Deepening our understanding: Collaboration through online peer-to-peer participatory action research with children

Abstract

Child-led research is growing globally, yet there are still limitations for children’s leadership in all phases of research. This article, co-written with adult and child researchers, examines child-led research undertaken online with 9 children from Ontario and Quebec over a one-year period. The article explores the process of participating in and collaborating on an online peer-to-peer participatory action research project from the brainstorming stage to recruitment, design, data collection, analysis, and dissemination of knowledge. While much literature exists on older children and youth leading research, this research provides a unique contribution to the literature on the possibilities of creating space for children ages 11 to 14 to lead research. This article finds that the child researchers most valued: (1) Play and fun; (2) Engaging in new experiences; and (3) Learning. The article concludes that child-led research is feasible, and it can create better research and provide a transformative opportunity for child and adult researchers.

Introduction: A brief overview

The coronavirus or COVID-19, a respiratory illness that began to spread around the world at the end of 2019, has had a profound impact on the lives of many in different ways that includes but is not limited to physical, mental, emotional, social, and financial. Research on its long-term impact on children ¹ is still emerging. Thus far, research in Canada and around the world indicates that it has impacted the mental health and wellbeing of children (Arim et al., 2020; Chanchlani et al., 2020). There are several reasons for this, including the way children were labeled in the media at the beginning of the pandemic as carriers and spreaders of the virus, which led to fear of children bringing COVID-19 to their loved ones or children catching it themselves (Mreiwed, 2021). Many children suffered due to limited or no interactions with their peers, friends, family, and community members outside their immediate households (Dangerfield, 2020; Moore et al., 2020), the cyclical closures and reopening of schools, transition to online/hybrid classrooms in Canada, and in many cases, a return to a different kind of schooling. As a result, their participation in and access to activities that can create spaces for them to share their views, concerns and needs with each other was also impacted. This led some to feel alone and isolated. According to Loades et al. (2020), social isolation and loneliness have had a negative toll “on the mental health of previously healthy children and adolescents” (p. 1218).

Uncertainty, fears, and feelings of isolation have contributed to increased reliance on technology (i.e., gaming, communications platforms) and social media use with some children seeking virtual connections with individuals that they may not know. Technology and social media should not be replacements for in person healthy peer-to-peer communications. Research shows that relationships with peers are an essential aspect of school life (Gowing, 2019) and play an integral role in the social development and wellbeing of children (Holder and Coleman, 2015; Shin et al., 2016). Moreover, “interactions and relationships with peers and the forms and functions of peer groups are a fundamental component of human experience that directly impacts children’s behavioral and affective well-being” (Bukowski et al., 2018: 3). As children’s rights advocates from across diverse academic, policy, and practice fields, we felt that what was missing throughout the pandemic and from research were children’s voices and their diverse lived experiences. Without their participation as rights holders on issues that concern them and impact their lives as per Articles 12 and 13 of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC), which Canada ratified in 1991, any policies, decisions, and processes in the present or future will not be reflective of their realities and diverse contexts. Simply having children in mind is not enough. Evidence shows that children’s participation contributes to their protection and personal development, preparation for the development of civil society, strengthens accountability, and leads to better decision-making and outcomes (Lansdown, 2011). Since children have their own lived experiences and can potentially better understand their peers’ experiences, there has been increased “interest in the idea that research undertaken by children also has a legitimate place in education and in qualitative research more broadly” (Graham et al., 2017: 190). Thus, child-led research “has the potential to generate different data and new perspectives on children’s lives and thus expand insight into children’s experiences” (Graham et al., 2017: 191). There are a variety of ways that researchers can and have been engaging children in research. For this participatory action research (PAR) project, we wanted to collaborate with children as co-researchers examining peer-to-peer relationships, and to support them in conducting their own research and in disseminating knowledge. As noted by Cuevas-Parra and Tisdall (2019): “Child-led research is a participatory process involving children and young people in all stages of the research – from planning and conducting fieldwork to collecting and analysing data to disseminating their findings” (p. 1).

