A Child-centered Method of Interviewing Children with Movement Impairments

ABSTRACT

Aims: Children are increasingly included in qualitative research and new methods for interviewing children are emerging. The aim of this article is to describe and discuss the strategies of a child-centered method of data collection for interviewing children with movement impairments to explore their leisure participation experiences. Methods: A study was conducted using an Interpretative Phenomenological Approach (IPA) to explore leisure participation experiences of children with movement impairments aged 6 to 12 years. Various strategies, guided by children, were used to facilitate children's active involvement in the interview process. Results: Twenty-two children (mean age 8.7 years) participated in the interview study, most of them in the presence of their parents or guardian (18 children) and some of them (9 children) with their siblings present. Children enjoyed and were actively engaged in the interview process. Along with talking, 19 children did drawings, 5 children used stickers, 4 children played quiet games, six children shared pictures of their leisure activities, and 16 children physically demonstrated some of their leisure activities, environment, and equipment. Conclusions: A wide range of data collection strategies facilitated children to communicate their leisure participation experiences and to represent children's views without being overly influenced by parental views.

KEYWORDS:

• Children
• data collection
• interview
• methodology
• movement impairments

Acknowledgments

We wish to thank Dr Amanda Wilkinson for her help with critically reviewing the manuscript.

Declaration of Interest

The authors report no declarations of interest.

About the Authors

Parimala S. Kanagasabai, Research Assistant, Centre for Health, Activity and Rehabilitation Research (CHARR), School of Physiotherapy, University of Otago, New Zealand, led this research project when she was a PhD student at CHARR. Brigit Mirfin-Veitch is the Director of Donald Beasley institute, Dunedin, New Zealand. Leigh A. Hale is the professor and Dean at the CHARR, School of Physiotherapy, University of Otago. Hilda Mulligan is the senior lecturer at the CHARR, School of Physiotherapy, University of Otago, New Zealand.

Additional information

Funding

The study was supported by grants from Wilson Home Trust Research Grant, Physiotherapy New Zealand Paediatric Special Interest Group Study Award, Otago University Physiotherapy Research Fund Grant-in-Aid, Otago University School of Physiotherapy PhD fund and University of Otago PhD scholarship.