Video observations of children's perspectives on their lived experiences: Challenges in the relations between the researcher and children

Abstract

The article seeks to explore the relationship between the researcher and children aged from one to three years old. The findings are drawn from a research project in an Icelandic preschool where video recordings were used as the main method. The aim of the research project was to understand children's lived experiences when creating their communities in play. The study was based on phenomenological approaches of Merleau-Ponty (1945/1962). The findings indicate that video recordings have considerable potential to provide insight into children's lived experiences, as well as reveal the importance of reflections during the research process. Three main themes emerged and provided insights into the relations between the researcher and the children during the research process: (1) assent; (2) exploring the role of the researcher; and (3) involving the researcher in play. In the article examples will be drawn from the research project to illustrate the ethical challenges in the relations between the researcher and the children.

Keywords:

• Research with children
• children's perspectives
• video recordings
• researcher's role