Creative approaches to informed consent with children under six: A critical dialogue

Lorna Arnott, Kate Wall, Loreain Martinez-Lejarreta, Caralyn Blaisdell, Ioanna Palaiologou

Research output: Contribution to conferencePaperpeer-review

Abstract

This paper aims to present child-led, child-friendly, creative, playful, and pedagogically-appropriate informed-consent processes, devised to negotiated consent/assent directly with children. It demonstrates our belief in young children as 'reliable, voluntary' participants" (Farrell, 2016: 226), moving the field beyond the current research which is still somewhat restricted to discussions of ethics codes (Parsons, et al. 2015). It stems from a Children's Rights Conceptual Framework (United Nations, 1989), offering a much-needed discussion on what ethics look like in practice. The interpretivist and reflexive projects which inform this paper, employ qualitative methodologies. Methods all stem from play-based pedagogy and are derived from knowledge of practice. These include narrative picture books, animated videos and participatory play experiences. We obtained consent/assent directly from children and were responsive to children's embodied cues. Parental proxy consent was still obtained. We drew on guidance from the EECERA ethical code. Findings from our critical dialogue demonstrate that like everything that is play-based and child centred, informed consent processes were messy and fraught with challenge, while simultaneously offering a rewarding route for children's self-expression. E.g. the animated video created space for children's questioning of the ethical processes, but only when viewed on an interactive touch screen which could be paused to create an opportunity for dialogue between researcher and child. Findings necessitate that researchers relate to children in a responsive and reflexive manner. In seeking to marry research methods with pedagogically-appropriate practice, creative consent approaches need to evolve as projects progress. One-time consent is not appropriate.
Original languageEnglish
Publication statusPublished - 23 Aug 2019
EventEuropean Early Childhood Education Research Association -EECERA 2019 - Thessaloniki, Greece
Duration: 20 Aug 201923 Aug 2019

Conference

ConferenceEuropean Early Childhood Education Research Association -EECERA 2019
Country/TerritoryGreece
CityThessaloniki
Period20/08/1923/08/19

Keywords

  • voice
  • methodology
  • pedagogically appropriate methods
  • ethics
  • informed consent

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