In this PAR project, funded by the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council (SSHRC) (Canada’s federal research funding agency) in partnership with a non-charitable civil society organization that advocates for children’s rights, we (as the adult co-researchers and co-authors of this paper) wanted to work with and support children as they led their own research, and to collectively explore two research questions: (1) How do peer-to-peer relationships affect children’s ability/opportunity to exercise their agency? (2) What roles do peer-to-peer relationships play in individual and relational experiences of personal and social development during and after the pandemic? A crucial part of PAR is for all members to participate in shaping the research questions and direction; although this was not possible at the funding application stage, it was done as soon as funding was awarded, ethical approval was obtained in both sites, and recruitment was completed. The child researchers were informed during the first meeting that these are the two questions that the adult researchers were interested in exploring, but as researchers, they were free to explore their own research questions. The role of the adult researchers would be to equip them with the tools and support them throughout the process. Thus, the process from the development of the research questions to design, implementation, and dissemination were centered on participation, collaboration, children’s rights, co-learning, and leadership. This article, inspired by the powerpoint presentations written by the child researchers (at the dissemination of knowledge stage) and shaped by their ideas throughout the project, focuses on the PAR research process, and the child researchers’ journeys. As this was their first article, the child researchers chose to focus on their PAR journeys and review the overall text with the following sections written by the adult researchers (introduction, literature review, methodology, discussion, challenges/limitations, and conclusion; for further details, see dissemination of knowledge sub-section). The findings from the overall research project (from the Quebec and Ontario sites), and the different questionnaires will be examined in a forthcoming article.

As adult researchers, we acknowledge that there are power imbalances when researchers work with children as participants or as researchers themselves. Therefore, we were reflexive in our practice and let the child researchers take the lead on research questions, design, data collection and analysis. We engaged in discussions about research procedures, processes, and ethics with the child researchers with the goal of supporting them in their journeys during their research. As noted by Graham et al. (2017), “CLR [child-led research] does not mean adults are absent from the process. They still have an important role as research peers for children and young people, providing advice on matters such as feasibility, ethical considerations, research design and the like” (p. 191). Conducting research for the first time is not an easy task; it requires training and support whether it is done by adults or children. It was essential that as adult researchers with more than four decades of combined experience conducting research across multiple disciplines and in various settings, we ensure that the child researchers were supported throughout their journeys. We did this by fostering opportunities for them to learn and develop skills they need to conduct their own research and making ourselves available for additional drop-in and scheduled sessions on research methods and data analysis, or any other issue that they wanted to discuss.

Research team: Child and adult co-researchers

The child researchers were 9 children from grades 7, 8 and 9 in the provinces of Ontario and Quebec (ages 11-14 at the start of the project). These grades were selected because they are key transition periods for children as they move from elementary (in Ontario) and primary (in Quebec) to middle/secondary school. Due to the pandemic, some of the children had to virtually transition from one level to the next without connecting in-person with their peers. It was integral to keep in mind the possible impact that such a transition may have had on them personally, socially, and academically. The recruitment criteria consisted of being in one of these grade levels, ability to attend at least one monthly 1.5-hour session over the period of 1 year, interest in conducting research, and ability to participate in a shared language (English) to engage in dialogue with peers. However, English did not have to be their first language/mother tongue. It was also essential to keep a small sample size to ensure that the child co-researchers were always supported.

As this is a pilot project, the research team focussed on only two provinces in Canada (where the principal investigator [PI] and co-investigator [Co-I] work, and the research assistants are based). The research team members that supported the child researchers through their PAR journeys included an assistant professor (PI) in Childhood and Youth Studies (CYS), an associate professor in the Faculty of Education (Co-I) and two research assistants (RAs) for each site (a BA student in CYS and a PhD student in the Faculty of Education), the Chair of the partner organization, and an assistant professor in Childhood Studies from a university in Scotland (collaborator). Three members of the adult research team were at the time on the Board of Directors of the partner organization – as chair, vice-chair, and director. Each of these adults played distinct roles in the research process. The PI led most of the sessions with the child researchers, interacted with the parents/legal guardians, and led the research process. The Co-I led the data analysis session and supported the child researchers in Quebec. The two RAs took notes during the meetings and participated in activities in the virtual breakout rooms. The Chair of the partner organization and collaborator contributed to sessions (one led a session on children’s rights for the parents/legal guardians; the other a session on participatory action research), reviewed research questions, answered questions from participants, and supported the PI & Co-I whenever possible. Having a team with access to resources and diverse expertise willing to support children and help co-create a space where the child researchers felt comfortable and confident to collectively come together to discuss issues that mattered to them and lead their own projects (from workshops to research and dissemination) was a key component.

