‘Child’-led research in sub-Saharan Africa

Gina Porter, Kate Hampshire, Albert Abane, Elsbeth Robson, Alister Munthali, Mac Mashiri, Augustine Tanle, Goodhope Maponya

in collaboration with 70 young researchers and IFRTD

Young people as co-researchers, Durham seminar, January 2010

Background: the research project

• 3-country [ESRC/DFID-funded] child mobility and transport study www.dur.ac.uk/child.mobility/

• Focus principally on daily physical mobility of 9-18 year-olds

• Adult and child researcher strands: mixed methods

• 70 ‘child’ researchers: findings feed into and help shape adult research design

• Child researcher concept came from Indian NGO input into earlier pilot

The child researcher strand• c.12 “children” in each of 2

agro-ecological zones per country (ages 11-18)

• approx. 4 children per school, three schools per zone

• Children’s training workshop in each zone

• Child researchers select methods + research sites + time frame at training workshops

Child researchers’ selected modes of enquiry

• Daily mobility diaries• Photographic journals: the journey to school,

journeys around home• Accompanied walks (interview and map)• Interviewing about mobility • Ranking of travel modes and obstacles (by

school groups)• Children as transporters: counting and other

observation at key loading points[Preliminary write-up in notebooks/files]

Child researchers’ accompanied walks

Child researcher photojournals

Young researchers bring their own insights – different from adults

• Clear view of children’s perspectives

• Not misled when children say what they think people want to hear

• Pick up issues that children are too embarrassed to raise with adults

• Pick up issues that children think adults will not understand or which seem to be too unimportant

Linking adult and child research strands

• Value of child researcher input to adults“Children know the social networks … and things beyond the adult eye, or which we’d overlook. And these children [are] giving us a fair view of their lived life because they know the politics and dos and don’ts of the community, so it’s very important to incorporate them in the research process”. [Malawian RA]

BUT ISSUES OF POSITIONALITY AND REPRESENTATION

• Value of adult RA support to child researchers“Working with adult researchers is good because if you combine our findings with the adult researcher findings, it will make a good research” [17 year old boy, Malawi]

BUT COMPLEXITY OF POWER IMBALANCES

Linking young researchers to policy makers• Key role of Country Consultative Groups in

project

• CCGs: The coming together of a range of stakeholders in regular meetings from the start of the project, aimed at garnering advice and support, ensuring dissemination of project information, and influencing policy

• Membership of CCGs: Ministries (transport, women, education, health), child-focused NGOs, transport unions, teachers, national research councils, academics + project collaborators

• Children keen to engage with CCGs BUT careful groundwork + support essential

• DANGERS OF ENLISTING CHILDREN AS ADVOCATES

Coming together at the Ghana workshop

• Review workshop, Mankessim, Ghana, October 08

• 19 young researchers [4 Malawian, 3 South African, 6 Ghana forest zone, 6 Ghana coastal zone]

• Facilitation of young researcher meetings by Marinke van Riet, IFRTD

• Young researchers decide to write a book of research experiences and findings

The writing process• Preliminary drafting by 19 young researcher

representatives + help from IFRTD and UCC staff

• Work folders of all 70 young researchers reviewed by representatives [by key themes]; key material extracted

• Young researchers select one representative per zone to coordinate work on subsequent drafts

• 1 adult country-collaborator representative appointed to assist

• Subsequent tidying in all research countries and UK – numerous emails and drafts!

• External review: Janet Townsend [steering group]and AFCAP [publication funder]

• Final approvals from young researcher representatives

The booklet structure

• Worked around four key questions raised by young researchers at the Mankessim workshop– What do we know about children’s transport and journeys?

Our research findings– What did we learn from being a researcher?

Our experiences– What do we want others to learn from our research?

Our recommendations– How did we find out about transport and journeys of youth and

children? Our research methodologies and the research process.

• Each theme used as focus for a chapter

AFCAP funding• Professional designer• Full colour cover, some colour inside, robust binding• 2,000 booklets printed in Malawi, 2000 in Ghana• Supervised distribution to:

– All JSS and SSS in study locations [library, teachers, 1 classroom set of 40 per school]

– Study communities [leaders, CBOs, libraries, churches/mosques, health centres, etc.]

– Ministers and ministry offices [eduction, transport, health, children/women’s affairs]

– Child-focused INGOs and local NGOs– Donor agencies and other relevant organisations e.g. UNICEF– Media information officers – Every young researcher– All CCG members– University education departments and libraries

• Electronic version of project, AFCAP and IFRTD websites

Negotiation in the writing and publication process

• 19 Workshop representatives draw principally on their own views- difficulty of ensuring work of all 70 young researchers adequately represented

• Adult researcher input into first and subsequent drafts

• Adult perspectives – trying to separate adult and young researcher voices in the booklet

• Negotiation with AFCAP: 2 countries; need for a clear statement of transport issues; approvals prior to printing

Broader ethical issues raised by participation of young researchers

in the project• Fieldwork hazards: respondent refusals/abuse• Fitting the project round school and home life• Remuneration for research: avoiding

exploitation• Balancing quality requirements and reward

with children’s diverse abilities• Recognition as researchers and writers• Advocacy and dangers of the ‘child

participation star circuit’ [Black 04]• Pervasive power imbalances [need to help not

lead, facilitate not manipulate]

Conclusion• A step forward from participation in adult-led research• Some school groups then started their own independent

research projects [e.g. school food]BUT• Resource issues re children’s independent research in

Africa• Ownership and manipulation/control [by adults and

privileged children] an ongoing concern

Refs: – Children’s Geographies 2008: 6, 2: 151-167. [Also in van Blerk

and Kesby (eds.) 2009 Doing Children’s Geographies]– Children’s Geographies 2009: 7,4: 467-480– American Journal of Community Psychology [in press]