Conducting research with children and young people

NatCen Learning

The perspectives of children and young people have been of keen interest to social researchers for some years, and more recently there has been an increasing commitment by local and central government to consult children and young people about the policies that affect their lives. This two-day course will introduce the key theoretical and methodological issues involved in conducting social research with children and young people and equip delegates with the basic tools for conducting high quality research in this area.

Course outline
Course content covers:

planning and designing research with children and young people
legal and ethical issues relating to research with children and young people
strategies for involving children and young people in research
designing questionnaires for children and young people
qualitative approaches to research with children and young people.

The course will combine teaching and interactive practical sessions, allowing delegates to reflect on and apply the issues presented by the various speakers. For example, practical sessions will involve designing questions for a survey for use with children; considering the ethical issues associated with carrying out a hypothetical research study or suggesting appropriate data collection techniques for conducting qualitative research with young people.

Delegates are encouraged to bring their own experience to the table, and there will be opportunities for raising queries and concerns relating to their own work.

Who is it aimed at?
This course will be useful to you if you:

are new to research with children and young people
have a basic knowledge of quantitative and qualitative research methods
will be undertaking research with children and young people for the first time and want to learn about the range of methods you can use and issues that you need to consider.

Learning outcomes
By the end of the course participants will be able to:

appreciate the key design issues to consider when planning high-quality quantitative and qualitative research with children and young people
be aware of key ethical issues (and guidance) to consider when conducting research with children and young people
be able to identify a range of research strategies for ensuring that the voices of children and young people can be heard in social research
have had an opportunity to take part in practical sessions exploring different aspects of research design (both quantitative and qualitative).

Cost and booking
The full price of this course is £650.

We offer discounts to students, academics and those working in the voluntary sector.

Participants will be limited to a maximum group size of 12.