Navigating Theoretical, Methodological, and Ethical Interdependences in Researching Children

Navigating Theoretical, Methodological, and Ethical Interdependences in Researching Children
Book Chapter
Chikezie E. Uzuegbunam
Children and Young People’s Digital Lifeworlds, 27 March 2024; pp 55–75
Abstract
This chapter discusses the theoretical, methodological, and ethical approaches to conducting research with children in specific, local contexts. It is a journey from negotiating theories and methodological decision-making to data collection, while highlighting the various processes and challenges involved in negotiating access to the actual participants used in both the focus groups and the surveys conducted. There is a conscious and deliberate decision to foreground the entire research on a child-centred approach, from theory, methodology, and ethics to analyses, making all of these components interdependent. Due to contextual differences and the nascent nature of digital media and youth research in Nigeria, conducting research with children and young people in such contexts can present unique ethical and methodological challenges. Such dilemmas dealt with include adult–child power relationships, gendered and group dynamics, problems of language and cognition, techno-shame, shy and assertive participants, the challenges of conducting fieldwork in school settings, and absentee participants.