Small Steps, Great Strides

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DOING PARTICIPATORY ACTION RESEARCH
What This Book Is About
mall Steps, Big Strides: Doing Participatory Action Research with Children is not another book on how to do research. We have plenty of those around.
However, books that detail actual experience in using such methods are sorely lacking. It is rare for researchers to put into writing their reflections on their experiences after the study has been completed and the results presented. Our own experience in Participatory Action Research (PAR) particularly in Trust and
Power: Child Abuse in the Eyes of the Child and the Parent., compelled us to
really reflect on the process we went through in our research on childrens and adults definitions of abuse. As part of that reflection, we looked back on our own basic assumptions about children and the whole research process itself and on the details the process of conducting PAR with children. We also included discussions on how we actually did our work with the children. The book showcases strategies that worked or did not work for us, and also the reasons why they succeeded or failed. More than just a guide in doing PAR, the book is a chronicle of our own journey as researchers in conducting PAR with children. It was not an easy one. We
initially had our doubts about the process and had long debates on how to overcome some difficulties we had with the children. However, what held us together was our faith in the inner capacities of children, thier resilience and their persistence to do what what they had to do. It is also our purpose to invite you the reader to venture into a similar journey.
How This Book Is Organized
he book is divided into two parts, each of which is divided into three chapters. Each chapter begins with a review of the contents. A section,
Tying them together, summarizes the main points at the end of each chapter. Part One deals with the principles of doing PAR with children. It covers the more theoretical and orientation aspects of PAR with children.
Chapter 1, The importance of research in working with children children, points

to the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child (UN-CRC) as a framework for integrating research and childrens work. It explores why the practice of research and childrens work rarely intersect and attempts to clarify some misconceptions regarding research. Last, the chapter shows how valuable research could be in the process of helping and working with children.
Chapter 2, The case for a child-focused research research, traces the philosophical
and methodological changes that research on children have undergone in the light of new ways of looking at children (specifically childrens rights). It also introduces some general principles that embody a more child-focused orientation in research.
Chapter 3 , What is Participatory Action Research with children? children?, features Participatory Action Research as an example of a child-focused research. It outlines the essential features of PAR with children and clarifies the concept of childrens participation in research. Part Two, on the other hand, draws from our own experiences in doing PAR with children in the project Evolving Definitions of Child Abuse Abuse.1 This portion focuses on the more practical concerns of doing PAR with children.
Chapter 4, Preparing to conduct P AR with children PAR children, tells the readers the
kind of preparation needed before the actual data gathering takes place. The chapter also points to several issues that may either facilitate or hinder the whole process of PAR.
Chapter 5, Data gathering with children and young people people, provides
an overview of the range of data gathering techniques that could be used in a PAR project. The chapter, however, gives emphasis to those methods that ensure and encourage childrens participation.
Chapter 6 , Analyzing and presenting data from P AR PAR AR, takes on the
nitty-gritty details of data analysis. It focuses on the more qualitative types of analyzing information. It also suggests possible ways of presenting the data to other people.
How to Use this Book
his book was envisioned for the use of researchers, practitioners, profes sionals, and people who are might not have a background on research
but is very much interested in working with children. We have tried as much as possible to use simple language. We have used several icons throughout this book in order to alert the readers to certain information that would prove useful to them.
REMINDER This icon represents information that readers need to remember.
TIPS This icon alerts the reader to some practical suggestions that would lead to more positive results.
CHECKLIST This icon enumerates steps in a pricess or important elements of a concept that is detailed in the book.
DEFINITIONS This icons informs the reader pf the different technical concepts and their definitions. CAUTION This icon alerts the reader to potential problems with certain attitudes, tendencies, steps or activities.
PART ONE
Principles in Doing PAR with Children
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CHAPTER ONE
The Importance of Research in Working with Children
This chapter discusses...

The UN Convention on the Rights of the Child as the context of childrens work Some problems in integrating research and childrens work Clarifications of the research process
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Childrens Rights and Childrens Work
ith the emergence of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child (UN CRC), adults and organizations working with children are
increasingly becoming conscious of the importance of using it as a guide to their work.
Rights are universally accepted standards that protect peoples welfare. They evolved from peoples changing sense of social responsibility toward their own society and other peoples of the world.
Childrens rights developed as a universal standard after World War II with the drafting of the Universal Declaration of the Rights of the Child. This important document created an awareness of the needs of children as a special or vulnerable group. Childrens rights developed in recognition of the difficult circumstances that beset children, especially in developing countries. This growing interest in childrens welfare probably helped in exposing the abuses confronting them at home and other places.
This increasing awareness of childrens difficult situations eventually led to the development of the UN CRC in 1989. The UN CRC is considered as the most developed standard that protects the welfare of children and promotes their development, notwithstanding its flaws and limitations. It recognizes cultural differences among countries and different groups of people.
The Importance of Research in Working Working with Children
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Five Principles
The UN CRC has five very important principles. They are the principles of 1) non-discrimination, 2) the best interests of the child, 3) the right to life and maximum development, 4) respect for the childs views and the opportunity to be heard in proceedings that affect his or her life, and 5) the indivisibility and interdependence of childrens rights (Hodgkin and Newell,1998).
Non-discrimination
The principle of non-discrimination ensures that all children in the countries who signed the convention enjoy all the rights enumerated in its provisions. All children, regardless of age, gender, race or ethnic origin, social class, political or religious belief, and physical condition (i.e., differently-abled or not) are entitled to the rights provided by the UN CRC.
Best interest of the child

The best interest of the child is defined by the culture in which the child lives. The UN CRC asserts that in matters greatly affecting the childs welfare, any measure that ensures his or her best interest must be upheld.
Right to life and maximum development

The right to life ensures that the child receives adequate food, shelter, and loving care from parents or caregivers. It also sees to it that the child receives timely and adequate
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medical and special care when needed. The right to maximum development asserts that the child is entitled to services thast help in developing his or her capacities and skills. This right covers education, play and leisure time, and being able to know and practice his or her own indigenous culture.
The right to maximum development provides for the childs protection rights. Children cannot develop fully when they are exposed to risks that affect their lives and dignity as a person. Protection rights make sure that the child receives the support and services that the government provides for its citizens. They also protect the child against harmful situations such as drug abuse, trafficking, exploitation, and all other kinds of violence. Protection rights mandate that children receive appropriate services whenever they find themselves in dangerous situations such as trafficking, sexual exploitation, and drug abuse.
Respect for the childs opinion and right to be heard

Respect for the childs opinions and the right to be heard is the most important principle under the UN CRC. It is the basis for the provisions on childrens participation in worthy pursuits. Under the UN CRC, children have the following participation rights: the right to an opinion freedom of expression
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freedom of conscience and religion freedom of association and peaceful assembly freedom to know and practice indigenous culture the right to privacy the right to appropriate information
These provisions recognize the childs capacity to make informed decisions regarding matters that affect him or her. It also recognizes the childs capacity to contribute to society according to his or her current capacity.
Indivisibility and interdependence of rights

Childrens rights are indivisible and interdependent. To ensure the well-being of children, governments that signed the UN CRC must implement all provisions of the UN CRC in their respective countries. All provisions, including the four principles and the rights to survival, protection, development, and participation of children in certain undertakings are necessary to ensure the childs survival and maximum development. Without the rights to survival, children cannot grow into fully functioning individuals. Without protection from abuse, neglect, and exploitation, and without the proper care of children who have found themselves in such situations, they may not recover and develop into well-adjusted adults. Without listening to their opinions on matters that affect them, caregivers may not have a clear idea of what is in their best interests and therefore commit serious mistakes in developing programs for them. Every right is intrinsically related to the other rights because it enables the child to develop into a responsible adult.
A concrete example of the interdependence and interrelation among childrens rights is the multidisciplinary approach to designing, implementing, and evaluating
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programs for children. Experts in various fields affecting children (e.g., education, medicine, social work, psychology, law enforcement, child advocacy), parents, caregivers, and children participate in discussing issues and programs that will promote their well-being and protect their rights.
For instance, in responding to the needs of a child who has experienced abuse, law enforcers and the justice system will address the survival and protection rights of the child through the conduct of rescue operations and the pursuit of legal action against the abuser. Medical and psychosocial heath practitioners will address the childs physical and psychosocial welfare. Social workers will address other needs such as shelter, education, livelihood, and spiritual guidance (if the child requests it). Child advocates will campaign or lobby for strict implementation of laws and public support of efforts to identify and report child abuse in their areas.
Coordination among those providing different kinds of services and support is important. Thus, each agency must recognize the role of other agencies in making sure that childrens rights are implemented. Equally important is the participation of the child (depending on his or her capacity) and the childs parents or guardian. The UN CRC guides the different agencies, the parents, and the children in a united effort to pursue the childs best interest.
Implementation of C hildrens R ights

Although the UN CRC has very good provisions, the implementation of these provisions is another matter. Different countries have different contexts on which the implementation of the provisions partly depends. The socio-economic, political, and cultural uniqueness of each country affects the way the government
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implements those provisions. For instance, some governments may have to contend with the general resistance of its citizens to the notion of childrens rights and participation in certain pursuits.
An important consideration is the fact that the implementation of the UN CRC is clearly dependent on who is promoting and usi ng it toward certain ends. For instance, in a country torn by civil war, the intervention of government service agencies in the name of UN CRC may also be used to gather intelligence against a popular underground resistance group. The military may use this information for counter attacks against the resistance group without addressing the real reasons for the resistance. In the end, childrens rights are severely violated because of these actions.
Although the government of the country that signed the UN CRC is accountable for making sure that children enjoy all of their rights, all sectors of society are responsible for pursuing the best interests of each child in their society. The family has the responsibility of ensuring the rights of each child in its care. The community has the responsibility to pursue the rights of their children as a group. The society, including the government and non-government (NGO) agencies and other sectors, must see to it that all children enjoy their rights fully. Children and young people, depending on their respective abilities, should also assert their rights so that they can enjoy their rights individually and as a group.
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Research and Childrens Work

The UN CRC is the primary responsibility of the governments that signed it. As has been pointed out, its implementation may be undermined, depending on the countrys context and who is promoting it. Thus, local, national, and international NGOs have taken the responsibility of pressuring the signatories to implement the UN CRC to ensure the childrens survival, maximum development, and participation in worthy pursuits. The UN CRC serves as their guide in various areas of their work such as advocacy, direct service, and policy making.
In the Philippines, an inventory of programs for helping children would generally reveal any one of the following components: direct service provision, advocacy, or policy development or implementation. Curiously, research is usually not considered an essential component of a program for children.
In the past, research on children was usually done within academic institutions. Child development theories and frameworks guided researchers on what research topics to pursue. Recently, NGOs started to use the UN CRC as a guide in their research on children. More and more studies looked at how children viewed their respective situations and what they would like their situations to be. These studies directly influenced the way childrens programs were run.
Ideally, the practice of research and the practice of helping are interrelated. Knowledge derived from research can improve the practice of working with children. For instance,
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studies on resiliency are now being applied in the recovery of child survivors of abuse and exploitation. The current practice of working with children can provide directions for further investigation.
For example, a study on resiliency (Bautista, 1999) identified indigenous expressions of resiliency among child survivors of abuse. More importantly, research can also contribute to changing the views of society on ideas that significantly affect childrens lives. A good example of this is the idea of multiple intelligence and emotional intelligence among children as opposed to intelligence as defined by the intelligence quotient (IQ).
Figure 1. The Relationship Between Research and Helping Practice of Research
Practice of Helping
However, researching children and working with them are considered separate traditions that rarely meet. The culprit lies in mistaken notions about research by both practitioners and researchers. Such notions reflect a relative lack of understanding of how each world works.
Mistaken notions by practitioners

Policies and programs designed to help children are seldom based on a strong empirical understanding of the children and the situations they address,
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according to Jo Boyden and her colleagues (1989). They attribute this situation to several notions about scientific research that policymakers and practitioners hold (Boyden et al, 1998).
They cannot afford the luxury of doing studies because they are too costly, take too much time, or involve an academic expertise they do not have.
They already know enough about the problem. Thus, they start a program without the need for more information or fear that resources for research may well be used instead for programs directly benefiting children.
They may believe that it is enough for policies to express values that exist independently of facts that may or may not justify these policies.
Mistaken notions by researchers

