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Participation in perspective: reflections from research projects
1Anglia Ruskin University, Cambridge, UK. tina.moules@anglia.ac.uk
Aim:
This paper seeks to add to the debate regarding children as researchers by exploring the reality of their participation in research.
Background:
As the role children and young people play in knowledge building is recognised, their position as social agents is evolving. This has led to a shift in the ways in which children and young people participate in research, and in particular in their roles as researchers alongside adults.
Data Sources:
Two participatory research projects involving children and young people.
Review Methods:
The paper critiques existing models of children's participation and is followed by an account of observations made during the research projects.
Discussion:
Existing models offered a variety of criteria against which to measure participation. However, none of the models allowed for the multidimensional nature of participation that emerged from the data to be fully described.
Conclusion:
A dual-axis model of participation is more useful than the other models described in the text for reflecting on participatory processes.
Implications For Practice/Research:
The model can be valuable in guide planning and implementing participatory research with children and also as a tool for evaluating the process.
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