Research with children: a philosophical, rights-based approach

Much has been written in recent years about research methods used when conducting research with and about children, with many approaches taking cognizance of the children’s rights agenda. This article proposes adopting a philosophical approach, through Community of Philosophical Inquiry (CoPI), as a research method that pays attention to children’s rights. In so advocating, the argument presented is that CoPI makes explicit children’s conceptual understanding and that this complements other research methods. CoPI allows for authentic voice and ‘conceptual autonomy’ through the shared meaning-making in philosophical dialogue by recognizing children’s capacities as thinkers in their own right.