Even researchers themselves have unknowingly perpetuated these ideas about scientific research. Certain notions and practices about being scientific on the p art of researchers may have led to the underutilization of research in programs designed to help children. These are as follows:
Being scientific is equated with the use of technical terms

Since most researchers come from the universities and academic institutions, interactions are usually limited to people in the same discipline or tradition. They are usually more familiar with communicating to this type of audience. Research
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reports and presentations are commonly styled or structured for such an audience. The frequent and sometimes flagrant use (or misuse) of scientific jargons leads non-academic readers or listeners to complain about (and thereby dismiss) most research as being too technical or scientific.
Being scientific is synonymous to an obsession with numbers

The use of statistics has become the yardstick of how scientific a research is. The more sophisticated and complicated the kind of statistical analysis one uses, the more credible the research is. A review of child abuse literature in the Philippines shows the prevalence of guesstimates (see Protacio-Marcelino et al, 2000). Also, there is a tendency among researchers to disregard research that is qualitative in nature and design. The highly quantitative nature of most research also lends to the legitimization of the idea that only a person with a sophisticated background on statistics can do research.
Only specific subject matters could be deemed scientific

Science became identified with specific subject matter that consequently excluded the understanding of other forms of knowledge such as popular knowledge. Popular knowledge may come in the form of peoples strategies for solving dayto-day problems of survival as well as indigenous beliefs, practices, and tradition (Cabungcal-Cabiles et al, 1994). Thus, only a limited range of the human experience is documented and understood from a scientific point of view.
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E x p l o r i n g Re s e a r c h
o appreciate the value of research in helping children, one must understand the nature of scientific research. This section examines the research
process more closely.
Research, in its most basic sense, is just one way to gain an understanding of the world. Other ways of knowing that are usually identified are common sense, authority and tradition; and personal experience. What distinguishes research from the other modes is its adherence to the scientific method.
The scientific method outlines the steps one must follow in the search for an understanding of an event or phenomenon. These steps or stages need to be clearly defined to enable others to follow (or to replicate, in scientific parlance) the same process. If similar observations or results are obtained after following the same process, the observations or conclusions that are formulated gain credence.
Therefore, the criterion of being scientific in research is not based on the use of a special language, statistics, elaborate research design or sophisticated equipment or instruments, but on how systematic the process of getting the information is.
The Research Process

Let us now discuss how the scientific method applies to a research setting. There are many ways of dividing the research process into steps. In this book, the process will
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be separated into four major phases: problem identification; data gathering; data analysis and interpretation; and the formulation of conclusions and recommendations.
The problem identification phase

In this phase, the primary task is to formulate the research problem. The research problem is a question that reflects a topic or concern that one is interested in studying. In formulating the research problem, consider the following questions:
What do you want to find out? Why do you want to pursue such a study?
Data-gathering phase
This phase involves the process of developing a means of measuring study variables: defining and selecting the target sample and identifying the means of collecting the information. In this phase, the major questions that need to be answered are:
From whom will you get the information? How will you get the information you need?
Analysis and interpretation phase

In the third phase, data analysis and interpretation phase, the information is summarized and sorted for the purpose of finding connections or themes. It also involves the search for appropriate explanations for such results. The following questions are important:
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What did you find out? How would you explain the results?
Conclusions and recommendations phase

Lastly, the conclusions and recommendations phase, refers to the formulation of conclusions about the research problem. This phase also entails a discussion of the implications of the findings and the formulation of suggestions for further research.
The Importance of Research in the Helping Process
similar to the research process, the first step in helping is always an attempt to understand a clients problem or situation. This includes an adequate, if not comprehensive, description of the clients problem or situation.
closer examination would suggest that the research process is very much similar to the helping process.. For example,
The next is also referred to as data-gathering phase. This may entail the search for information that would inform the helper of the clients problem or situation. Data may be gathered from interviews with the client or any other significant person, or from direct observations of the client. The information gathered now provides a basis for recommendations for action or help.
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It is clear from the above discussions that research does have a place in helping not only individuals but communities as well. For example, Cabungcal-Cabiles and her colleagues (1994) highlighted the potential for certain types of research (usually the more participatory ones) as tools for development work. In fact, they may have identified ways by which research can facilitate community organizing.
Organizing the community to address a common goal is a step in initiating or supporting a larger movement toward societal change. For instance, participatory action research in itself enables the marginalized and underprivileged to record their voices. It helps them gain awareness of who they are, their common history, and current situation. It helps them recognize their capacity to identify, analyze, and solve their problems.
Having gone through a research process, which is, as explained earlier, also a problem-solving process, the community is empowered to work together to solve other problems. This experience can inspire other communities to undergo similar processes. Meanwhile, other members of society will be forced to recognize their voice and their capacity to change their situation. A change in the way society views the marginalized and underprivileged will have been initiated.
Children may also undergo a similar process. Research that focuses on gaining childrens view and feelings about their situations, hopes, and dreams forces adults to recognize that children can think and speak for themselves. Sooner or later, they will also be forced to listen to them. The validity and relevance of childrens ideas and feelings about matters that affect them slowly change the way they view themselves, the way adults view children, and eventually the way adults treat and care for children
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.Since most of the discussions revolved around the ways research and inform facilitate and improve the practice of helping, the ways by which research can directly help individuals and groups are oftentimes overlooked.
Admittedly, not all types of research can provide direct help to people. There are even times when research itself contributes to peoples helplessness, disempowerment, and exploitation. This is a major criticism of the more conventional forms of research, which view people as subjects and not as persons.
With the development and use of research methodologies that give people the voice and space for the production of knowledge, research is slowly being recognized as another form of helping. Methods like life-story interviews have been shown to help participants understand themselves better and thus facilitate the process of their recovery, self-discovery, and re-discovery.
The Importance of research in Working Working with Children
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Tying Them Together . . .
he
UN
CRC
provides
an
excellent
framework in
guiding childrens work.. However,
research has been overlooked in most programs designed to help and work with children. This is mainly due to some prevailing misconceptions among both practitioners and researchers about the nature of the research process.
An examination of the research process reveals sriking similarities with the helping framework that practitioners are familiar with. Moreover, the skills of a good researcher are the same skills are required of people working with children. Such similarities can serve as starting points to dispel the misconceptions about research as something that is beyond the capacities of people working with children. The importance of research to the helping process is further underscored in the following points:
1) Research can help children indirectly by enriching the current of helping them; and
practices
2) Research can help children directly through the articulation of their own perspectives in the research.
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CHAPTER TWO
Child-Focused Research
The methods of categorizing child research The types of child research The principles of child-focused research
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Categorizing Child Research
hildren are among the most studied groups in the modern world. The study of Children has been approached in a variety of ways. Essentially,
there are three (3) types of child-focused research, namely, research about children, research for children, and research with children. These can be differentiated according to three interrelated dimensions:
The place of children in the research The role of adults in the research The level of interaction between researcher and the research partner
The child as a research partner is qualified according to the childs evolving capacity. This means that the child is recognized as an active participant in the research process, keeping in mind that all her rights are ensured and protected.
The Place of Children in Research

Childrens place in research indicates how they are viewed in the research and their role in it. Certain assumptions about children and childhood influence how the researcher handles the research process. Such beliefs also determine the kinds of research problems to pursue, the nature of explanatory frameworks to follow, the data-gathering methods to use, and even the types of analyses to perform.
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Adult Roles in Child Research

Fine and Glassner (1988) identified the different roles adults assume when studying children. These roles depend on two factors: (1) the extent of positive contact between adult and child, and (2) the extent to which the adult has direct authority over the child. Such roles may be any one of the following: observer, supervisor, leader and friend.
Table 1. The different roles that adults assume in research
Positive Contact
No No Observer Supervisor Yes Friend Leader
Direct Authority
Yes
Observer
In the observer role, the researcher assumes a detached role with the children. The children are aware of her presence but do not feel threatened because she does not exert any authority over them.
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Supervisor
The supervisor role is characterized by minimal positive contact but with direct authority over the child. It provides access to a relatively restricted range of youthful behavior. In such situations, the child often behaves one way when under observation and another when not being observed. The behaviors observed may look natural, yet they represent only a small part of the childs comportment. As a result, the barriers between adult and child are unlikely to be breached.
Leader
Although the leader role exercises direct authority over children, it more than makes up for it by establishing rapport with children and giving them greater freedom for action. And even when they overstep the bounds of proper behavior, the adult leader is often tolerant of their actions. However, it is still the adult who determines the appropriate responses of children.
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Friend
The adults role as a friend requires him or her to establish a good relationship with children. The adult must interact with them in the most trusting way possible. Successfully assuming this role depends highly on the development of trust between adult and child.
Key to fulfilling the friend role is the explicit expression of affection toward children, combined with a relative lack of authority and a lack of sanctioning of the latters behavior.
Level of Interaction Between the Researcher and the Research Partner

Research is not only a process; it is also an interaction between two parties: the researcher and the researchee. The nature of interactions between researcher and researchee have been found to determine the quality of data gathered from the respondents. Psychologist Virgilio Enriquez and Carmen Santiago (1976) constructed a scale calibrating different levels of interaction. The levels range from relative non-involvement to total identification. The levels of interaction correspond to degrees of intimacy possible at each level (Maggay, 1999). By gauging the level of interaction, the researcher may also determine which research method is most appropriate to use (See Figure 2).
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Figure 2. Levels of interaction between researcher and researchee
As ones relationship with another person deepens, he or she moves from being an outsider to being an insider. In the outsider category, the interaction is mostly at a superficial level. The insider category, on the other hand, entails in-depth interactions. Thus, confidence in the truthfulness of the information gathered also increases as interaction deepens. Melba Maggay (1999) explained this phenomenon by showing the relationship between the level of expressiveness and the mode of interaction. She hypothesized that as the level of intimacy increases, verbal and nonverbal expressiveness also increases. As interaction deepens, the likelihood of self-disclosure and verbalization of inner mental and emotional states also increases, thus enhancing confidence in the truthfulness of the information.
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Types of Child Research

Based on the criteria discussed in the previous sections, three identifiable trends in child research emerge, each with its own assumptions, traditions, and philosophies. These are research about children, research for children, and research with children.
Research about children

Most research about children views them as potential adults, and childhood as a process of reaching adulthood. Boyden and Ennew (1997) observed some tendencies in the ways children were studied in the past:
The tendency to see children as immature human beings who receive inputs from adults
The tendency to focus on the factors that can go wrong, so that children do not survive to become adults, or, if ever they do, they are disturbed, threatening, or unable to function
The tendency to focus on what children cannot do or cannot do properly
The same observation can be made of the studies of Filipino children. Elizabeth Ventura (1981), in her review of childrens studies, revealed that such studies investigated children from a narrow range of contexts. Most of them focused on school-age children living in urban settings. Studies about younger children and those living in rural areas were rare.
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As a result, past research tended to be mostly about children. Information about children were mostly gained by asking adults such as parents or teachers, or by testing children through specially designed sets of questions that assumed their inability to voice their own perspectives on their lives (Boyden and Ennew, 1997). This same observation was echoed in Venturas (1981) review, which noted the predominant use of tests in most of the studies she conducted.
In past research about children, childrens perspectives and voices were not considered important in the conceptualization, data gathering, or interpretation phases of the research process. Common arguments indicate children are too shy, too inarticulate, too likely to lie or misrepresent truth, or too uninformed to be useful research subjects in their own right. Boyden and Ennew (1997) pointed out that such observations are the result of adult-oriented research rather than reflections of childrens potential.
In this schema, adults may assume one of two roles: supervisor and observer. Since positive contact in both supervisor and observer roles is limited or absent, the relationship between researcher and researchee is assumed to be superficial. Moreover, the roles are clearly defined, with the adult evidently in control of the whole process of research.
Research for children

