AUSTRIA: Researching Children Conference 2007

Summary: The conference is organised by SOS Children’s Villages together with CARE: Centre for Applied Research in Education, University of Innsbruck, California State University San Marcos, Anglia Ruskin University and University of Wollongong.

There is a lot of research that is done by adults "on", "about", and even "for" children, but very little research in which children play an active and contributing part. The organisers stand for research in which children actively participate with adults in ways that ensure that their view of the world is fully expressed and presented seriously.

Of course there are many aspects of research that require very specialised skills, and managing research projects requires an extensive knowledge of the field that only a small number of adults possess, but there are also areas where children could participate but do not often have the opportunity to do so.

The organisers are interested in expanding the active role of children and young people in research and creating bodies of knowledge that is about them, the conditions of their lives and social aspects that have consequences for them.

This might involve children having a role in establishing a project, designing research instruments, collecting data, analysing and interpreting it, presenting and publishing findings. It might involve only some aspects of the process but it means giving children the space to speak and be heard on research that has consequences for them. It means providing them with the resources to be better critics of research done by others. And it sets adults the task of helping children understand intellectual risk and the complexities and uncertainties of acting on information provided by experts.

The conference follows three strands:

1. Methodology: What does participation of children in research mean? How do young people participate in research and how can we enhance their participation? Concrete research projects, challenges, methods, practical problems and concrete solutions.

2. Using the results: Who owns knowledge? How to return knowledge to children? How to include children in the process using the results? Power, values and dissemination strategies.

3. Ethics: What does ethics mean in participatory research with and by children? What is the difference between research with children and research with adults? Ethics as seen by children and young people - which ethical standards would they set?

The conference brings together people who share the view that children and young people should have more opportunities to participate in research that has consequences for them. They come from education, social science, health, social work, city planning and community development and environmental studies. 

The organisers are a mixed group of researchers, educators, advocates, policy makers and activists – and children. They are looking to share experience, locate common ground and develop future programs.

 

The conference is organised by SOS Children’s Villages together with CARE: Centre for Applied Research in Education, University of Innsbruck, California State University San Marcos, Anglia Ruskin University and University of Wollongong.

 

For more details see www.researchingchildren.org

 

 

Owner: See belowpdf: http://www.researchingchildren.org/Conferences-Child-Youth-Participation...

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