Methodology

Participatory action research (PAR)

Participatory action research is a form of participatory research that challenges dominant positivist paradigms and involves three types of change: (1) critical consciousness; (2) development of researchers and participants; (3) improvement of lives of those participating in research, and transformation of relationships and societal structures (MacDonald 2012; McNiff and Whitehead 2012). PAR is considered emancipatory and supports participants and active co-researchers to release themselves from the constraints in which they are situated. Child and youth-led PAR (YPAR) can contribute to greater opportunity to share voice and engage in decision making for young people (Wright et al., 2021a). PAR creates space for people directly affected by a problem being researched to engage as co-researchers and be involved in action to address the problem or challenge being researched (Bettencourt, 2020). In YPAR, children, youth, and adults can work together building from lived expertise to explore issues. Studies have highlighted the potential of YPAR to contribute to civic engagement, critical thinking, trust, and social and emotional development of young people, and leadership (see Anselma et al., 2020; Buckley-Marudas and Soltis, 2019; Chou et al., 2015). In our project, we chose to introduce PAR to the child researchers for them to be able to develop research skills, design their own child-led research, and engage in action-oriented plans to address challenges experienced in their schools and communities. Through PAR, the co-researchers were able to gain knowledge through action/learning by doing, which in turn helped open a world of possibilities. By working together, the entire team was there to support one another; “[r]esearch has shown that people cope best with stress and uncertainty when they have sufficient levels of social support” (Carvalho, 2021, para 4).

Process

A children’s rights approach was at the core of the research project and all activities. By this, we mean that children were seen as active participants and co-researchers in all stages of the project. Recruitment began in the summer of 2022; a brief description of the project was sent out to several organizations, universities, and networks with community outreach including the partner organization’s newsletter. Upon communication of interest by a parent/legal guardian to the PI and Co-I via email, a 1-hour virtual meeting was set with each parent/legal guardian and interested child to see what their interests are, go over the project and the informed consent and assent ² forms (also sent to them for review and signature via email), and to answer any questions. Using child-friendly language, the assent form included: the project title, information about the adult researchers, what the research is about, and why it is being conducted, possible risks and benefits, the process, privacy and confidentiality, compensation for their time (which was in a form of a gift card to a bookstore), emphasis on their ability to withdraw from the study at any time, an invitation to participate, the contact information of the PI and Co-I for questions, and contact information for complaints relating to ethical misconduct, confidentiality, or questions about their rights as research participants. This was important to ensure that the participants were clear about the process, that consent is ongoing, and they are free to withdraw at any time. This stage proved to be essential as it helped the child researchers understand the steps they need to take if they invite participants to be a part of their own research. Following these meetings conducted by the PI in Ontario, and the Co-I in Quebec, the first ten participants who applied during the recruitment period and were interviewed were selected and emailed all the documents for signatures – 5 from Ontario and 5 from Quebec from grades 7-9 (ages 11-14). Once the signed forms from the children and their parents/legal guardians were received, the project began. A participant in Quebec withdrew before the start of the research, so we met with a participant in Ontario who had expressed interest. This resulted in 6 participants in Ontario and 4 in Quebec. There was 1 researcher in grade seven, 5 in grade eight, and 4 in grade nine; 5 children identified as male and 5 as female. In the early stage, a participant in Ontario in grade eight withdrew citing time commitments bringing the total number of child researchers to 9. During recruitment, we received questions about the research from parents/legal guardians of children in grade seven, but the majority decided not to join due to the length of the project, and their children not being interested.

