Engaging young children in research through photo elicitation

Abstract

Embracing the new sociology of childhood, this paper describes a participatory research method built on a belief in the competency of young children. The paper begins with a critical review of the photo elicitation literature exploring the varied levels of children's participation. Drawing on the strengths of the previous research, a multi-step photo elicitation method was developed and implemented with 32 kindergarten-aged children that provided opportunities for the collection of both verbal and non-verbal data. These young participants both supported and provided additional insights into the method while demonstrating their ability to contribute meaningfully to research about their classroom-based learning experiences.

Keywords:

• photo elicitation
• early years
• research with young children
• children's perspectives
• kindergarten

Acknowledgement

This research was supported by the Canadian Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council.

Notes on contributor

Angela Pyle is a former kindergarten teacher and current doctoral candidate in the Faculty of Education at Queen's University. She conducts research on early years education, early intervention, and methods for meaningfully engaging young children in research.