Qualitative Health Research with Children

Using a range of methods to access children's voices

“…Interviews can range from spontaneous informal unstructured conversations to structured formally arranged (Rich, 1968). I did not consider the conventional formal interview style commonly used with adults appropriate for conversing with children because it is well established that the interview context can have a profound impact on the child's ability to communicate (Hill et al, 1996;Ireland and Holloway, 1996;Kortesluoma et al, 2003;Steward et al 1993). Many authors discourage adherence to a standard question answer format when engaging with children for research purposes (e.g.…”

Research with Children and Young People: The Issue of Parental (Proxy) Consent

“…But, as mentioned earlier, while a child's wishes can be overruled in cases requiring necessary treatment, it would not allow parents to dictate their child's participation in social research (Masson (2004). Even so, there is a possibility that once parents have given Consenting Children for Research Purposes 231 their consent, they may use actions to persuade their child to consent to take part in the research, which has been reported in some studies (Ireland and Holloway, 1996;John and others, 2008). John and others (2008) sought both children and parental views (n = 73) about their decision to participate in a vaccine study and found that a large proportion of parents assumed the role of decision-maker from the outset, with many children unaware that participation was in any way optional.…”

“…John and others (2008) sought both children and parental views (n = 73) about their decision to participate in a vaccine study and found that a large proportion of parents assumed the role of decision-maker from the outset, with many children unaware that participation was in any way optional. Ireland and Holloway (1996), p. 158 reported how 'some parents tried to coerce their children -gently -to take part in the research or agreed on their behalf while their children seemed to want little involvement and expressed uncertainty'. The study involved interviews with 10 children with asthma aged nine to 12 years to determine their perception and interpretation of the illness.…”

“…Thus, the parents could decline participation on behalf of their children without their awareness or they could give the letter to the child and give their consent. Because of their concerns over the consent process, the researchers took steps to ensure that children who seemed uncertain in spite of their parents' permission did not participate (Ireland and Holloway, 1996).…”

Giving a Voice to Children with Disabilities

“…The earliest studies of children with disabilities to appear in the UK were Alderson and Goodey (1996), Ireland and Holloway (1996) and Ward (1997) (2004), Simon, Tuckett and Marchant (2004), and Morgan (2005). There have also been some studies in Northern Ireland (Horgan, 2003) and in the Republic of Ireland (Kelly & Monteith, 2003;Shevlin & Rose, 2003) in which children's and young people's active participation in the research process was supported and their perspectives were sought.…”