This one-year project consisted of 4 phases:

• • Phase I was spread over a 3-month period; it included the recruitment process, three introductory workshops on children’s rights and resources (one for the parents/legal guardians and two for the child researchers), two workshops on quantitative, qualitative, and mixed methods research, a workshop on PAR (e.g., mapping, exploring concepts, planning, action, reflection), research ethics, and expectations for researchers. Throughout this phase, there were online group activities and discussions. This was crucial to ensure that children felt engaged in the research project and were ready to work together. It is also where the parents/legal guardians met virtually (anonymity was a requirement; first or preferred names were used) and shared their knowledge about children’s rights. As adult researchers who work in the field, we critically reflected on the value of parental/guardian buy-in/engagement to support children’s opportunity to participate. At the end of the research, many of the parents/legal guardians provided positive feedback on the benefits of the research for their children, and their support throughout the project was integral.

• • Phase 2 took place over a 4-month period; it consisted of discussions on issues that the child researchers were interested in (some of the ideas from the children’s rights workshop on issues that impacted children in Canada were discussed again), a workshop on what a good research question is, conducting preliminary research, and discussions on the research methodology they wanted to use. While the adult researchers were keen on arts-based and more participatory methods, they paused to ensure that the children felt confident to choose the method that they preferred. They all selected online questionnaires as their preferred method as they felt they would have greater participation of peers. Based on their selection, a workshop on writing a questionnaire was added.

• • Phase 3 was spread over a 4-month period; it consisted of questionnaire writing, peer review of draft questionnaires, drop-in support sessions from the adult researchers, selection of online platforms to post the questionnaires, data collection (a 4-week period) and a workshop on data analysis.

• • Phase 4 took place over a 2-month period and was dedicated to knowledge mobilisation and dissemination; the adult researchers provided the child researchers with questions about their PAR research journeys and their findings. They in turn engaged in discussions and each worked on a PowerPoint presentation that delved into their experiences and findings. The researchers shared their findings with each other. In the Fall of 2023, five child researchers presented their findings at a workshop hosted by the research project’s partner organization.

The number of workshops, duration and time was dependent on the child researchers’ availability and needs. During these meetings, children were informed that they could withdraw at any time. Beginning with children’s rights and resources was essential because we wanted the researchers to approach their role and the project with three core elements in mind: children’s rights, participation, and leadership. Rights have the potential to provide power to their holders; as Feinberg (1970) asserted and Howe (2007) affirmed “claims based on rights – rather than actions based on benevolence or pity or a sense of duty – have value in conveying the understanding that the holders of rights are persons worthy of respect” (Howe, 2007: 2).

Based on feedback from the child researchers, the series of workshops, activities and discussion sessions on methods and approaches that they engaged in helped foster relationships and strengthen their knowledge about research and interest in research. The child researchers in this project selected the topics and research methods that they wanted to use, offered suggestions on each other’s topics and questions, and worked on analysing the data and disseminating the knowledge in ways that they were comfortable with. The majority decided to work alone on their selected topic given that they are in different locations (with support from the wider group), 3 researchers in Quebec decided to work in a small group. Although each researcher and the group had a different research question, they were all concerned with the impact of COVID-19 and technology on their lives and that of their peers.

Data collection

As this is a PAR project, there are different sets of data - one from the different research conducted by the child researchers with their peers, and one from the adult researchers examining the importance of listening to children’s voices, peer-to-peer relationships, and children’s active participation in driving research and as co-creators of knowledge. For the adult researchers, the research data collected was in the form of documentation from the different sessions and workshops with the child researchers. In each session, the PI and RAs at each site took notes. The children were also asked to keep a journal and only share content that they were comfortable sharing with the team.

