.
Smith, A. (2011). Respecting children’s rights and agency: Theoretical insights into ethical research procedures. In D. Harcourt, B. Perry, & T. Waller (Eds.), Researching young children’s perspectives: Debating the ethics and dilemmas of educational research with children (pp. 11–25). New York: Routledge.
Solórzano, D., & Yosso, T. (2002). Critical race methodology: Counter-storytelling as an analytical framework for education research. Qualitative Inquiry, 8, 23–44.
Tayebjee, Z. (2005). Young refugees in Australia and their English language needs. Paper presented at the Hopes fulfilled or dreams shattered? From resettlement to settlement conference, Sydney, New South Wales, November 23–28.
Theis, J. (1996). Children and participatory appraisals: experiences from Vietnam. PLA Notes, 25, 70–72.
Thomas, N., & O’Kane, C. (1998). The ethics of participatory research with children. Children and Society, 12, 336–348.
Van Ausdale, D., & Feagin, J. (2001). The first R: how children learn race and racism. USA: Rowman and Littlefield Publishers.
Van Blerk, L., & Ansell, N. (2006). Imagining migration: placing children’s understanding of ‘moving house’ in Malawi and Lesotho. Geoforum, 37(2), 256–272.
Woods, A. (2009). Learning to be literate: issues of pedagogy for recently arrived refugee youth in Australia. Critical Inquiry in Language Studies, 6, 81–101.
Young, L., & Barrett, H. (2001). Adapting visual methods: action research with Kampala street children. Area, 33(2), 141–152.
Zeinstra, G. C., Koelen, M. A., Colindres, D., Kok, F. J., & de Graaf, C. (2009). Facial expressions in school-aged children are a good indicator of ‘dislikes’, but not of ‘likes’. Food Quality and Preference, 20, 620–624.
Acknowledgments
This research was funded by an Australian Research Council Discovery Grant (Number DP110100732).
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Due, C., Riggs, D.W. & Augoustinos, M. Research with Children of Migrant and Refugee Backgrounds: A Review of Child-Centered Research Methods. Child Ind Res 7, 209–227 (2014). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12187-013-9214-6
Accepted:
Published:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s12187-013-9214-6