Qualitative Research in Practice : Stories From the Field - Blogs Unpad

Qualitative research in practice
importance of understanding more about children’s experiences if
we are to develop educational and social programs and services that
adequately meet their needs.
One example of children being actively involved as researchers
is an edited book of the teaching and learning approach of Cleves
School in London (Alderson, 1999). The school had a reputation for
being a model for inclusive education and independent and group
learning, and Alderson was funded to work with the staff and
children on writing a book about their school. A team of Year 6
students participated actively in the writing committee. The
committee decided what topics would be included in the book and
conducted interviews throughout the school of people’s experiences—as
students, teachers and parents.
Hill, Laybourn and Borland’s (1996) study of children’s perceptions
of their emotional needs and well-being was conducted in
order to develop health education materials aimed at helping adults
to be more responsive and supportive towards children, and subsequently
formed the basis for an information leaflet for parents
(Health Education Board for Scotland 1997, cited in Borland, et al.,
1998). The researchers conducted focus groups and interviews with
children aged five to twelve. A similar approach was used for both,
with a variety of structured activities, both verbal and non-verbal,
but including various points at which ‘children were asked to
specify or make choices about the issues to be discussed’ (Hill et al.,
1996, p. 133). The researchers clearly saw this as a compromise
position, maximising children’s input into the research, but having
to work within time and resource constraints.
Even where children are not actually engaged in the research
process, it is important, wherever possible, to provide feedback to
the children after data analysis as a check against possible misinterpretation
of the information they provided (Beresford, 1997).
Researching with people with an intellectual disability
Working with people with an intellectual disability presents a real
challenge for qualitative researchers as this, more than any other, is
a talking research. Qualitative researchers like to really understand
what various life experiences and events mean to people and thus
we tend to prize highly articulate and reflective research participants.
Even when observation represents a significant part of data
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