In the winter of 2023, the child researchers engaged in data collection following the workshops, and after selecting their topics, conducting preliminary research, and drafting their research questions. They each chose their preferred research method and data analysis tools that would support their work. While there was interest in arts-based methods and focus groups, the child researchers selected questionnaires for several reasons including difficulty finding interested participants and obtaining consent. Some used SurveyMonkey (as this was a tool that the adult researchers suggested and were familiar with) and others used google forms as suggested by one of the child researchers who noted that “it was easy to use”. Dissemination of the questionnaires was challenging. The child researchers shared it with each other and their peers. In their questionnaires, the researchers all required consent from the participants and legal guardians. They did not collect any identifiable information from their participants to ensure that all responses are anonymous and protect their participants’ identities.

All the work was done online, due to geographic and time restrictions. The child researchers were comfortable using online tools and platforms in their research, in part because of their experiences with online learning during the COVID-19 pandemic. They chose to use similar platforms to those used in school and that their peers were familiar with. While in-person focus groups may have been interesting, the child researchers were content with the online platforms they used for their research and for the learning sessions.

Data analysis and management

Data analysis began with a presentation by the adult researchers on what it means to analyse data and how. The child researchers were extremely interested in this topic and brought a lot of enthusiasm and generosity to the process both in analysing their data and supporting their peers. In one of the sessions, the researchers brought their semi-analyzed data and shared it with each other. They talked through their preliminary findings; for example, differences that they noticed based on gender, grade level, interests/concerns, and location. A few drop-in sessions were also scheduled by the PI to help answer questions and for support through the data analysis process.

All the data submitted by the children is stored on the local hard drives of the two computers that belong to the PI and the Co-I. Child researchers, and their parents/legal guardians also have access to certain materials that the group creates together including the presentations from each session as well as the findings from the researchers. Each child researcher was also given a research I-Pad to use for the duration of the research project and store content on it that they would like to share.

Dissemination of knowledge

A key part of the project is the dissemination of knowledge through different modes of communications agreed upon by the child and adult researchers (e.g., webinars for adults and children, co-written peer reviewed articles, conference presentations, and sharing with family, friends, and peers). The researchers are eager to share their reflections on their research journeys to help others who want to learn more about conducting PAR with children, and to encourage adults (e.g., teachers, policy makers, researchers) to listen to and work with children. Children can drive research as active participants and co-creators of knowledge. Their diverse lived experiences and voices matter.

With regards to the co-writing process of this peer-reviewed article, a shared folder was started by the PI with the call for proposals that was emailed to the team (child researchers, their parents/legal guardians, and adult researchers) with a clear note that this is voluntary. It was then discussed during one of the sessions with the child researchers to see how they felt about it and their interest. This was followed by a draft abstract and title shared with the entire team who were also able to edit/comment directly on the working draft. Five out of the nine child researchers communicated their interest to the PI as well as two adult researchers (the collaborator and chair of the partner organization). Those who chose not to participate at this time, noted their busy schedules with school and work. The researchers who were interested were sent dates to meet and discuss the article (format, content, process), and several drop-in co-writing sessions were set-up with the three adult researchers on different dates and times. Having completed the research, the child researchers had been working on finalizing their PowerPoint presentations for the webinars, which focussed on their PAR journeys and their research findings. A shared draft with the edited title, abstract, introduction and headings were added to the folder by the PI, and the child and adult researchers were invited to co-write (share their experiences, knowledge, and expertise), edit and comment.

The child researchers chose to focus on their PAR journeys and review the overall text. Their ideas shared throughout the regular meetings shaped the content of the sections written by adult researchers. Writing academic articles is not an easy process for new authors, and, at times, for experienced authors as well. For the child researchers, this was the first time that they participated in co-authoring an academic article; it was thus essential for the adult researchers and child co-authors to reflect together on how they wanted to co-write, and to ensure that both children and adults did not feel overwhelmed by the process or pressured to contribute more than what they were comfortable with. The goal was to ensure that the child researchers learned about the process of writing a peer reviewed article while co-writing and participating in a manner that they were proud of and comfortable with, and that adult researchers in turn learned from and with the child researchers. The child researchers each led on writing reflective paragraphs based on their experience in the research process and their projects (see the PAR journey section below). The adult co-authors then brought together the sections into themes, and led on writing the introduction, literature review, methodology, discussion, challenges/limitations, and conclusion. All co-authors had the opportunity to review and edit the article prior to submission. The outcome was that all co-authors took ownership of their work and were proud of it. As a result, adult and child co-authors were keen on having their full names included on the article and presentations. To adhere to our ethics processes, we discussed safety on using first and second names. This resulted in using first names only in the academic article for authors under the age of 18 years.

