Mary Ann Powell

Ethical guidelines for research with children: A review of current research ethics documentation in New Zealand

Abstract Childrens rights to participate in matters affecting them, including research, have gained increasing recognition over recent decades. This recognition, and the growth in research with children as participants, has given rise to greater attention from researchers to ethical issues related to child research. This article reviews the current ethics documentation in New Zealand. The findings indicate that considerable variation exists between ethical codes and guidelines in relation to research with children. The dominant focus is on attending to issues of consent and protection from harm, at the outset of the research, rather than recognition of the ongoing nature of ethical issues throughout the research process. Although the findings indicate an increase in the consideration of ethical issues, the existing documentation is inconsistent and inadequate in attending to specific child‐related issues. Suggestions are made to enhance childrens participation in research and demonstrate a respect for their participation rights.

Constructions of rural childhood: challenging dominant perspectives

This article reviews research on the lives and experiences of children and young people living in rural Minority world environments. The literature reviewed has focused on constructions of rurality in relation to childrens experiences, most notably the rural idyll. Alternative constructions of rural childhood, characterised by dullness, horror and deprivation, are also apparent, and associated with insufficient rural activities, resources and transport, marginalisation and social exclusion. The more recent inclusion of childrens perspectives on rural living provides a deeper understanding of rural childhood and challenges the dominant perspectives.

Conceptualisations of children's wellbeing at school: the contribution of recognition theory

A large study in Australian schools aimed to elucidate understandings of ‘wellbeing’ and of factors in school life that contribute to it. Students and teachers understood wellbeing primarily, and holistically, in terms of interpersonal relationships, in contrast to policy documents which mainly focused on ‘problem areas’ such as mental health. The study also drew on recognition theory as developed by the social philosopher Axel Honneth. Results indicate that recognition theory may be useful in understanding wellbeing in schools, and that empirical research in schools may give rise to further questions regarding theory.

Ethical research involving children: facilitating reflexive engagement

Purpose – Qualitative researchers working with children are increasingly sharing accounts of their research journeys, including the inherent ethical tensions they navigate. Within such accounts, reflexivity is consistently signalled as an important feature of ethical practice. The purpose of this paper is to explore how reflexive engagement can be stimulated within ethical decision-making processes, with the aim of generating professional dialogue and improved practice in qualitative research involving children. Design/methodology/approach – The paper draws on the authors’ work in the Ethical Research Involving Children (ERIC) project, an international initiative that synthesised literature, research evidence and the views and experiences of almost 400 researchers and other key stakeholders internationally, to consider the key philosophical and practical components that underpin reflexivity in the context of research involving children. Findings – A conceptual approach linking “Three Rs” – reflexivity, ri...

Reframing ‘well-being’ in schools: the potential of recognition

Abstract In Australia and internationally, the well-being of children and young people is a core focus of social policy, with a growing imperative to locate well-being within the sphere of education. However, the term ‘well-being’ remains ambiguous and the implementation of educational approaches to promote and improve it appears fragmented and ad hoc. In Australia, little is known about how well-being is understood and supported in schools, particularly from the perspective of students themselves. This article reports on key findings from an ambitious mixed-methods study funded by the Australian Research Council that investigated conceptualisations and practices around well-being in schools. Underpinned by theoretical interests linked to Childhood Studies and recognition theory, the research investigated policy, student and staff perspectives on well-being. The findings point to the key role of relationships, providing considerable scope for analysing the salience of Honneth’s modes of recognition for well-being in schools.

Facilitating student well-being: relationships do matter

Abstract Background: Alongside academic and vocational goals, schools are increasingly being called upon to address student well-being. Existing evidence suggests that strong relationships and a sense of connectedness in school communities are important for fostering subjective well-being. However, identifying the specific nature of such relational dynamics, and accommodating the ‘personal’ within school cultures increasingly dominated by ‘performance’ narratives, remains a problematic task. Purpose: This paper draws on Honneth’s recognition theory to offer fresh insight into how relationships act to facilitate and limit the experience of well-being at school. We suggest that such an approach holds considerable potential for developing teachers’ understanding of the tacit and explicit ways they and their students experience being cared for, respected and valued and the ways in which such actions impact on well-being. Design and methods: The paper reports the qualitative findings from a large mixed-method study, involving students and staff across primary and secondary schools in three regions of Australia. The qualitative phase involved focus groups with 606 primary and secondary students and individual interviews with 89 teachers and principals. Results: Across the focus groups and interviews, students and teachers placed substantial emphasis on the importance of relationships, while reporting differences in their views about which relationships support well-being. Alongside this, there were differences in the importance teachers and students placed on each of the three strands of Honneth’s recognition theory (translated for this study as being cared for, respected and valued) for influencing student well-being. Conclusions: The findings affirm the critical role that relationships play in promoting well-being in the context of schools. Using recognition theory to analyse students’ and teachers’ views and experiences of well-being provides much greater insight into how these relationships are enacted – this being through the mutual experience of being cared for, respected and valued – within the context of schools.

Sensitive topics in social research involving children

Abstract While there is broad consensus that involving children in research is critically important for understanding their lives, there is considerable caution around their participation in social research on ‘sensitive’ issues. Such caution is further amplified by a lack of agreement about what constitutes a ‘sensitive topic’. This article draws on data from interviews with a range of Australian stakeholders, including children, parents, researchers, ethics committee members, government and non-government organisation representatives, and other decision-makers, specifically related to the question of ‘what is a sensitive topic?’. While participants identified a range of sensitive topics, findings point to sensitivities being closely linked with the contexts of children’s lives and experiences. This requires researchers to approach research in ways that reflect more nuanced understandings of these sensitivities, help address potential concerns and facilitate the development of research relationships that promote ethical conduct of research with children.

Re-framing 'behaviour' in schools: the role of recognition in improving student wellbeing

Contemporary approaches to managing student behaviour in schools increasingly seek to identify and support underlying social, emotional and learning issues. Inherent in this shift is acknowledgement of the inextricable links between behaviour and wellbeing. Arguably, the most effective approaches to behaviour management reflect key determinants of wellbeing such as positive relationships and a sense of belonging and connection. Nevertheless, behaviour (and by extension the child) continue to be positioned as the ‘problem’. Little critical consideration is given to whether and how school environments attend to the wellbeing needs of an increasingly diverse student body. In this chapter, we draw on findings from a large Australian Research Council (ARC) funded study on wellbeing in schools to explore the potential of a wellbeing lens in furthering understandings and practice around behaviour. Utilising recognition theory, we consider how a more critical approach to wellbeing in schools might concomitantly shape understandings and improve practice around behaviour.