The increasing awareness of childrens competencies and the appreciation of their participation rights have brought to the fore the need to develop research methodologies that value childrens perspectives. This development comes with the realization that research about children does not necessarily serve their best interests if their voices are not heard. Such realization has led to the development of methods
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that facilitate other modes of expression or communication (e.g., visual methods). In research for children, the interests and welfare of children carry due weight. It ensures, for instance, that children do not suffer any discomfort during the research process. Furthermore, instead of treating children as subjects, it treats them as respondents or participants. Regarding children as subjects promotes the idea that they are passive and therefore wholly dependent on adults. But considering them as respondents highlights their capabilities as active agents in their own development.
Still, the roles are clearly defined in research for children: the adults are the researchers and the children are the researchees. Thus, the adults assume the role of a leader, which, however, does not preclude the establishment of rapport with children. In this regard, the highest level of interaction that this type of research can cultivate between adults and children is one of mutual trust.
Research with children

Research with children takes involvement to a deeper level. It strives to place children in the center of the process by encouraging their participation in most, if not all, phases of research. Thus, children are not just participants, they are equal partners in research. Such an approach involves a firm and conscious resolve on the part of adults to break down the research hierarchy and to connect with children on a more personal level.
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Figure 3. A comparison of the three types of child research
Research About Children Role of Children Subjects excluded from the research process
Research for Children Participants or respondents some level of participation in the research process (e.g., data gathering and data validation) Leader
Research With Children Partners encourages to be actively involve in most, if not all, phases of the research process
Role of Adults Highest Level of Interaction
Supervisor or observer
Friend or partner
One of joining
Mutual trust and rapport
Getting involved
This type of research transcends the traditional notion of objectivity as personal detachment, and replaces it with an attitude of personal involvement and accountability. As such, adults try to assume the friend role, where the level of interaction being promoted is that of getting involved. Getting involved implies an active pursuit of childrens best interests as well as participation in childrens issues and concerns. As such, the research takes on an action orientation.
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What Research is Child-Focused?
ased on the foregoing discussions, child-focused research can be defined as an orientation that regards children as active agents and requires
their participation in the process. Based on this definition, research for children and research with children are considered as forms of child-focused research.
Principles of Child-Focused Research

Research with children applies the principles researchers uphold regarding the nature of children, what they are capable of, and their role within the groups to which they belong.
Researchers are guided by principles that revolve around how they view children, childrens environment, and how children and their environment influence each other. These principles provide the basis for childrens participation in research, as well as for the research design. They are also useful in resolving problems arising during the research process. As researchers, it is important to consider that:
The child is a developing individual The child functions in different environments The childs interaction with different environments changes both herself and the environment
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The child is a developing individual

To understand this principle, we need to discuss three key elements, namely, the child, his or her individuality, and the nature of his or her development.
Defining the child

A child is any person below 18 years old (UN CRC, 1989). The age is set to provide a general guide for researchers in their work and help state parties care for their citizens. It also serves as a guide for non-government organizations that care for children. The age below 18 years old is set to include as many young persons as possible within the definition.
Different societies have different definitions of a child. In some cases, persons who get married and have children are considered adults even if they have not yet reached the age of 18. Others are considered adults when they have passed through certain cultural rituals. In this situation, the cultural definition is respected.
The child as an individual

We recognize that each child is a unique person, different from other children. He has multiple capacities and talents that are distinct from those of others. Child development theorist Gardner proposed that all humans possess multiple, in contrast to only one, intelligences (Gardner, 1985). Multiple intelligences are inherent in each person. Each individual may be good in at least one of these. In some cases a person may be good in several of them.
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Some cultures allow or encourage the development of such competencies or skills that are highly valued in their culture such as
pakikiramdam (sensitivity)
in Filipino culture.
Pakikiramdam is very
important within the Filipino culture because it puts premium on pakikipagkapwa, loosely translated as treating your fellow in the best way possible. Children are encouraged to observe and understand what is not being said but is nevertheless being understood by the members of society. In other cultures, excellence in science and mathematics is highly encouraged among children. Because of childrens unique qualities, they may look at situations in their own individual way.
Part of a childs multiple capacities is his or her inherent resiliency. Resiliency is the human capacity to face, overcome, and be strengthened or even transformed by adversities in life (Grotberg, 1995). In almost every culture, children are exposed to conflicts and contradictions, which may exist within or outside the home. Childrens resiliency helps them cope well with various situations to which they invariably adapt themselves.
A good example of this ability is the way children cope with long-term abuse in the home without developing unacceptable behavior or emotional problems. Instead they develop a strong sense of self and a highly developed sense of morality.
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But even if children may be able to cope well with difficult circumstances, their resiliency is not absolute. Like all humans, children have their limitations and vulnerabilities. Childrens resiliency may crumble when they face extremely difficult situations. It may not withstand the continuous onslaught of adversity. Social support is thus important in nurturing childrens inherent resiliency.
Our recognition of the childs uniqueness is reflected by our decision to let them participate in research as equal partners. Our interest in their perspective reflects our belief that they are capable of problem identification, gathering data about the problem, and analysis and interpretation of the problem at hand. In other words, we believe that children have their own views, feelings, and opinions about matters that affect their lives. Recognizing their capacity for problem solving, we believe that they have the capacity to be good researchers as well.
It is also important to emphasize the value of diversity in working with children. As researchers, we recognize not only the uniqueness of children vis--vis the adults but also their uniqueness as individuals. Each child at a certain age, from a certain background, and with a certain set of characteristics has a unique perspective on issues that affect him or her. He or she also has a different story to tell. Recognizing the diversity of children will enrich the research.
Recognition of each childs individuality can also foster solidarity among different groups of children in different age groups. Because each child is unique, she or he can make a significant contribution to the group. Such contribution can enrich each childs development as an individual.
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Dimensions of a childs development

Recognize that the child is a developing individual. Each child goes through various changes throughout his or her life. Development occurs in different dimensions, namely, physical, cognitive, affective, social, and moral or spiritual.
Physical dimension
The physical dimension involves childrens growing body in size and weight. This includes their capacity to use different parts of the body, both big (legs and arms) and small parts (fingers and eyes). As they develop the capacity to use their body parts, they also develop the ability to use them for a certain purpose.
Physical development also includes the development of gender characteristics when children reach puberty, as well as all other physical changes that manifest throughout life.
Cognitive dimension
The cognitive dimension is reflected in childrens way of thinking, how they interpret information, solve problems, and make choices or decisions. Cognitive development can be observed in how they
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incorporate new ideas and experiences, and how they make sense of them. One indication of cognitive development is when children recognize that people have different ways of looking at the same event. This is called developing multiple perspectives, or seeing things from another persons point of view.
Affective dimension
The affective dimension is reflected in childrens capacity to identify different emotions and their multiple nuances. As such many of them can sense the subtle changes in the emotions of people around them.
Affective development happens when children can identify these emotions in themselves and in others. Still another indication of this aspect of development is the capacity of children to express their emotions at the right place, at the right time, and in the right intensity. The expression of the appropriate emotion is determined by the norms that prevail within the childs own culture.
Social dimension
The social dimension entails childrens ability to recognize that they are both different from as well as similar to others. Through her interactions with others, she recognizes that she is different in certain
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aspects, but that as a group of people, they have common characteristics. This means that the child recognizes her connectedness with others while at the same time maintaining the integrity of the self. While she develops an appreciation of who she is as an individual, she has the capacity to relate with others in a positive way.
Moral/spiritual dimension
The moral/spiritual dimension involves the process of defining ones values, beliefs, and concepts of rights and fair treatment vis--vis other persons (Nucci, 1997). Children develop the capacity to understand complex situations, evaluate them, and determine their values and beliefs accordingly.
Historical Dimension
There is also a historical dimension to childrens development. Children of today experience a vastly different childhood from that of their parents, because of the many changes taking place in the world, especially in the field of technology, which could influence ones development. For instance, many adults today never had access to computers when they were young. In contrast, children of today (especially those in urban areas) can easily use such gadgets, which abound.
The differences in what children and adults experience and are exposed to, especially during their childhood, partly explain the quality and pace of their development. The dimensions of development are interrelated. Although the previous discussions focused on defining the different dimensions of a childs development, it is important to keep in mind that all of them are related. A change in one dimension affects the
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rest. a malnourished child has little energy to explore her surroundings, which may affect her cognitive development, limit her social interaction with others.
Development is not the same for every individual. Even if all humans have the capacity to develop, their development does not follow a predictable pattern. Difference in physical environment, cultural background and social contexts may influence a persons development. Even if the circumstances were similar among individuals, development could still proceed at a different pace for each individual. One child, for instance, may grow faster at a certain age compared to another of the same age.
Research with children involves researchers recognition of their knowledge, abilities, and limitations. Based on their maturity, interest, and current capacities, researchers should carefully design activities that will facilitate their understanding of the research and their role in it. The language used in research should be one they can easily understand. Moreover, the inclusion of participatory activities such as evocative and creative games and group dynamics will help them feel comfortable in expressing their thoughts and feelings. Such activities will also sustain their interest in joining discussions.
When necessary, train them to develop the skills they need to perform their research-related tasks. Researchers would also do well to develop the tools children can easily use in data gathering. Most importantly, take care that the research does not harm or impede childrens development. Instead, the research should seek to contribute to their physical, cognitive, emotional, social, and moral/spiritual development.
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Each child functions in different environments

