Listening to children’s voices in educational research: some theoretical and methodological problems

What is a child? Children’s perceptions, the Cambridge Primary Review and implications for education

“…One possible outcome of such a regime embodies a sense of children as 'becomings'; a focus on what children will become in later life as opposed to a focus on what and who they are now, in the present, as 'beings' (Uprichard 2008: 303). Viewing children as beings has become the dominant perspective, especially in the new sociology of childhood (Tangen 2008) and has arisen out of critiques of earlier research which framed children as adults-in-the-making; a limiting perspective which fails to recognise and value children for who they are and what they can offer in the present.…”

“…From this viewpoint, it may be difficult to separate a child's views from those of others given that children may be influenced by peers and adults without always being fully aware of this process. The situation is further complicated by the recognition that children have agency to negotiate meaning in dialogue with others (Tangen 2008), whereby they actively shape and reshape their own views. …”

“…Within school, these actors include teaching staff, nonteaching staff and visitors, each with their own sets of values and meanings. However, adults are not the only players, with children also increasingly viewed as social actors who have a role in negotiating their own childhood (Tangen 2008;Waller 2009). Children are understood to possess agency which enables them to shape and interpret their world and construct meaning (Qvortrup 1994;James and James 2008;Fattore et al, 2009).…”

“…Whilst the primary shapers of childhood are adults, children are also engaged in negotiating meanings as they shape and interpret their world (Qvortrup 1994;James and James 2008;Fattore et al, 2009). This emphasis on children's autonomy is reflected in the growing interest in understanding children's experiences and perspectives (Tangen 2008;Smith 2010). However, many texts on This study, which gathers children's views, is contextualised in light of a major independent review of the primary curriculum in England: the Cambridge Primary Review (CPR) (Alexander et al 2010).…”

“…When findings have a different emphasis to theory, such as the predominance of the biological in this study, results give rise to areas of consideration in ITT. For example, the notion of insider epistemology when researching childhood (Tangen 2008) poses particular challenges. It is widely recognised that one of the limitations of adults writing about childhood relates to the lapse of time since they were at that early stage of life.…”