Participatory-action research journey

The child researchers expressed that this experience was the first time they engaged in formal research in the social sciences and co-writing for a peer-reviewed article. In this section, 5 child researchers contribute their thoughts on the process of doing research by providing glimpses into their individual journeys. Each subsection is written by one child researcher. We pull a few themes that are echoed in most of the accounts in the discussion section.

New experiences, child researcher, grade 7

Throughout this research journey I had a lot of new experiences. I got a chance to work with amazing teachers and peers that are my age. I learned a lot from all the discussions that I had with my peers, and it was always fascinating to hear about their experiences. Also, there were a lot of fun moments that I had with my teachers and peers throughout this year such as the ice breaker games that we played and all the zoom calls. Along with that, I learned a lot about research analysis and how to research correctly. This experience gave me a chance to improve multiple skills such as thinking broadly, problem-solving, perseverance, and data analysis. Overall, these benefits allowed me to improve elsewhere as well such as in school or classes.

Secondly, there were some minor challenges that I faced such as choosing a good topic for my research, choosing my research methodology, and forming a proper inquiry question. Also, I faced a few challenges getting my primary data source from my peers in school, because of a mistake that I had made. Later, I had to analyze the data using quantitative and qualitative methods, which was a little challenging. These were all the challenges that I faced, and I don’t believe that there were any limitations from PAR. Moreover, I had a lot of fun in this experience, and I believe that I learned a lot from these challenges.

The topic that I chose for my inquiry was post-Covid effect on the mental and physical well-being of youth. I selected this topic because I was curious about how the Covid pandemic and lockdown affected children. I wondered if Covid influenced their health or affected their family in any way. I thought that this topic is very important because it is important to know how children can be mentally or physically affected by a large cause. Adults must know how children feel, and how they could have changed because of certain situations.

Participation and learning new things, child researcher, grade 8

Some of the benefits of this experience were that it gave me a chance to work with universities and different people my age that are part of the research group. I was able to participate in doing a research project. I got to learn new things that I didn’t know about before because of the research that I did. This experience allowed me to improve my thinking, problem-solving, and analysing skills.

Some challenges for the research process were that it was kind of hard on finding a topic that I generally wanted to do. It was also kind of hard to come up with some questions that are related to the topic.

The topic that I chose was technology’s impact on children’s social behaviour in the digital world and in their lives. I selected this topic because I thought that would be interesting to learn about. I wanted to learn how it affected different kids in different ways.

Learning through research, child researcher, grade 8

In the beginning of my participatory research journey, creating the research questions were difficult to come up with, and sharing the questionnaire was just as difficult. After getting the results, it was interesting to see different children’s points of views on the subject. There were many benefits from doing this research; for example, learning about different types of data analysis. There were some challenges while doing this research, like not getting enough participants or not having enough information for questions.

I selected peer to peer relationships post pandemic as my research project because I personally noticed a huge difference pre- and post-pandemic with my peers. I wondered if others had the same experience or a different experience with post pandemic relationships compared to mine. There might not be a certain way of helping make children more comfortable with their peers, but having more opportunities for kids to communicate may help make children more comfortable with one another.

Deepening one’s understanding through research, child researcher, grade 9

I was first introduced to this project by my dad. I immediately found it very interesting. I saw numerous ways that it could benefit me in both my personal life and academic life. Now that the project is coming to an end, I can confirm that it was very beneficial for me. Doing this project, I developed an understanding of university research, and it has opened a lot of doors for me. For example, I never imagined that something I wrote would be published in any formal sense. I think it deepened my understanding of how quarantine really affected kids my age and how it affected me. I think this is a very important topic to talk about, so people feel less alone while they’re struggling and so we can better predict/understand future consequences for such an unprecedented event happening in some of the most vital developmental years of our lives.