Researchers doing re search with children should recognize the complexity of the dynamics between children and their multi-layered environments. These environments provide the setting where each child moves. Where their childhood is concerned, children have varying experiences (Bronfenbrenner, 1979; Boyden et al., 1998). The environments can be any one of the following:
Family
As an infant and later on as a toddler, the childs first environment is the family, usually with parents and siblings. Families may have different compositions. There are two-parent families, there are single-parent ones, and there are extended families with grandparents, aunts, uncles, and cousins.
As children grow older, they are able to move to other environments. They may go to school, where they get to mingle with other children. They may interact with other families within the community. They may later become part of a religious group, a community, a school organization, or a peer group, among others.
The childs peer group is very important because it has its own dynamicsa fact that may not always be evident to adults. The child may behave differently when he or she is with the group. Similarly, the peer group may do things that the child may never even think of doing alone. This clearly shows that children can also influence other children .
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Community
The environments where significant people in the childs life move also become part of the childs environment even if he or she is not in direct contact with this environment. The parents work environment, peer or social group, for example, has some influence on how they relate to the child. Parents whose work environment is highly stressful can become too pressured that they show little tolerance or patience toward their children. If changes happen in the parents workplace, like the loss of a job, failure to get a promotion, the outbreak of a work strike, or even underemployment, their reaction to such events may affect the way they deal with their children. If the father, for example, loses his job, he may take out his frustration on his children through beatings, verbal abuse, and other forms of ill treatment.
Society
The larger environment in which children operate is the society in which they live. The nature of society influences the different environments in which the child and the people surrounding him or her live. Societys belief, for example, that children are generally weak and vulnerable prompts adults to take on the responsibility to protect children and teach them what they believe the latter need to know. If children try to do things their way or assert themselves, adults do not take them seriously, thus preventing them from making important decisions for themselves.
Another way in which the larger environment can influence the different environments surrounding the child is through the political-economic situation obtaining within the society. If the economy is bad, the government may have to take steps to improve its financial standing at the expense of children. One such
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measure is to support sex tourism in the country to generate revenue for the government.
If the political situation is favorable, then the government can very well look after the children under its aegis. If there is intense political struggle between the government and certain sectors of society, the former may opt to suppress or eliminate opposition. In such a situation, government may prioritize military pursuits in its budget allocation at the expense of education and social services, especially for children. Worse, an unstable political condition could easily endanger childrens lives or result in children joining the armed struggle. In either case, the childrens development will greatly suffer.
The nature of the environment in which the child lives may also affect the kinds of skills or talents he or she will develop. For example, at a time when the Philippine government was trying its best to attract foreign investors, the school curriculum was consequently redesigned to cater to the workforce requirements of foreignowned factories operating in the country. As a result, many vocational and technical schools were put up while a national college eligibility examination began to be administered to limit the number of enrollees in the tertiary level.
The childs interaction with different environments changes both him and the environment
The child and his or her environment influence each other. The individual characteristics of children could influence the way they perceive and behave in their respective environments. In the same manner, the characteristics of childrens different environments may also influence the way other people perceive and treat them.
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For example, the changing capacities of a child can influence the way parents assign responsibilities to that child. In turn, when changes in the family occur, like the loss of one parent or family member, the child changes accordingly.
Differences in childrens perceptions of their respective environments can be in terms of age, gender, and socio-economic status.
A child living in poverty perceives her environment differently from the way another child, who lives in the same community but belongs to a middle- or upperclass family, sees it. Poor children are often forced to work to contribute to the family income such as when a girl is forced into prostitution by no less than her parents, who think she is their property and therefore can do whatever they wish.
The child and the environment are part of a system where changes in one can lead to a change in the other. This can happen both ways: the child can change the environment and the environment can change the child.
For example, the political and economic crisis during the last years of the Marcos dictatorship led to an increase in the number of families living in poverty. This crisis did not end with his ouster. It persists to this day. Many children are still forced to work in the streets, in factories/sweatshops, or in households, to augment the family income. In such a situation, children are often forced to forego schooling and expose
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themselves to social and health hazards as they begin working at an early age. Yet, working at such an age may help the children become more responsible as they develop desirable values and skills.
During the same repressive Marcos regime, the increasing number of working children suffering ill treatment in the hands of their employers resulted in the establishment of non-government organizations that sought to address the childrens plight. For its part, the government began to coordinate with international organizations to help resolve the problem. In a sense, the childrens initiative to contribute to the family income influenced the way the environment, in this case the society, was organized.
The environment can also change the child. The environment that greatly influences a great number of children is the society. The social, political, and economic situation of any society can greatly enhance or impede the childs development. This is especially true in instances of poverty, war, and economic and political crises, which can inflict harm upon children. Even If they survive such crises, it is possibly that they will develop certain unacceptable characteristics.
Societys perception of certain issues such as child labor may dictate how it can affect the childs development. In the case of child labor, when the family recognizes the childs contribution to the family income, the child develops positive characteristics such as a sense of responsibility and self-esteem. If the family does not value the childs work, the latter may feel used or exploited, especially if none of his earnings go to his personal development, such as the purchase of school supplies. Working children who are beaten up or verbally abused because they do not bring in enough earnings are bound to develop low self-esteem.
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Worse, they may choose street life to escape the abusive situation at home. This action exposes them to even more risks.
Researchers working with children must always bear in mind that children are part of multi-layered environments. They must recognize that they are not only researchers, they are brothers or sisters, and sons or daughters, especially to working children or children who are living in an exploitative environment, or to those whose contribution to the development of that society is hardly recognized, if at all.
Applying the Principles of Child-Focused Research
have had and to deal with it in their own pace. They must also make sure that their research activities do not overburden children with multiple responsibilities and that none of the responsibilities assigned to them affect their health, education, and social life. If they do, researchers should make the necessary adjustments and help children get the needed support.
nowing all these, researchers must ensure that children have been given the opportunity to process any negative or traumatic experience they may
The research process must also include methods and processes that allow the children to look back
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on their experiences and gain insights from them. This process allows them to develop not only their research skills but also their capacity to assess situations. Such process will contribute to their individual development.
In our work with children, the objective of the processes and methodology we use is not only intended to help them prepare for their specific tasks in the research process, but also to contribute to their overall development in various dimensions. This means taking into account the differences in the development or learning pace of children. It also means providing them with the support they need so they can fulfill the role assigned to or chosen by them.
Applying the principles of child-focused research can bring about better ways of caring for children. Government and non-government organizations can adopt strategies and policies based on research findings. Parents and caregivers can develop better methods, processes, and techniques in helping children develop their capacities and potentials.
As researchers working with children, we uphold these principles. In doing so, we open the way for children, who have been silenced or ignored throughout history, to offer us a different interpretation of the world. Different perceptions and interpretations can only enhance what we already know, or bring out new discoveries.
We look at each child as a developing individual and as having the capacity to change for the better. Believing that every child has his or her own strengths, resiliency, vulnerabilities, we design activities that are within the childs capacities yet are challenging enough to stimulate his or her development in all of its dimensions.
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Research with children is a challenging task for adults. It may require unlearning ideas and notions that researchers have upheld for a long time. It needs a great deal of time and efforts to put its principles to practice. In this light, it is important for adult researchers to help one another address their areas of improvement, challenge their capacities, and stimulate their development.
As researchers working with children, we believe that each child has a different perception or interpretation of what happens around him or her. In this regard, we respect the views of each child. We recognize that this view can contribute to a richer interpretation of reality.
Recognizing that each childs perspective is important implies that such perspective is as important as that of adults. Knowing the multitude of childrens perspectives that result from their interaction with their environment, we take steps to consider the perspectives of as many groups of children as possible. Such an approach paves the way for childrens participation.
We believe that children have survival, development, protection, and participation rights. Every researcher therefore has the responsibility to ensure that these rights are implemented for the well-being of children. Guided by the provisions of the UN CRC, researchers, including those from the countries that did not sign the Convention, would do well to act toward this goal.
The provisions on childrens participation allow children and researchers to work together in search of new perspectives and interpretations of reality. Together they can act on issues that concern not only children but also other groups of people living in the same environments. In working together in child-focused research, the individuals involved have the right to express their opinions, propose
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action, and decide on important matters. Their opinions and proposals are respected and seriously considered. Each person has the opportunity to support those views and proposals that they think can best address the issues at hand.
We recognize the importance of the childs contributions to his or her development and that of society. Believing this, the whole process of doing research changes. It affects the choice of the research topic, the design of the research process, the means of analyzing and interpreting the data, and the decision on how to use it.
The Ethics and Politics of Child-Focused Research
llowing the concept of the best interests of the child to guide childfocused research means that researchers must see to it that they
do not compromise childrens rights during the latters participation in the
research process. Research serves childrens best interest when it is done in an atmosphere of equality and partnership, although this is easier said than done. It is doubly difficult to enter into an equal relationship and partnership with research participants when doing child-focused research. At the very least, the researcher must transcend age and authority boundaries, and possess the ability to listen to children not from the usual adult-centric mindsets.
At the same time, certain realities about children need to be considered such as their relative lack of power in society, their different use and understanding of words, and their relative lack of experience (Boyden and Ennew, 1997). Given childrens
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inferior position in society, the principle of the best interests of the child becomes a political issue. For example, who determines what types of research problems, methods, or processes serve childrens best interests?
The ethics and politics of childrens best interests highlight the importance of exercising caution in the conduct of child-focused research. Certain considerations are essential to the conduct of an ethical research with children. These are as follows:
Safety
Ensuring childrens safety is a primary concern in child-focused research. It is a moral obligation of adult researchers.
Researchers must therefore ensure that children are not harmed during the research and as a result of the research.
Confidentiality
Child-focused research also demands the protection of children from exploitation. One way of protecting children is by maintaining research confidentiality. This means information identifying the children should not be made public without their prior consent. Children have the right to keep to themselves information that might endanger or embarrass them once the research is completed. They also have the right to be protected from inadvertently giving information that may put them at risk.
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Benefits and Compensation

Childrens development is enhanced by making sure that it is not only the adult researchers who will benefit from the interaction but the child participants as well. The benefits may take the form of additional training and information, improvement in social services, policy, or legislation promoting childrens best interests. A critical research issue that is related to childrens right to development is that of compensation for tasks accomplished for the research. On the one hand, when the child works and the research prevents her from earning income for her family, the issue of compensation seems moot and academic. On the other hand, when the child sees the research as a job to be done for pay, the essence of participation is lost.
Checklist For Ethical Research with Children Do you Intrude on childrens policy? Protect childrens anonymity? Acknowledge and affirm the childrens spoken words and written works? Obtain informed consent from child participants? See to it that you are not putting children at risk? Respect children and keep their secrets? Take responsibility for children who need support and protection? Source: Boyden and Ennew (1997)
Informed Consent and Dissent

A necessary prior step to child participation in research is providing him or her with adequate information about the research. Informed consent is one of the major
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issues in research ethics. It refers to the right of persons to give or withhold their consent to be research participants and to be informed about the nature of research. The question that needs to be asked, though, is: How much information does a researcher need to divulge to the participants? Some researchers say that giving the participants full knowledge of the research objectives and hypothesis will compromise the objectivity of the research. Kimmel (1996) explained what constitutes sufficient information by setting the following criteria:
1. Description of overall purpose of research 2. Information on the participants role in the study 3. Statement why the subject has been chosen 4. Explanation of the procedures (time required, setting, other participants, etc.) 5. Description of benefits to the participant 6. Offer to answer questions 7. Assurance that the participant may withdraw anytime and will not suffer negative consequences as a result 8. Clarification that while initial information may be incomplete, more information, where applicable, will be given after the research
Boyden and Ennew (1997) expanded the notion to include the right of children to say no to participation in the research.
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ifferent research types can be identified
by such factors as the roles of children and
adults in the research process, and their interaction with each other. These are research about children, research for children, and research with children.
Among the three, only research for and with children can be considered as childfocused, both of which view children as active agents. Both also emphasize and encourage the participation of children in the research process. Of the two, however,approach certain problems and identifies the methods they need to use.
Child-focused research rests on three basic principles of looking at children: (1) the child is a developing individual; (2) the child functions in different contexts; and (3) the childs interaction with different environments changes both the child and the environment. The main idea that ties all the principles together is the recognition that both the child and the environment are closely linked to one another. Belief in these principles affects how researchers approach certain problems and identifies the methods they need to use.
Adopting a child-focused orientation in research does not eliminate the ethical concerns of traditional research. On the contrary, it calls for greater and sometimes stricter ethical standards. Furthermore, the concept of the childs best interest is still a highly debated issue.
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CHAPTER THREE
Participatory Action Research with Children

The definition of Participatory Action Research (PAR) The essentials of PAR with children The meaning of childrens participation
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What is Participatory Action Research (PAR)?
articipatory Action Research can be viewed
as both an orientation and a process. It is a
research tradition borne out of a critique of mainstream research. As discussed in the previous chapters, research can sometimes disempower
people in the production of knowledge. PAR, on the other hand, facilitates a process wherein knowledge is created individually and collectively by the people themselves, and thus advances their own healing and empowerment (Pagaduan, 1995).
In this type of research the marginalized sectors of society collectively gather and analyze information about themselves and their context. Equipped with this knowledge, disempowered people identify courses of action that would respond to their needs and resolve their problems (Cabungcal-Cabiles et al, 1994).
Values and Principles in PAR

The PAR process is usually cyclic in nature. It is an enabling cycle of reflectionaction-reflection with every research a process of critical reflection is ideally followed by a concrete and responsive action. Data collection and interpretation tend to occur simultaneously; succeeding cycles can therefore test both data and interpretations from earlier cycles . Most cycles contain action, and each action is a test of the underlying assumptions.
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Susan Smith (Smith et al, 1997) summarized PARs values into three elements: capacity, equity, and commitment.
Capacity
PAR believes that all people have the capacity to think and work together for a better life. For PAR to succeed, the people themselves must believe in their own abilities to change the social structure.
Equity
PAR believes that current and future knowledge, skills, and resources are to be shared in equitable ways that deliberately support fair distribution and structures. It is very clear that PAR as a process is very political.
Commitment
Both internal and external participants in the process are expected to give their authentic commitment. This involves the sustainability of the goals of social transformation over time and at different levels.
PAR is undertaken by different people in different groups, places, and situations, and in different degrees, but always with one of the following goals in mind:
Liberation Development of a compassionate culture
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Participation in a cohesively dynamic process of action-reflection Valuing peoples knowledge and beliefs by using their current situation as a starting point
Collective investigation and action Conscious production of new knowledge
Essential Features of PAR with Children

