Innovations in qualitative research with children and youth

Young people’s experiences are under-represented in the research literature. This is largely attributable to the dominance of ‘adultist’ approaches to research which (a) discount the significance of the voices of children and youth and (b) rely on research methods that are inadequately adapted for young people. A child/youth-centered research framework, named Childhood Ethics, will be described. This framework is centered on young people’s agency, voices and moral experiences – recognizing the ethical weight that should be accorded to young people’s voices . Childhood Ethics seeks to optimize the engagement of young people in research as participants, advisors and as researchers. These approaches can also be adapted to promote youth engagement in policymaking and the development of clinical practices.