Some of the experiences I enjoyed the most were the zoom calls we did when the project was first starting. We would play icebreaker games and talk in smaller break-out rooms, and I found it very helpful to talk to the other kids participating and working on the exact same stuff as me. Gathering other perspectives and listening to other ideas. I think this is an important element to include for future PAR projects. Children have a lot more insight than most adults realize and that’s why I believe projects like this one are very important. It’s crucial to do them well.

The topic I chose to do my research on was how Covid-19 quarantine affected children going through puberty. I’m very interested in this myself. I wanted to develop a better understanding of it because I think it’s a unique and delicate situation. No other generation in recent history has gone through something like this. There isn’t much research on it, and I think it’s going to be important in the long run to understand all of the different nuances.

Deeper understanding and new skills: Child researcher, grade 8

I began my participatory action research during the summer of 2022. I was excited and slightly nervous since I had never done formal research before. This whole experience was extremely beneficial for me because it taught me the proper methods of conducting and analysing research, keeping commitments, managing time, and not quitting in the middle. Through the research, I gained a deeper understanding of different methods used to research and analyse data. I also learned how teenagers and middle schoolers were affected by the COVID-19 virus. The biggest challenge I faced was making time to do the work for the project as I, more often than not, procrastinated till the last minute. It also took me a while to find a topic I was interested in.

The topic I chose to research was peer pressure in middle schoolers, and how their opinions of it changed through COVID. My research question was 'How does peer pressure affect middle schoolers after COVID?' I chose this topic and question because I had never heard anyone talk about it in school and was curious about my peers' opinions.

Discussion

The child researchers provided valuable insights into what this PAR journey has meant to them on a personal, social, and academic level. In discussions with the child researchers about the overall project and their individual research journeys, three main themes emerged: (1) Play and fun (value of energisers/icebreakers); (2) New experiences (learning about research and data analysis and getting to write articles); and (3) Learning (personal learning, learning from peers, and learning about others’ experience).

The child researchers all noted that the research process was fun. For instance, they talked about liking the energizers, and getting to know one another through interactive games. This aligns with feedback that they gave during the workshops and group discussion sessions, and with Wright et al. (2021b) that note the importance of “fun” in building relationships, and how it is often deemed not “important enough” to be included in writing about research. Similarly, Lee et al. (2022) in an intergenerational article advocate for the recognition of fun, relational development, and vulnerability between children and adults in the intergenerational research process. Research can be an intimidating process so making sure that the researchers valued the experience, had fun, and were comfortable coming to the meetings, and felt a desire to continue to return, was an important part of the process. Finding common interests and sharing stories from their daily lives (for example, attending a Karate class, celebrating Diwali, volunteering, and working on assignments), helped create a comfortable virtual space and build trust and connections amongst the child and adult researchers.

Second, the value of new experiences was evident in the child researchers’ remarks. They had not conducted formal research in the social sciences or written research articles before. Therefore, learning about the different research methodologies and data analysis, as well as writing about their experiences and those of their peers were exciting. This point was also made by the child researchers during the workshops on research methods, writing a questionnaire, and data analysis; when asked if they were clear, some communicated that while the terminology and process appeared complex and overwhelming at the beginning, they are “interesting” and “fun to learn about”. Several of the child researchers also felt that the skills they were gaining from this research process will be useful as they move on in their academic careers to higher grades, university and beyond. For example, some enquired about volunteer and advocacy opportunities in children’s rights within their communities and beyond, and one of the child researchers asked if they could reach out to the adult researchers in a years’ time when they begin planning for university applications. Many also expressed interest in finding similar research and leadership projects to continue working on. The skills and relationships developed contributed to current and future learning opportunities for the child and adult researchers.

Third, they experienced personal learning from themselves, their research peers, and research participants through this process. By deciding to embark on this research process, they see themselves as doing something that is contributing to the knowledge base on their selected topics as well as the overall research project. While conducting their preliminary research/literature review on their selected topics, many of them noticed that most scholarly (peer-reviewed) articles that they found online were written by adults addressing how children feel and what they need. During the discussions, they noted the importance of having children also write about issues that concern them, and having their voices heard. One child researcher explained that “their experiences are unique to them [as individuals] and their generation,” and adults will not be able to fully understand what they are experiencing as children at this time in this space, especially if they are using their childhoods as a point of reference.