How different is PAR with children from PAR with adults? PAR with children is necessarily child-focused in its orientation. The three essential and interrelated elements of PAR are especially significant as applied to children: participatory, action-oriented, and qualitative.
Participatory
The concept of participation is central to the PAR process. PAR as applied to children seeks to involve a higher level of participation by children than other approaches. Ideally, this entails the active involvement of all parties concerned, especially children, in the various stages of the research. Some issues involving the extent of childrens participation will be discussed later in this chapter.
In a child abuse research project titled Evolving Definitions of Child Abuse, for instance, nine children were selected and trained to become members of the Action Research Team (ART). The ART helped the researchers collect data. The children also participated in the later stages of analysis, data validation, and the public presentation of the results.
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Action-oriented
PAR with children seeks change. Willms (Smith et al, 1997) likened PAR to a journey:
. . .PAR is about movementmovement from the way things are to the way things could be. It is transformation on both personal and social levels.
Research of this nature is undertaken because of a felt need for some kind of change, which frequently implies changing the status quo. This orientation of the PAR approach demands that an action be taken as the need for it arises. The cyclical nature of the process allows an action to be undertaken even during the conduct of the research. For instance, the research team provides interventions whenever necessary. For example, one member of the research team was a medical doctor who conducted check-ups on the children.
Qualitative
PAR with children is more qualitative in orientation. The use of qualitative data-gathering methods is preferred to the traditional quantitative methods. This is because qualitative methods afford children more opportunities to give voice to their thoughts and feelings. Thus a research team can use qualitative methods such as role plays, life-story interviews, and focused group discussions.
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The Meaning of Childrens Participation
articipation is central to any PAR process. However, the concept of participation is still vague to many people. It may mean different things
in different contexts. Two definitions may be relevant to our discussions (Boyden & Ennew, 1997).
Participation in the sense of taking part in or being present Participation in the sense of knowing that ones actions are taken note of and may be acted upon.
The first idea connotes a rather loose definition of the concept. Being present means that a person already has participated. This idea can mean that a wide range of experiences and behaviors comprise participation, like listening, asking questions, joining activities, making suggestions, engaging in discussions, and other activities.
On the other hand, the second idea recognizes the person as an agent, and thus takes a more active view. This view may exclude the experiences and behaviors listed above from the definition of participation. The range of behaviors or activities defined as participation is therefore limited. These views reflect the current debate on the idea of what consists genuine participation.
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The Ladder of Participation

rafficking, Pornography Roger Hart (1992, as cited in End Child Prostitution, T Trafficking, ATof ChildrenInternational Y oung Peoples Participation Project Young Project, or ECP ECPA IYPPP IYPPP,, 1999) provided the first comprehensive view of participation, culled from his experiences in enviromental studies. He defined participation thus:
[It is the] process of sharing decisions that affect ones life and the life of the community in which one lives. It is the means by which democracy is built and it is a standard against which democracies could be measured.
He defined participation through the following criteria:
The child understands the goals and outcomes of the project. The child understands his or her role/contribution to the whole project. The child decides to join the project after he or she has understood what it is about.
Central to Harts idea of participation is the element of decision making. He envisioned participation as a ladder, with levels of childrens participation in projects ranging from non-participation to full participation. He called this model the Ladder of Participation.
While pioneering, Harts work is criticized on the grounds that it does not discuss childrens current capacities for participation in relation to different levels. Furthermore, critics perceive the definition of genuine participation and its criteria limits rather than encourages children to participate.
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Ladder of Participation (Hart 1992, 1997)

Child-initiated, shared decisions with adults Child-initiate and direct their own projects Adult-initiated, shared decisions with children Consulted and informed Assigned-but-informed Tokenism Decoration Manipulation
Barbara Franklin (1995, as cited in ECPAT-IYPPP, 1999) proposed some changes in the model that aimed to clarify the concept. She describes 11 levels of participation, which are classified into three types: non-participation, pre-participation, and participation. At each level, she clarified the role of the adults and the children. Again, decision making is proposed as a central element of participation. On the other hand, a less strict definition may expose the children to manipulation, decoration, or tokenismthe less desirable forms of participation.
Levels of Participation (Franklin, 1995) Non participation level: Level 0: N o consideratio n Level 1: Adult s rule P re-participatio n le vel Level 2: Adults rule kindly Level 3: Manipula tio n Level 4: Decoratio n Level 5: Tokenism
P articipation L e vel Level 6: Invitatio n Level 7: Consultatio n Level8: Join t decis io n Level 9: Child ren lead, adults help Level 10: Children in char ge
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Childrens Definitions of Participation

A way to settle this issue lies in the participation of children itself. ECPAT-IYPPP (1999) asked a selected group of Filipino children and young people about their ideas of childrens participation. According to these young people, participation is both a right and a responsibility. It is a right in that all children should be given the opportunity to express themselves. It is also their responsibility to contribute whatever they can to the development of their community and the larger society.
Participation is also an expression of their capability to think for themselves, share ideas, and make their own decisions. It is also an expression of their capacity to stand up for what they believe and accomplish what they have set out to do. It proves that they can initiate change.
Participation is also a process by which children can develop. Through participation in various activities and projects, they become more aware of their own capacities and limitations. Activities help develop and enhance their knowledge skills and attitudes. Activities also help them gain confidence in their own capacity.
Young people recognize the importance of an atmosphere conducive to their participation. They need understanding and respect from others. This means listening to them, sharing ideas with them, and helping them learn the skills that they need.
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Participation involves the process of consultation and empowerment. Consultation involves matters that affect their lives and provide them with opportunities to do things on their own, encourage, enhance, and increase their level of participation. They must be followed up and monitored to ensure that they meet their goals, thus gaining a sense of direction and accomplishment in the process. This further promotes their participation in other activities.
Participation involves interaction with different kinds of people. This means sharing ideas and being involved in addressing issues that affect their lives. Interaction with different kinds of people expands their perspectives about these issues and develops their capacity to see things from multiple perspectives.
Participation must not be in conflict with other childrens rights. It means that children should enjoy all their rights. They must be able to participate without forgetting that they are still children. They need to enjoy the activities that they are participating in.
These ideas on participation contribute significantly to making childrens participation a reality. Harts ideas highlight different levels of participation. They clarify the role of children and adults in various levels of participation. Young peoples views guide us in realizing genuine participation from their perspective. Together these ideas help us define childrens participation in research.
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The Importance of Participation in Research

How does participation enhance research? It does so in two ways, especially for PAR.?
Participation enhances commitment

Participation is specifically relevant to PAR because it enhances commitment. The greater the involvement of participants, the greater their possible commitment to whatever action is planned.
Participation increases understanding

Beyond this, there are advantages to be tapped both in the range of participation and the depth of their involvement. In any event, deeper involvement of participants can further increase the diversity of data and enhance understanding. As participation increases, so do the opportunities to involve the participants as a source of challenge to each other and to the researcher. It is when participants are involved as co-researchers that the advantages can become the greatest. Participants are then still informants, but can also become interpreters and research designers. The discussion among different participants and between participants and researchers can offer a dialectic. This, then, can challenge weak or inconsistent data or interpretations.
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Childrens Participation in Research

There is a need to develop childrens participation as an element of research for which both adults and children need to acquire new skills and competencies. Both children and adults need to develop new understandings and dimensions of their relationship with each other, as well as the skills of communication and information processing. If children participate in this sense, they may become less vulnerable to abuse and exploitation, for they will be able to talk about their concerns and have access to the knowledge and means to find solutions to their own problems. It does not mean, however, that they should not be protected from harm, or that they should have to shoulder responsibilities that properly belong to adults.
Evaluating Participation in Child-Focused Research

Children can participate in research by:
Choosing or selecting themes and topics Providing and collecting data Interpreting or explaining the data Being involved in analysis Using the data to disseminate research results
They may participate in any or all of the above activities. Again, their participation depends on their current capacities, interests, willingness, and readiness to undertake such activities.
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P
and qualitative.
AR is both an orientation and a process that
was borne out of a critique of mainstream
research. It is necessarily political, for one of its aims is social transformation. It values peoples capacity, social equity, and authentic commitment. PAR is necessarily child-focused in its orientation. Three
features make it essential for empowering children: it is participatory, action-oriented,
Central to any PAR process is the concept of childrens participation. Participation can be defined strictly or loosely. A strict definition may unwittingly exclude those behaviors that fall short of genuine participation. On the other hand, a loose definition paves the way for tokenism, decoration, and manipulation of children by adults. The best way to settle the issue is to ask children themselves.
Childrens participation in research is now being valued. It is also found that children can and do participate in research. However, this rests on certain factors: capacities, interests, willingness, and readiness of both adults and children.
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PART TWO
Insights and Experiences in Doing PAR with Children
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CHAPTER FOUR
Preparing to Conduct PAR with Children

How to prepare to conduct PAR with children The steps in doing PAR
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Are You Ready to Do PAR With Children?
reparing to conduct PAR with children starts with the researcher. As in any research activity, it is important for the researcher to be prepared in terms of
principles and knowledge, skills, and attitudes. The main concern here is to be aware of certain aspects of ones personality that can aid or hinder the conduct of the PAR. As such, all the researchers can make full use of their individual skills so they can work together harmoniously.
The principles mentioned above refer to the principles of participatory research with children (please see previous chapter). Knowledge refers to pertinent facts such as the nature of the target group of children who will be asked to participate in the research. Attitudes refer to the way we view our environment and ourselves. These may include assumptions we have about things, which we may or may not be conscious of. Researchers need to reflect on each of these aspects of their personalities before conducting PAR with children.
Principles and Knowledge About Children

We have said that doing PAR with children is a reflection of our belief in childrens capacity to participate in important areas in their lives. Practicing these beliefs can be difficult. We have been brought up in a culture where participation of children is not recognized or accepted. Like it or not, this culture may have instilled in us views and beliefs that are contrary to participation, which we may not be aware of.
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Generally, we all have been socialized to believe that children must follow what adults tell them to do. The idea is that adults know what is best for the childrens welfare. Even staunch child advocates unconsciously reflect this belief in their actions during unguarded moments. Contradictions may surface when we do PAR with children. An extreme result can be that the participatory nature of the research will be subverted such that the research seems participatory but in reality it is not. That is why it is very important to start with oneself in preparing for PAR with children. McCrum and Hughes (1998) posed these questions for researchers to reflect on before working with children. They are as follows:
Do you like children and enjoy being with them? Can you take children seriously, as people with their own opinions and feelings? Can you let children tell you what to do for a change? Can you accept that children know more than you do about some things without feeling threatened? Can you accept that your preconceived views might be turned upside down after talking to children? Try to remember your own childhoodhow did you feel when adults did not take you seriously and when they did? What was it about adults who made you feel comfortable and able to talk freely. List down their special qualities. Can you be like them? What are your strengths?
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Researchers need to reflect on their ideas about the nature of children and how these ideas relate to them. A researchers personal issues such as experiences of abuse and/or trauma may keep them from working with children with similar experiences. Differences in social class, gender, and age may affect the researchers dealings with the children. If the researchers are not aware of such differences, their personal biases may affect their relationship with the children. This in turn will influence the quality of the data that will be gathered.
Researchers may use the principles of PAR with children as a guide to reflect on their views, values, and potential biases. These may significantly affect the conduct of the research if the researchers are not vigilant in counteracting possible negative views and biases toward children. The research outcome may be a reflection of the researchers views instead of those of the children. It is important to identify negative views and biases to guard against imposing researchers views and values on the children.
Researchers may also gather feedback from children, colleagues, and significant people about their behavior toward children. This feedback may identify views or ideas that the researcher may have overlooked in his or her self-reflection. This is also a good way to affirm the researchers principles and knowledge to relieve his or her fears and apprehensions about working with children
Knowledge about the target participants and their environment is very important for the researcher. Age, gender, social class, level of development, competencies, and specific experiences are important factors that the researcher should be familiar with. It
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may be helpful to organize exposure activities with the target participants. Doing so helps not only to establish rapport with the children but also enables the researcher to adapt to the environment of the target participants.
Skills
Researchers need to identify which of their skills can be useful for the research and which ones need to be developed or enhanced to be able to do PAR with children. The important skills in doing PAR with children include the following:
Facilitation skills
These include preparing appropriate participatory activities for children based on their characteristics, experiences, and interests. Facilitation also entails encouraging childrens participation in activities and making sure the objectives of the activity are met. Furthermore, it involves helping children reflect on the activities and gain insights from their experiences and reactions. It involves
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synthesizing or relating the insights to one another so that the children can learn from the experiences of others.
Research skills
These include the use of participatory methods and identifying those that work well with children. It also covers skills in observation, recording and documentation, and data analysis. Other research skills needed may be the use of indigenous methods such as pagtatanong-tanong (asking around),
pakikipagkwentuhan (exchanging stories), and pakikiramdam (exercising

