Why Are Ethics so Important in Research with or About Children and Young People?
Why are ethics so important in research with or about children and young people?
“Although the origins of the children’s rights movement can be traced back to the nineteenth century, it is only in the last 20 years that there has been a growing recognition of the importance of listening to children’s views and wishes.”
Charles Magna Fombad (2005)
International Journal of Law, Policy and the Family v19, page 102
In this assignment I am going to consider the importance of ethical considerations in research with or about children and young people. I shall be doing this by looking at the access to the children via the gatekeepers, child competence and consent of the child themselves. I shall be using the paper of Tracey Skelton to examine how to overcome ethical barriers if there are any when carrying out a research project and as ethical issues are relevant to all parts of the research process, from the planning of the project all the way through to the dissemination I will view how these should be carried out with the appropriate consideration of the rights and viewpoints of the children and young adults.
What is meant by the term ‘child’? Within United Nations Convection on the rights of the Child (UNCRC) (1990) and UK law, it means anyone under the age of 18. The Collins Dictionary (1995) declares a boy or girl between birth and puberty. Alderson and Morrow (cited in Skelton, 2008) recognise that this is a person under the age of 16. There is somewhat a grey area on when a child becomes an adult: at age 14 a child is allowed into a pub, although not to have an alcoholic beverage; at age 16 their medical records become private and they are legally allowed to have sex; aged 17 and they are allowed to drive a car; and when a young person turns 18 they are granted the full rights and responsibilities of the adult world. It seems that the question of when a child becomes an adult is open to interpretation, should one look to each child as an individual, or group all
“Although the origins of the children’s rights movement can be traced back to the nineteenth century, it is only in the last 20 years that there has been a growing recognition of the importance of listening to children’s views and wishes.”
Charles Magna Fombad (2005)
International Journal of Law, Policy and the Family v19, page 102
In this assignment I am going to consider the importance of ethical considerations in research with or about children and young people. I shall be doing this by looking at the access to the children via the gatekeepers, child competence and consent of the child themselves. I shall be using the paper of Tracey Skelton to examine how to overcome ethical barriers if there are any when carrying out a research project and as ethical issues are relevant to all parts of the research process, from the planning of the project all the way through to the dissemination I will view how these should be carried out with the appropriate consideration of the rights and viewpoints of the children and young adults.
What is meant by the term ‘child’? Within United Nations Convection on the rights of the Child (UNCRC) (1990) and UK law, it means anyone under the age of 18. The Collins Dictionary (1995) declares a boy or girl between birth and puberty. Alderson and Morrow (cited in Skelton, 2008) recognise that this is a person under the age of 16. There is somewhat a grey area on when a child becomes an adult: at age 14 a child is allowed into a pub, although not to have an alcoholic beverage; at age 16 their medical records become private and they are legally allowed to have sex; aged 17 and they are allowed to drive a car; and when a young person turns 18 they are granted the full rights and responsibilities of the adult world. It seems that the question of when a child becomes an adult is open to interpretation, should one look to each child as an individual, or group all
References: Alderson, P. (2007) ‘Ethics’ in V. Lewis, M. Kellet, C. Robinson, S. Fraser and S. Ding (eds) Doing Research with Children and Young People, The Open University. EK310. Research with Children and Young People (2004) CD2, Media Kit 2, Audio Band 3. Magna Fombad, C. (2005) International Journal of Law, Policy and the Family v19, page 102 Masson, J. (2007) The Legal Context in S. Fraser, V. Lewis, S. Ding, M. Kellet, C. Robinson, Doing Research with Children and Young People, Open University Skelton, T. (2008): Research with children and young people: exploring the tensions between ethics, competence and participation, Children’s Geographies, 6:1, 21-36 The Open University (2004) EK310 ‘Audio Band 3: Ethical Research, The Open University.