Four child-friendly research techniques
March 2015
Although the common tool used in research is the questionnaire survey, it is not so relevant when we want to listen to the voices of children. Completing a pen and paper survey tool is fine for adults but inadequate for children who need child-friendly techniques to express their thoughts and give open and honest responses.
Here are a few techniques which we are currently using in a situation analysis on children’s participation in families and communities involved in projects with SOS Children’s Villages in Latin America.
Young children on “Magic Carpets” in Peru.
Learning by playing with small children
After playing “warm-up” games to help them relax and feel comfortable participating, children are asked to respond to questions in a creative way, such as drawing or conducting a short skit. Observing their interpretation of their reality helps determine if child participation exists.
To measure levels of child participation (whether it is none, limited, moderate, or comprehensive) in specific areas such as the creation of house rules, we need to use other methods. In the Pots and Stones technique, children place rocks or shells in cups labelled with areas of home and community life in which children can participate. (Drawings, rather than words, can be used to label the cups for pre-literate children.) The cups that receive the most rocks reflect areas where children’s participation is comprehensive, and the cups with the least rocks reflect little or no child participation.
Very small children can sit on an old sheet, close their eyes, and make believe they are flying on a Magic Carpet to an ideal world. In the description of this perfect land, children express where they would like to have more voice in issues and decision-making.
More analytical activities with older children
Dynamic discussions with older children are facilitated through the creation of a “Space-o-gram” which converts a physical space into a linear scale to collectively describe and discuss their feelings about something. “Space-o-gram” is a dynamic analytical tool for adults as well.
In our project, one end of the room represents “No participation” whilst the other end of the room stands for “Comprehensive participation.” Children and young people position themselves along the diagonal line between the two points, thus visualising how much their right to participate in all matters that affect them is upheld. A discussion follows in which the children explain why they answered the way they did. The exercise is repeated for each different aspect of the children’s lives – family, school, and community.
Next steps
These activities can be adapted to listen to the voices of children in any setting or stage of the project cycle, such as in monitoring and evaluation (M&E). In relation to child participation, the activities allow us to realise how much child participation is promoted, in what situations, and what kind of child participation is encouraged – consultative, collaborative or child-led.
As for our project with SOS Children’s Villages, once the results of the study are compiled and reviewed, a strategic plan will be created to build staff capacity and facilitate authentic and broad child participation throughout SOS Children’s Villages programmes and institutions.