sensitivity). The use of techniques such as the KJ method and data analysis computer programs may also be necessary.
The KJ method is a process of classifying and categorizing groups of words or concepts that are deemed related. A team of four to five analystsexperts discusses and then decides which groups of data or concepts are related. The next step is to label the categories that arise out of the discussion. The categories, therefore, are derived from the data and are not pre-determined at the start of the investigation. This ensures that the data are not lumped together into predetermined categories, as conceived by the researchers.
Helping skills
These skills are also very important in working with children who have experienced abuse, trauma, or exploitation. The researcher must be able to sense when the child
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participant is experiencing any difficulty, be it physical, mental, or socio-emotional. The researcher has the responsibility to provide help by listening to the child and making referrals to people who can help him or her.
Researchers also need to prepare themselves as an organization. They need to agree on their understanding of the research topic and objectives before working on it. They also need to define how they will work together, who will do what, how they will communicate, and how they will deal with opportunities as well as problems.
Attitudes
Researchers need to cultivate good attitudes to help them work together. The worst thing that can happen is when researchers argue before the target participants. Researchers need to be sensitive to their co-researchers so that they can support each other and complement each others skills. They need to foster openness, cooperation, and a sense of responsibility so that any emerging problems in the course of the research will have very little or negligible effect on the data and the target participants.
If necessary, the researchers should organize training sessions or discussion groups to prepare themselves. Training sessions on the UN CRC, participatory techniques, data analysis techniques, and listening skills are some of the topics the researchers may need to discuss and study as a group.
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Checklist before you do PAR with children: Self-reflection My ideas, values, possible biases about children Gathered feedback from others about my behavior around children Knowledge of children and their situation Knowledge about UNCRC Inventory Skills: Facilitation skills (rate whether strength or weaknesses) Research methods with children Research skills Helping skills My Attitudes: Sensitivity Openness Cooperation Shared responsibility
Steps in Doing PAR

Step 1: Identify and prioritize issues
Identifying and prioritizing issues, which will later on become the research topic, lies at the end of a long process. On the part of the researcher, it is a process of getting to know the people involved and gaining their confidence. This process helps the researcher design and facilitate another process where the people involved can gather together to identify issues that affect their lives and to determine which of these are the most critical.
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On the part of the target participants of the research, it is a process of evaluating the researchers motives, determination, commitment, and genuine concern for them as a group of people. It is also a process of sitting together to identify the issues that have a great impact on their daily lives and to agree which ones have the most impact on their lives as a group of people.
In making the research happen, researchers need to establish a good working relationship with those who will be involved. In the case of the research called Evolving Definitions of Child Abuse, the research topic had been identified at the outset. Despite the initial arbitrariness of the research process, the researchers tried to make the succeeding process participatory.
A good working relationship with all concerned individuals and groups will facilitate the whole research process. The researchers can gain the support and cooperation of the people or organizations involved in the research. This means that the people concerned may allow the researcher to glimpse some truth or reality about them. This means getting valid and reliable data. In addition, the support of those involved can even facilitate the researchers access to services, cooperation, and the gathering of information from other people and organizations.
However, a good working relationship may be very difficult to establish when many individuals and groups are involved. It is therefore very important to establish ways of working together very early in the research process.
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Developing trust among children and groups

Researchers first have to earn the trust and respect of those involved in the research. This opens the way to a good working relationship. However, this is one of the most difficult tasks within the research process. In every culture, the ways of earning the peoples trust vary, depending on their cultural values.
In the Philippines, where the core value is pakikipagkapwa (giving equal importance to self and others), gaining the trust of others depends on a persons sensitivity and willingness to gain acceptance within the community. This involves moving through different levels of interaction with the people, as described in Chapter 1. At the pakikitungo (civility) level, the researcher follows basic social norms of interaction. In the pakikisalamuha (mixing) and pakikisama (conforming) levels, the researcher interacts with the members of the community by joining community activities. The researcher must reach at least the level of
pakikipagpalagayang-loob (mutual trust), where the people are comfortable with

the researcher, trusting the latter enough to show a glimpse of their true selves to him or her. At this point the researcher can get valid and reliable data.
Once mutual trust and respect has been established between the researcher and those who will be involved in the research, the research process can proceed. In some instances, members of the community need some help in identifying the research topic or problem that is relevant to their situation. It becomes necessary to raise consciousness about what is going on in the community, to identiy the different issues affecting its members, and to see how each issue is related to the others. Through this process of conciousness raising, a research problem can be identified.
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With children, a similar process may be conducted that respect the childrens current capacity and situation. For instance, with younger children, visual methods may be used.
As was earlier mentioned, in the case of the research Evolving Definitions of Child Abuse, the research topic had been identified from the beginning. However, the process of building trust still needed to be done. Thus, the researchers often visited the target participants, the children of Bahay Tuluyan, even before the formal introduction of the research project to them. They would hang out with the children, watch TV with them, and occasionally help them with their schoolwork when they asked for assistance.
This process, padalaw-dalaw (conducting visits), helped the children become more comfortable in the presence of the researchers in a familiar environment. This also gave them an opportunity to get to know the researchers personally, and to determine whether they were trustworthy or not. The result of the childrens evaluation would determine the quality of their participation in the research project.
Establishing ways of working together

Once a research topic has been identified, it is important to clarify how the different individuals and organizations involved will work together. Again, in the research Evolving Definitions of Child Abuse, at least three groups were involved. The research team, the organization that cared for the children who joined the research, and the funding partner and consultants of the project all had to establish a common understanding of the goals and objectives of the research. Consultations with them helped establish a common understanding of how the research process would proceed and what their role would be in the research.
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Researchers conducted separate meetings with the caregivers organization, with its child wards, the officers and leaders of a community organization, and the heads of other organizations concerned. In each of these meetings, the researchers presented a history of the research and clarified its goals and objectives. The researchers then asked each organization what they thought they could contribute to the research process. At the end of the meeting, the groups involved agreed on important aspects such as the goals and objectives of the research, roles and responsibilities of each organization, timetables, and mechanisms for monitoring, evaluation, and problem solving.
The researchers and partner groups agreed on a common understanding of all the important aspects of the research. The research team established formal or informal agreements with the groups involved. A formal written agreement was signed with Bahay Tuluyan. An informal agreement was made with the members of the community organization, Alay Kapwa, and the target parent participants of the research. Informal agreements were usually made with community organizations that felt threatened by written contracts.
The agreements provided for the establishment of a system of communication, monitoring, and problem solving. It included time frames and schedules, provisions for regular consultations and meetings, and the names of individuals responsible for certain tasks.
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Linking with organizations

The first step in establishing links with community organizations and with other organizations that work within the community is to get an introduction to their leaders. Different cultures may have different ways of doing this. In some cases it may be as simple as making a telephone call. In others it may be more complicated. In the research conducted, the researchers coordinated with two organizations that operated at the research site in Malate, Manila. Coordination with these organizations represented two different processes.
In coordinating with a community organization, Alay Kapwa, the researchers first had to contact the head of the organization that worked closely with the community leaders. The researchers wrote a formal letter requesting an opportunity to conduct research in the community. This led to a meeting where the researchers explained the objectives of the research and the role that the community would play in the study. Once an understanding had been reached, the community leaders were informed. The researchers also met with the community leaders to clarify and reiterate the importance of their role in the study.
Remember that there may be cases where the community or organizations leaders may not agree to participate in the study. This may be due to the following reasons:
New information gathered could significantly affect the community Information about the research to be conducted may be inadequate Conflicts may arise within the organization
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Be sure to analyze the processes conducted to identify what went wrong. Afterwards, try to talk to the organization again to clarify points, roles, and what they may gain from the study. If the community or organization still refuses to participate, respect its decision.
Different processes apply to different organizations. Moreover, there maybe different levels within an organization that researchers need to inform about the nature of the research. Consultations are but part of the process of gaining the trust of and forging a firm relationship with the organization involved.
Linking with children

Establishing a working relationship with children is very different from the processes involved in working with organizations. The processes do not rely much on formalities nor in meeting key persons. What is important is the time spent with the children to establish rapport and build trust with them. The time spent with children must consist of a meaningful interaction and not just superficial exchanges. Through constant interaction, children will know when adults are being patronizing and superficial and when they are sincere.
The Researchers need to be sensitive to childrens ways of doing things and adapt accordingly. Spend time with the children in their activities at home, in school, or elsewhereas long as you ask for their permission first.
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In the case of Evolving Definitions of Child Abuse research, the researchers spent time getting to know the children who would be involved. Hence, the children and the adults were able to explore the strengths and weaknesses of each other. The adult researchers particularly noted the potentials of the children with a view to developing these later on.
After the initial efforts to establish rapport with the children, the researchers organized a session to introduce the objectives of the research. Figure 2 shows the program of activities of the session. From this, we can observe the underlying principles that have been described in Chapter 1.
Activity to Introduce the Research Projec t 1. 2. 3. Introductory Activity: Charade o the situation of children in the Philippines Puzzle on the situation of children, the reality of abuse and the gaps in services and agencies for victims of abuse. Workshop on what they understand about the research as an activity, classification of responses in terms of what concepts are related and which ones are not related to research A game of charades to introduce the aims of the present research. Description of research methodology and the idea of the action research tem Presentation of expected project outcomes with visuals Community singing
4. 5. 6. 7.
The activities were adapted to the level of maturity and experiences of the children whose ages ranged from eight to seventeen years old. In planning the activities, the researchers took note of the fact that the children spent most of their time working and/or living on the streets and that most of them had stopped going to school. The
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activities therefore did not involve or require the children to read and write extensively. The methods used focused on visuals, experiential activities, and group dynamics.
The session also let the children ask questions about the research and what was expected of them. The children were also encouraged to affirm their willingness to participate or to back out if they wanted to. This means that the researchers were willing to respect the decision of the children.
The childrens interest in the study could be gleaned from the quality of their participation in the activitiesthe type of questions they asked, and their active listening and genuine participation. The session was also a venue to gauge the skills and capacities of the children, which would be developed in the succeeding activities.
Helping the children thoroughly understand the research and their role required several sessions with them. The process involved: raising awareness about their condition raising awareness about their rights identifying the key issues that concern them
This process was necessary to help the children gain a deeper understanding not only of the objectives of the research but also of the reason why such a project was needed. Thus informed, they were able to assume the task of data gathering or join participatory sessions where they could answer key research questions.
Some children showed interest in joining the research as participants. Many of them asked questions about what research was and what the research team wanted
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to do. Others asked questions about what they would be asked to do. The researchers answered all their questions and even encouraged them to ask further.
A few expressed interest to join the ART, the team of children who would assist the researchers in collecting data from the participants. The researchers noted the children who expressed interest to joint the ART as well as those who asked good questions. The list of these children comprised their initial list of possible members of the ART
Step 2: Develop and Design the Research Plan

In the research Evolving Definitions of Abuse, the research design had already been done. Despite the lack of childrens participation in this process, the researchers made sure that the succeeding processes were participatory. Children participated in the research as either data collectors or respondents. Most of the children in Bahay Tuluyan voluntarily joined the research as respondents after it was explained to them.
Selecting the Action Research Team (ART)

The selection of the data collectors took some time because of the following considerations:
The researchers wanted to make sure that the children had the capacity to do the work.
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The researchers also wanted to check the level of the childrens recovery from abuse and exploitation, as well as the consequent problems of drug abuse, STD, and psychosocial problems.
Figure 3. Criteria for Choosing Members of the Action Res earch Team A member of the Action Research Team must: 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. Be willing to become part of the research team. Be emotionally ready to perform the tasks of research Belong to a similar context/background as those of the research participants Have the potential to develop research skills Be between the age 13-17 years old.
In choosing the members of the team, there must be gender balance. The number of girls and boys should be in proportion to the number of girls participating in the research.
The researchers drew up a set of criteria to help the program staff in selecting the children data collectors (see Figure 3). Based on these criteria, the program staff was supposed to provide a list of candidates based on her own assessment. The researchers felt that staff recommendation was very important since she knew the children well enough to make valid judgments on their skills.
However, the staff was not able to provide the researchers with a list on time. The original plan was to conduct a seminar-workshop for the selected members of the ART. The seminar-workshop aimed to provide or enhance the research skills of the selected ART members. By the time the staff was able to make recommendations, it was time to conduct the seminar-workshop. The staff also recommended quite a
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few children to be part of the ART. It then became necessary to narrow down the number of possible ART members.
To cut the process short and to achieve two objectives through a single activity, the researchers decided to include all recommended children in the seminar-workshop. The seminar-workshop became another opportunity to observe the childrens existing skills or competencies, identify their potential for working in the research, and evaluate their interest or willingness to be part of the research.
Training potential ART members