Challenges/limitations

Some of the challenges that the child researchers faced together included: the limitations of the online space. It would be interesting to see how their peer-to-peer interactions may differ in person; a few did communicate that they think it would have been great to work together in the same space but understood that given the distance of the child and adult researchers in this project (across two provinces), it would not be possible. The child researchers recognized that a strength of the online space is its ability to bring them together across two provinces and different cities/locations. Another challenge was finding common days to meet; the child researchers had busy schedules with school, after school activities, sports, volunteering, work, family gatherings, and meeting friends. While we did find dates and times that work for the majority, it was important to ensure that the child researchers did not feel pressured to attend or cancel any of their schedules. It was made clear that if they needed to miss any sessions/workshops, and were interested in chatting about what they missed, they would email the PI and arrange another time to meet. The presentations shared during the workshops, were uploaded in a shared folder for them to review at any time.

A major limitation that some of the child researchers faced was access to academic resources. Not all scholarly articles and books are open access and available free of charge online. It is essential to push for more open-source academic literature to support children to have access to journals, books and all the resources they need to conduct research. Another limitation was at the dissemination stage; it is essential to be able to provide the child researchers with the option to present their findings at academic conferences; it is, however, difficult to do so mainly due to the high cost of attending them virtually or in-person. At the conferences where the adult researchers presented the findings, there were no fee waivers for child researchers and their parents/legal guardians. It would be ideal if conferences build this into their registration policy. Similar to adult researchers (in this project and otherwise), they also talked about how research can have barriers, whether in the time allotted to certain stages, finding participants, the data collection process, or even in figuring out the research question(s).

Conclusion

Engaging with children as co-researchers on this one-year project was an amazing journey of knowledge-seeking and knowledge-making for all the researchers involved. As Freire (2005) writes: “Knowledge emerges only through invention and re-invention, through the restless, impatient, continuing, hopeful inquiry human beings pursue in the world, with the world, and with each other” (p. 72). When knowledge is co-created, reflective, and critical, it can become an embodied journey of discovery and rediscovery. Throughout the research journey, the child researchers expressed how much they found the process important and interesting from a personal, social, and academic lens. While some noted that they have conducted research in school, particularly in the sciences, it was never done with a detailed exploration of the diverse modes of research, data analysis and research inquiry stages. Throughout the process, they showed great interest in learning, participating in discussions, and in sharing their views and work with their peers. They supported each other in every session; for example, during the group sharing sessions for the questionnaires, they provided each other with words of encouragement and essential feedback that they each used to strengthen their individual questionnaires. They all took ownership of their questionnaires and research findings and were keen on capturing and understanding the experiences of their peers. They were also excited about disseminating their findings through presentations and articles to ensure that the voices of children are continuously heard.

The child researchers’ dedication to the research project was clear; committing to a year-long project is not easy, but they did it. We began with discussions on children’s rights and issues impacting children today and ended with their findings, which helped the team gain insights into how children themselves experienced the challenges of the pandemic, dealing with technology, and peer pressure, as well as support services and resources that children need, and the importance of building strong peer-to-peer networks. The child researchers proved that with the right support and tools, children can drive research as active participants and co-creators of knowledge. They also showed that their voices and participation are integral for any decisions on present and future policies on issues and areas that impact children and the world they live in. The hope is that the child researchers left this project equipped with their rights and the skills needed to lead PAR, and feeling engaged with enhanced confidence knowing that they can co-create knowledge and that their opinions and voices matter; thus, potentially in turn leading them to want to conduct further research on issues that concern them and their peers, and mentor others who may be interested in research.

Ethical statement

Ethical approval

Ethical approval for this research study has been received from the institutions where the principal investigator and co-investigator are affiliated with.

ORCID iD

Hala Mreiwed https://orcid.org/0000-0001-5498-8737