DELO: A Child-Centred Approach to Research: What Can Children Tell Us?

Today, children are more central to public debate than ever before. We are interested in how they see and experience the world, their mental health, how they feel at school, and how new digital technologies affect them. We reflect on their everyday lives, needs and well-being. We regard them as individuals with their own rights, experiences and perspectives on the world. This understanding of childhood is relatively new and is based on ideas that view children not merely as future adults, but as independent individuals and active participants who can make a significant contribution to a better understanding of their own lives and society as a whole.

For a long time, children were not at the centre of social and research attention. Two developments in particular contributed to the growing recognition of children as a distinct social group: the global recognition of children’s rights and the adoption of the international Convention on the Rights of the Child (United Nations, 1989). In the social sciences and research, perspectives on children were particularly influenced by the new social studies of childhood, which placed children at the centre of academic thinking and research.

One of the key publications in this field is the 1990 article A New Paradigm for the Sociology of Childhood? Provenance, Promise and Problems, in which Alan Prout and Allison James systematically presented ideas about children and childhood that fundamentally transformed prevailing perspectives.

One of the central ideas of this new paradigm is that childhood is not determined solely by biological age but is socially constructed. Society shapes our understanding of who children are, what their role is and what expectations are associated with childhood. At the same time, children are active contributors to shaping their own lives, the lives of others and the society in which they live.

Children have their own perspectives, experiences and understanding of the world. Above all, the authors emphasise the importance of listening to children’s voices, which had previously been largely overlooked both in childhood research and in society more generally. Children should therefore be studied in their own right, independently of their parents’ perspectives and characteristics.

Children as Active Participants

A child-centred approach places children’s voices and perspectives at the heart of research, engaging with them directly rather than exclusively through adult caregivers. How, then, can we listen to and explore children’s voices?

Researchers studying children’s lives have devoted considerable attention to identifying appropriate research methods and reconsidering their own roles to adopt a more child-centred approach.

As a result, methods that enable children to express their thoughts and experiences through creative activities are becoming increasingly widespread. These include drawing, painting, photography, video production, role-playing, games and similar activities.

A child-centred approach also encourages researchers to adapt research questions, methods and interpretations to children and their ways of expressing themselves. This includes involving children in the research process itself, allowing them to participate in selecting topics, formulating questions and developing interpretations.

Actively involving children in research through various activities enables them to express their opinions, interests and abilities more effectively.

Participatory research, in which children actively contribute to the creation of knowledge, requires considerable flexibility, sensitivity and careful consideration of how to provide children with genuine opportunities to express themselves.

A key element of this process is researcher reflexivity: reflecting on how researchers themselves influence the research process, the values and ideas they bring to it, the power relationships between children and researchers, and the influence of the broader context in which research takes place.

This continuous process of reflection and self-reflection is an essential component of any ethical research involving children.

In addition to individual researcher reflexivity, ongoing critical reflection and dialogue within the research community are equally important, together with the exchange of knowledge and experiences.

One example is ERIC (Ethical Research Involving Children), an international online platform that provides evidence-based ethical guidelines for research involving children.

These principles also form the foundation of the monograph Glasovi otrok: Otrokosrediščni pristop v raziskovanju. Študija primera vključevanja priseljenih otrok (Children’s Voices: A Child-Centred Approach to Research. A Case Study of the Inclusion of Immigrant Children), published by Annales Publishing House of ZRS Koper and written by the author of this article.

The monograph provides a comprehensive presentation and critical assessment of the characteristics, challenges, potential and limitations of the child-centred approach.

Drawing on research conducted among immigrant children in a school environment, it illustrates the key elements of child-centred research, the methods used, the ethical considerations involved and other challenges that arise in this type of research.

Part of the monograph is also dedicated to reflexivity in the child-centred research process and to the author’s critical self-reflection on her own research, presenting specific methodological and ethical dilemmas she encountered while conducting research with children.

Why Adopt a Child-Centred Approach?

Children’s perspectives and the knowledge generated through child-centred research can provide a deeper understanding of children’s lives, needs and wishes, which may differ from adult-centred interpretations.

The knowledge gained in this way can complement and, at times, challenge dominant adult-centred perspectives, questioning established discourses and power relationships that influence children’s lives.

Child-centred approaches also offer opportunities to critically reflect on existing practices, programmes and policies concerning children’s well-being, enabling the development of alternative perspectives and solutions that differ from conventional approaches.

Furthermore, empirical data obtained through child-centred research can provide a foundation for designing policies, programmes and interventions that promote children’s quality of life and well-being.

Interventions and programmes can only be successful if they reflect children’s actual experiences. By listening to children, we enable them to contribute not only to a better understanding of their own lives but also to a broader understanding of society and the development of solutions that respond to their needs.

This article was produced as part of the research programmeSodobne migracije in superraznolikost: procesi, učinki in odzivi (P5-0462), led by Dr Mateja Sedmak. The research programme is funded by the Slovenian Research and Innovation Agency (ARIS).

• Source: Delo
• Author: Dr Zorana Medarič, Institute for Social Studies, Science and Research Centre Koper (ZRS Koper)
• Date of publication: 22 September 2026
• Publisher: Delo mediji d.o.o.