The facilitators conducted a seminar-workshop on introducing research methods with the ART. This included basic skills in research, the research process, and documentation of the data gathered. Figure 4 shows an overview of the two-day seminar-workshop conducted with the potential members of the ART.
Figure 4. Developing Research Childrens Skills Day 1 Module 1: Introduction and orientation about the training and research process Getting to know you Expectation check The Research Process Module2: How is the research done? Observation Asking questions Feeling around Module 3: Communicating research results Reporting research results Writing weekly journal
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The methods used in the research were generally indigenous ones such as pakikiramdam (feeling around), patanong-tanong (asking around), and pakikipagkwentuhan (exchanging stories). These were already very familiar to the children as general activities. What the researchers did was to help them see these activities as methods of data gathering. Thus, the children found practicing the methods easy.
Recording the data on paper was a different matter. Having spent only a year in elementary, some children found writing very difficult. But as the children were interested in what they were asked to do and could observe and interact with people, writing was not a major consideration in the selection of ART members. The children were consequently given the choice to either draw or record their report on a cassette recorder. They were then taught what should and should not be recorded.
The potential members of the ART had one more activity to undertake before the final selection was made. They helped the researchers document the participatory sessions with child participants. Participatory sessions were conducted with three groups of children. Each researcher was paired with one or two potential ART members. The researcher facilitated the participatory session while the potential ART members took down notes on the whole proceeding.
Eight children were selected as members of the ART, where they were formally inducted as members in a session conducted in July 1998. The formal induction was made for the following purposes:
1. To formalize the childrens membership in ART with its corresponding roles and responsibilities
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2. To orient them about the ethics of conducting the research 3. To discuss with them their expected outputs, time frames, and schedules
The researchers felt that a formal session with the ART was necessary to impress upon the members the ethical responsibilities of a researcher. Of great importance was their realization that child participants would share with them important aspects of their lives, possibly including things they had never told anyone before. The oath they would take as members of the ART would remind them of their responsibility to respect the rights of child participants and ensure the confidentiality of any information they would share with the ART.
Module on ART Orientation Objectives: To review what the research process is and ARTs role in it; To understand the case study method; To understand ARTs role in building the case study; and To establish the schedules for the next six months Activities: Introduction Review of what research is Review of what ART is Formalization of membership to ART: Oath-taking and distribution of ART Kit Understanding the case study Understanding the journal Discussion of time frames and schedule
The members of the Action Research Team were also furnished with an ART kit. The kit contained materials they needed in their work. It also served as storage space for the data they would gather during the course of their work.
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ART Oath of Responsibility I___________________ (say name) was chosen to be a member of the Action Research Team on July 5, 1998. As a child-researcher, I will be guided by the belief that ech person, each child has inherent value and dignity. In eah action I take I will keep in mind that: I am doing research on the real and actual lives of children I am also a human being It is only right to ensure the benefit of everyone in my thoughts, in the words I use, and in my actions; To the research participants I will say: Your life could be my life I will respect and treasure the information you entrust to me Take comfort Trust me Because we are one I swear to do my responsibility as a member of the Action research Team with all my heart. I will work with Bahay Tuluyan, ARCS and PST. May God bless and guide me in my work.
The ART kit contained the following:
Sturdy plastic envelope with snap lock 20 copies of blank weekly journal forms 2 ballpoint pens 2 pencils 2 erasers (one for pencils and another for ballpoint pens) Six-month calendar where the members can mark their scheduled activities Extra blank sheets of paper Notebook for their reflections on their work
A short reception followed the oath taking. The researchers also took the time to talk to their respective ART buddies about schedules or meetings with the participants in the case study.
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Lessons gained from selecting and training the ART

The delay in selecting the members of the ART had its advantages and disadvantages. On one hand, the seminar-workshop gave the children more exposure on what research was and what methods researchers used to gather data. It provided the researchers with a wider range of choices. As the researchers might have overlooked a child with skills and potential, the seminar-workshop gave this child another opportunity to demonstrate his or her competence again. Such opportunity would then boost his or her chances of participating as a member of the ART. Another advantage was that the more children were trained in doing research, the more they could participate in data collection.
Disadvantages included the possibility that children with little interest in the research might distract those who were interested in it from focusing on the activities. Facilitators therefore exerted more effort in managing the group, as some were more interested in swimming in the pool than in learning about research methods. Such efforts could very well have been directed to those who were deeply interested to learn. Also, the researchers could have conducted more practice-and-feedback sessions with the selected members of the ART.
An analysis of the pros and cons of early selection of the ART showed that conducting the seminar-workshop first would be more beneficial to the children. Even if some of the child participants in the seminar-workshop were not chosen, their exposure to research and research methods can still help them in the future.
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Recommendations
The researchers found the following considerations useful in training children for their tasks as data collectors:
The research methods the children would use should be ones that they had been using in their daily life. In this case, indigenous methods of research came naturally to them because they were culturally acceptable, because they had been using them in daily life. What was crucial was to encourage the children to use these methods to gather the desired data. Equally important was to encourage children to consciously follow the scientific process of investigation.
Participatory methods such as games, structured learning experiences, art activities, and practice sessions worked well with the children.
The training venue needed to have facilities for closed-room and open-air activities. Closed rooms encouraged concentration among the children while open-air venues helped them do their practice sessions comfortably.
Researchers needed to check on the general well-being of each child who would participate in the seminar-workshop. In the case of working children, some of them might have been working the previous night and therefore might be tired or sleepy the following day. Such factors could therefore affect their participation.
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Check If You Are Ready . . .
will be involved in the research. The following checklist will remind the researcher of the necessary steps to take prior to data collection:
rior to conducting PAR with children, researchers
should prepare both themselves and other people who
have prepared myself. I have studied the research topic well. I have identified the skills I have that we could use in the research. I have explored my own thoughts and feelings about working with children. I have identified my weaknesses and biases that can affect my work. I have spent time with the research participants. They know me. They are comfortable when I am around.
The research team is prepared. We have a common understanding of the research to be done. We have divided the tasks that need to be done. We have established ways of working together and dealing with problems. The participants are prepared. They know what the research is, their role in it, and the benefits the research will have on them and their group.
The participants have decided to cooperate with the researchers.
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They have met the researchers and they are comfortable with them. They know what the researchers will do and when they will do it. They know they can say no if they feel uncomfortable about any aspect of the research.
They know who to approach if they have any problem related to the research.

Conducting PAR requires the possession and development of certain knowledge, skills, and attitudes. The most important knowledge is related to the principles outlined in Chapter 2. Pertinent skills have something to do with communicating and interacting with children. Positive attitudes about the children and the process also help a lot.
Preparations for PAR require two important things: identifying and prioritizing issues, and developing a research design. For both of these activities, training and networking are required. Training the research team is a very crucial first step in ensuring that the research questions will be answered. Meanwhile, networking prepares the community to accept the idea of a PAR project.
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CHAPTER FIVE
Data Gathering with Children and Young People

The basic skills in data gathering with children How to motivate children to participate Methods in gathering data Recording the data gathered
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n research, data gathering is an important phase, since it confirms or disqualifies the pertinent key points in the study. The partnership of the
children and the adults in the process of gathering data is also important, as it will affect the quality of the data gathered-whether it was a genuine
product of participation or not. The more participative the study is, the more credible, trustworthy, and relevant it is to the participants.
What is Participative Data Gathering?

It means children and adults working together. They must go through the processes involved in planning, implementation, processing, and evaluation together. The participants are also co-researchers. The children participating in the research as respondents are also part of planning methodologies, data gathering, and interpreters of the data. It is using different and creative means to gather data. This means using various methodologies, different sources of information, and diverse and appropriate means of analysis. They could be oral, written, or visual.
The adults involved in the study need to carefully supervise the children. This means careful monitoring of their activities and processing of their experiences. Remember that they are still children with both competencies and vulnerabilities. Be sure to acknowledge both and be guided by their abilities when giving tasks.
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Throughout the whole process of data gathering, the children apply and would continually learn the methods of research: observation (pagmamasid), asking around (pagtatanung-tanong), and the role of feeling through (pakikiramdam).
This part is the busiest phase of research. It is easy to see that the children are very energetic and eager. It is also easy to forget that the children need time off to be children. Consider the other activities of the children aside from the research and make sure that they do not take on a heavy load. They need time to relax, play, finish their homework, or do whatever they want.
Basic Skills in Data Gathering With Children

Observing
Observation is a primary tool in research and is a method used throughout a study. Observation can be simply defined as watching and recording.
Types of Observation
In a participatory action research with children, Boyden and Ennew (1997) presented three ways of approaching observation: unstructured but non-interactive; unstructured but participative; and the structured but non-interactive.
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Unstructured, non-interactive observation

This is the type of observation wherein conversations with the children, other forms of communication, and the general atmosphere made continuously throughout field work are recorded regularly (at least daily) in a research diary, or immediately after observation.
Unstructured, participative observation

This is the type of observation in which an observer (researcher) becomes part of, or serves as an actor in the events under the study. The aim is, as far as possible, for the researcher to become an entirely familiar presence in the lives of the people he or she is studying, to become invisible-to cease to have a major influence on the shape of events, on the interactions between people or their feelings, attitudes, and behavior generally.
Structured, non-interactive observation

In this type of observation the researcher does not attempt to participate in the events but observes and records them on a regular basis. Structured observations can be made at regular intervals over a set period of time; at set times of the day or night; or by monitoring the activities and experiences of a set group of children or a particular child.
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A Guide for Observing a Child

A number of things need to be noted through observation in interacting with children. The goals of the research must be the primary guide in determining what to look out for. Yet there are general points for observation used in interacting with children. Rosario Marasigan (1997) suggested the following: childs general appearance, expression of emotions, level of intellectual development, and attitudes toward activities.
The childs general appearance

This reflects a number of things: a childs health, economic class, his or her level of self-esteem, etc. Some of the things to take note of are:
Health-weight, any symptoms of sickness, signs of well being The clothes that he or she is wearing Cleanliness and hygiene The way he or she moves, sits, and walks; his or her facial expressions, mannerisms; the level of tension, relaxation and comfort, and other things reflected in movement
Eye contact Other observable physical characteristics such as scars, disabilities, difficulties in hearing and seeing
The way he or she talks-soft, rapid, loud (note the time or events that cause changes in tone and volume)
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Expression of emotions
The childs prevalent mood The way the child expresses his or her feelings-whether it is appropriate, excessive, consistent or unpredictable, etc.
Level of intellectual development

Skills in reading, writing, and comprehension Other talents and abilities Ability to recall recent, remote, and immediate events Level of self-esteem and worth Ability to understand the consequences of ones actions
Attitude towards the activity

The interaction between the child and other child participants The attitude toward the researchers and the tasks at hand The changes in attitude (take note of the predominant attitude of the child from the beginning of the project or activity to the end)
Remember to be clear about the basis of observations. For instance, if you say that a child has low self-esteem, cite the circumstances that led you to conclude thus.
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Asking and Listening

