Enhancing children’s participation in research: A review of ‘the limits of giving voice’

Abstract

In 2020, a special collection of articles was published in the International Journal of Qualitative Methods (IJQM) under the title Constructions of “Children’s Voices” in Qualitative Research. The collection was timely as, with the onset of the global pandemic, the ways that children have been involved in data collection have highlighted the varied vulnerabilities and ethical dilemmas that some groups of children can face when participating in research. However, the need for child-centred research approaches is not new. ‘Giving a voice’ to vulnerable and excluded children has long been accepted as an important basis for a more accurate and nuanced understanding of children’s experiences, and for a less ‘top down’ approach to protection, welfare policies and programmes.