Young children and ethical encounters in research: learning for sustainability in the early years.
By Dr Opeyemi Osadiya
My presentation aimed to highlight how ethical encounters with young children were successfully navigated during research whilst learning for sustainability in an early years setting in England. I first of all thought it important to provide a definition for sustainable development. This was effectively captured in the definition provided by the World Commission on Environment and Development (WCED) (1987) as:
“Development that meets the need of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs”
Moving on to sustainable development in early childhood, it was important to highlight the global recognition that early childhood education (ECE) has a critical role to play in contributing to sustainable development. This is more so as early childhood development is the foundation for sustainable development. As such, strengthening the early childhood education (ECE) sector in the field of sustainability is key to achieving at least seven of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) such as: SDGs 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6 and 10.
The project was fully funded research by the Faculty of Health, Education, Medicine and Social Care of Anglia Ruskin University, UK. It explored how learning and teaching activities can be shaped to promote knowledge and practice of sustainability within an early years setting focusing on an Essex day nursery in the UK.
Sixteen (16) practitioners and 101 children aged 2-4 years worked within a combined framework of three (3) theoretical perspectives: Vygotskian socio-cultural theory, Funds of Knowledge from Moll et al. and Noddings’ Ethics of Care, all of which provided reflexive, reliable, respectful and affectionate researcher-child relationships within the research.
To gain knowledge of sustainability, participants needed to share their funds of knowledge for mutual enrichment, and this was made possible by the study design – a collaborative action research project within a qualitative interpretive research paradigm (Denscombe, 2021).
Participatory data collection methods which included a ‘pedagogy of listening’, observations; and documentation of children’s work, provided opportunities for children to contribute their own personal narratives.
Young children in research
I highlighted in my presentation that research shows that young children are often excluded in decision-making regarding their participation in research as they are viewed as dependent, vulnerable, and lacking in competence and credibility (Harcourt & Quennerstedt, 2014). As such, they lack legal capacity and authority to make decisions regarding their participation in research without adult consent. This often leads to children being excluded in decision-making regarding their participation in research as it is the parents or guardians who are often asked to give consent on their behalf (Basit, 2010). Of course, I acknowledge that parental consent is an important consideration as it honours parental rights to safeguard their children. But, in my project, I had utmost respect for the children who took part as I was of the view that children are entitled to be involved as genuine participants. As such, their rights were promoted prior, during and beyond the research process (Bell, 2008). I was also aware and willing to act upon ethical considerations such as issues of access, consent/dissent, power, research roles and researcher/participant relationship.
How did I go about doing this?
I included child-friendly leaflets in a story form addressed to children with parental letters. These contained information that sought partnership and collaboration between me and the children, and for children to decide whether to participate or not, without penalty (Mackey & Vaealiki, 2011). Afterwards, I visited the nursery regularly for nearly seven (7) months to build relationships with the children before I started to collect data. This meant that I was there to welcome them into the setting in the mornings, get to meet their parents/carers, participated in activities such as storytelling, mealtimes, amongst others. Doing all of these enabled me to build trusting relationships with both children and practitioners, and thus enabled them to yield to the research process.
Children’s rights
I respected children’s wishes by reaffirming their initial consents at every stage of the data-gathering process for indications that they might want to withdraw from the research. This meant I had to put on my ‘ethical radar’ (Skånfors, 2009) to detect when children did not want to participate. This was acknowledgement on my part that children’s consent is not a one-off decision (Harcourt & Conroy, 2011). They can deny participation even if their parents have given consent. Children have the right to be informed and to provide autonomous consent.
I also respected children’s interests (also shared by practitioners) in gardening and planting. As such, a wildlife gardening project was used as the basis for co-construction of knowledge of sustainability. The children took part in choosing the types of flowers they wanted in the garden. They also took part in sowing the seeds and tending to the wildlife garden throughout the research project. The practitioners and I used children’s current understandings and interests as starting points for co-planning & implementation of practical activities on sustainability and presented in meaningful and accessible ways through intentional teaching.
I also took into consideration Articles 12 and 13 the UNCRC (1989) which provides for children’s rights to have their views heard. I listened to children validated their voices especially in their requests to plant sunflower seeds to take home, as well as when they demonstrated their agency in looking for their missing nursery pet rabbit who disappeared from its cage overnight. By giving children opportunities to speak and be listened to, in addition to validating their thinking and supporting their actions, demonstrated the significant role of children as active participants on issues of great concern to them (Davis & Gibson, 2006). In this research project, having the view of children as competent to make valid and valuable contribution encouraged them to participate in research. There was also an acknowledgement of their funds of knowledge.
Findings and implications for practice.
Findings demonstrate that involving children in research in a genuinely respectful manner, where their voices are acknowledged and valued, encourages their autonomy to participate.
Research with children should be based on a genuine listening attitude where researchers are aware of and willing to act upon ethical considerations such as issues of informed consent and dissent, power, access, and relationships (Mayne & Howitt, 2015).
Dr Opeyemi Osadiya is Lecturer in Early Childhood Studies at Plymouth Institute of Education, University of Plymouth
References:
Basit, T. N. (2010) Conducting Research in Educational Contexts. London: Continuum International Publishing Group.
Bell, N. (2008) Ethics in Child Research: Rights, Reason and Responsibilities. Children’s Geographies, 6 (1), pp7-20.
Harcourt, D. & Conroy, H. (2011) Informed Consent: Processes and Procedures in Seeking Research Partnerships with Young Children. In: Harcourt, D., Perry, B. & Waller, T. (eds.) (2011) Researching Young Children’s perspectives: Debating the Ethics and Dilemmas of Educational Research with Children. Oxon: Routledge.
Mayne, F. & Howitt, C. (2015) How Far have we Come in Respecting Young Children in Our Research? A meta-analysis of reported early childhood research practice from 2009 to 2012. Australasian Journal of Early Childhood, 40 (4), pp. 30-38.
Moll, L. C., Amanti, C., Neff, D. & Gonzales, N. (1992) Funds of Knowledge for Teaching: Using a Qualitative Approach to Connect Homes and Classrooms. Theory into Practice, 31 (2), pp132-141.
Noddings, N. (2012) The Caring Relation in Teaching. Oxford Review of Education. 38 (6), pp771-781.
Osadiya, O. E. (2019) Promoting Education for Sustainable Development in the Early Years: An Action Research Project. PhD Thesis, Anglia Ruskin University. Available from: https://aru.figshare.com/articles/thesis/Promoting_education_for_sustainable_development_in_the_early_years_an_action_research_project/23765319?file=42202818
Skånfors, L. (2009) Ethics in Child Research: Children’s Agency and Researchers’ ‘Ethical Radar’. Childhoods Today, 3 (1), pp1-22.
Vygotsky, L. S. (1978) Mind in Society: The Development of Higher Psychological Processes. Massachusetts: Harvard University Press.