In research, asking and listening are usually in the context of interviews, which are guided conversations that seek to gather information or to understand a specific event.
Types of interviews
Interviews are classified according to the type of questions asked, the flow of the interview, the organization of the whole session, and the interaction between the interviewer and interviewee.
Structured interviews
These consist of specific questions that need to be asked and answered. They are not usually recommended for children but are usually used with key adult informants.
Semi-structured interviews
These interviews are defined as guided conversations, where guide questions or topics provide direction. They are also means of maintaining a relaxed atmosphere, as if the interviewer is simply conversing with the interviewee. Here, the method of asking around is important to maintain an informal atmosphere. This way, the exchange becomes non-threatening to the child respondent, thus the sharing becomes in-depth and even heartfelt. Note that this kind of interview should not
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be a stiff exchange between interviewer and interviewee in which the former holds a pen and pad paper.
Unstructured interviews
These interviews are not constrained by guide questions. The respondent takes the lead and is free to talk about whatever he or she wants to. The advantage of this kind of interview is that the respondent feels at ease and soon shares information that he or she will not normally disclose to a stranger. Its disadvantage, though, is that the interview is harder to control, thus requiring more time and commitment from the interviewer.
Unstructured interviews could be conducted by an adult and/or child researcher. Whatever method is used in the conduct of the interview, it primarily depends on who the respondent and interviewer are, and on the goals of the interview. This will reflect how participative an interview will be-whether an interview is researcherled or respondent-led.
Respondent-led interviews are often unstructured conversations with the child, which means the researcher refrains from asking structured questions. The researcher would do well to learn the childs language and understand his concepts and the meaning that he attaches to people, things, and events.
This type of interview is very effective in evoking life stories. For interviews with specific goals, however (e.g., an interview intended to get the details of an incidence of abuse), sessions may begin as respondent-led. Such interviews may provide more qualitative information than quantifiable ones. The researcher and the child
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researcher may then take the lead and use focused questions to meet their goals (Boyden and Ennew, 1997).
A Guide for Interviewing a Child

Before the interview
Whether the child will conduct the interview alone or
together with the adult researcher, they should plan it together first. Be aware of the background and current situation of the child respondent. Consult the child researcher on what he or she knows about the situation at hand or if he or she personally knows the child to be interviewed. Prepare the child respondent for the interview. Develop rapport. Spend time together first. Play, talk, or just hang around. Let activities accompany the interview such as drawing or playing a game. They put the child at ease and serve as a jumping board to the topics that will be discussed. During the interview Hold the interview at a very informal place, e.g., a park or any place that the child respondent prefers. This gives the latter a sense of control, making him or her feel at ease with the interviewers. Explain why you-the adult and the child researcher-are there. Explain what the interview is for and what to expect from the sessions. Ask for the child respondents consent before using a tape recorder or camera during the interview.
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If both you and the child will conduct the interview, be sure the latter does not feel intimidated. Make sure both of you are sitting at the same level so as not to remind the child of the authority that an adult has over children.
After the interview

Talk about what happened and process the activity with the child respondent and researcher. Review the objectives of the interview and see if they were adequately met.
A Guide for Interviewing an Adult

Adults are often interviewed as key informants for a study. Key informants could be people knowledgeable about the subject of the research and thus could offer valuable information and insights. They could also be significant adults in the lives of the child respondents. The following are some points that need to be observed when interviewing adults.
Before the interview

Upon requesting an interview, explain to the adult respondent why the interview is being done together with the child researcher. It is also important to inform him or her of the objectives of the interview. Also, ask the respondent where the interview could be held.
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As mentioned in the section on interviewing children, the researchers should plan the interview and do some research together.
Prepare the guide questions or structured questions for the interview. The topics to be discussed could be divided between the adult and the child to ensure the latters participation.
During the interview

Reassure the child researcher that he or she is free to ask questions. Remember to follow up on the answers to the questions if you feel that they were inadequately answered.
After the interview

Ask the adult interviewed for feedback on the interview. Process the activity afterwards with the child.
Asking the Right Questions . . .

Using open-ended questions lead children to share freely and spontaneously. They typically begin with what, why, when, where, and how. They include questions in the line of Tell me more about that and Tell me what happened afterwards . . . (Bourg, et al, 1999). The questions should avoid giving hints on what the child should discuss, otherwise they increase the concern that the child respondents answers were influenced by the biases
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and beliefs of the researchers. For example, instead of asking, Your sister hit you, didnt she? ask, Tell me, how do you get along with your sister? Let your questions follow the free-running narrative that the open-ended questions initiated and encouraged. Let the child elaborate by: 1 encouraging him or her to continue his story by asking, Tell me more, And then . . . 2 providing multiple choices questions, or asking what happened next. This helps the child in recalling. For example, you may say, Did you spend the night in the street, your friends house, in the center, or some other place? (Bourg, et. al, 1999) Use short sentences and simple words. Explore I dont know answers. The child may not have understood the question or the question caused the child to be distressed (Bourg, et. al, 1999). If the child does not really know, accept his or her answer. Remember to confirm, clarify, and ask for details.
Facilitating
Facilitating group or individual activities means actively guiding the processes involved toward the goals. In a participatory action research with children, the researchers are facilitators in all the activities, not trainers nor teachers. They are guides, which translate to big sisters or brothers, who in real life help and guide little ones.
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In the activities, facilitator also means the person who directs the activity or gets it started. The facilitator can be an adult or a child. In the beginning an adult may have to take the lead to show how an activity is to be done. But as soon as possible, the children should begin to share the role of facilitator, depending, of course, on the type of activity that will be undertaken and the age of the children.
A facilitator . . .
Is someone who initiates a process that can help the group achieve the objectives of the session Has the responsibility of ensuring that everybody gets a chance to share opinions, thoughts, and feelings
Characteristics of a GoodFacilitator
Friendly and non-authoritarian Able to get along with children of different
backgrounds, attitudes, classes, etc. Has good verbal and communication skills Sensitive to nonverbal cues Even-tempered and does not panic in difficult situations or tense moments Flexible and able to anticipate and plan ahead
Adult and child researchers can be both facilitators. It is best that their skills and experiences complement each other.
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Factors to Consider in Facilitation

Room arrangement and physical setting
Many of the activities suggested here work better if the children can be in a circle or semi-circle. In some activities, they need to be able to move around. Think about this as you select and adapt activities to see if there is anything you need to do about the physical setting. Sometimes it is better to conduct an activity outdoors, provided there is not too much noise.
Recognition and rewards

Some structured games have winners, either individuals or teams, whose hard work should be recognized. The reward can be words of praise, tokens, or a privilege.
Remember also to recognize good work in situations where there are no winners. Praise the child who contributes good points in the discussion after an activity, or the child who gives feedback in a positive and constructive way.
Spur-of-the-moment activities
Many participatory activities require little or no preparation and no special equipment. They may take only five minutes, or they can fill as much time as is available. Some people keep a mental list of these activities that they can use
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anywhere, anytime, or whenever the group has little free time. Such activities include Simon says, Pass it on (gossip game), etc. (See the next chapter for the procedures of the activities.)
Motivating Children to Participate

Encouraging participation
Here are steps to follow to encourage participation.
Get to know the children-respondents
Encouraging participation entails openness and an atmosphere of respect and acceptance. For the children to understand that you are willing to listen to their thoughts unconditionally, you must spend time with them. Play, talk, or hang out with them to build rapport and trust between the child respondents and adult or child researchers.
Spend time and plan with the child researcher
The adult and child researcher must strengthen their partnership. The adults efforts in making the relationship genuinely open and participative is crucial. If the adult is domineering, the child may just do whatever he or she is told to do. Thus, the adult must be aware and reflect on his or her actions regularly. It is important to plan together and consult the child on what he or she thinks of the activity that will
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be conducted. Ask for the childs opinions, which may well revolve around the following considerations:
1. Will this activity work with the child respondents? If not, what do you suggest to make it more appropriate? 2. what role do you want to take in the conduct of the activity? 3. which part of the activity do you think will be a bit difficult for us/you to implement? How can I help?
Ensure the participation of boys and girls alike
Save the Children Fund (UK)-funded Street Children Programme, Honduras has suggested ways to ensure participation:
1. Listen to them, so you can understand what they are really saying. Take their experiences seriously; they are valid. Take their opinions seriously; they are valid. Dont discriminate against girls. 2. Let the boys and girls choose their own activities, dont impose on them according to gender 3. Develop a space in which they can decide on their own. 4. Be a facilitator, not a teacher. 5. Seek ways in which you can make them aware of their options 6. Seek methods for organizing participative meetings of children. 7. Never use children as adornments in events involving adults
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In ensuring the participation of both boys and girls, the research team involved in the study on the Evolving Definitions of Abuse always asked the girls for feedback on whatever the boys in the group activities had to say. Thus the girls became confident in airing their views, because they felt that what they had to say mattered. In one group discussion (with teenage boys and girls as participants) on their perceptions on child abuse, a boy mentioned that girls get sexually abused because they do not take care of themselves, implying the girls were not careful about what they wore and that their actions were not at all modest. When the girls were asked about what they thought about the comment, they vigorously questioned it.
Signs That the Children are Participating

They are listening attentively. They are relaxed and are actively airing their thoughts and opinions
to support or debunk ideas that are presented. They participate in decision making. They are attentive. They are not withdrawn and are not roaming around or acting like they are distracted and preoccupied.
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Methods in Gathering Data

Case Studies
ase studies provide an in-depth look into a persons situation in life. It is a descriptive method
where the processes, events, and the context in which
they occur are described in detail. For a research, case studies can provide the nuances that generalizations cannot render, because they are more detailed. The details of the experiences give a clear voice to the respondents in the study, leading to a deeper understanding of the respondents experiences.
It focuses on an individual, an aspect of the persons life, or a particular situation. Objective and subjective data are combined in a case study. Together with the objective descriptions, a case study also details the researchers feelings, interpretations, and impressions. All are valid data for analysis and basis for inferences within the case study (Dyer, 1995).
They provide an opportunity to document the processes taking place throughout the study. Thus, the processes could be adequately explored and described, and will be valuable for analysis and evaluation of the methods used.
The case study format used in our research includes the following:
1.
Personal information of the subject of the case like name, gender, birthday, age, address, educational attainment, occupation, members of the family (name, relation, age, occupation)
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2. Information/observations about the child, particularly the physical, socio-emotional, cognitive, and behavioral characteristics interacting with the different contexts that are brought to bear on the child 3. The traits of the significant family members and the importance of their roles in the childs life, the familys close friends, and the relationships and dynamics within the family 4. Other significant people such as the playmates, classmates, other peer groups, and other significant adults. Who are they? Are they a significant support system for the child? What kind of influence do they exert? 5. The significant events in the childs life. Use the respondents own words as he or she tells the story. 6. Those who provided assistance or support to the child and his or her family. What did the child do to cope? How did he or she react to certain events? The details should include how individuals and organizations helped, the services that the child and family received (if any) from concerned agencies, and which of these the child considers as the most important. 7. Drawings/sketch of the house, community, or anything that the case handler wishes to describe more vividly. 8. Recommendations.
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Life Stories
A life story is the story that a person chooses to tell about the life she has lived as completely and honestly as possible, what is remembered of it, and what the teller wants others to know of it, usually as a result of a guided interview by another (Atkinson, 1998).
It is helpful in understanding how people see themselves, how they interpret or construct meaning from their experiences, as well as their subjective perspective and understanding of whatever topic or issue is under consideration.
The primary tools for life stories are interviews and home/site visits. Home visits help in gathering more information through interviews with the persons that the child is living with. Site visits provide insights on how the child interacts and behaves in other environments that he or she frequents, e.g., the school, work place, play ground, etc. Remember that you must first ask the child respondents permission to visit him or her. It is unethical to do otherwise. Be attentive to the surroundings and note the details, especially of the interactions obtaining between the child and significant persons.
Visits to the homes/sites are opportunities to conduct informal exchanges with the family members, significant adults, friends, and co-workers.
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The ART and adult researchers in the study on the Evolving Definitions of Child Abuse often visited and stayed a while in the homes and workplaces of the child respondents. They talked and exchanged stories (pakikipagkwentuhan) with the family, neighbors, friends, and co-workers of the child respondents. The adult researchers never let the ART conduct visits alone to ensure their safety, since the homes they were visiting were located in urban poor communities. The visits were helpful in identifying the support systems, in describing the families interactions, and in comparing the childs behavior at home and elsewhere such as his or her neighborhood and school.
Structured Activities Experiences
and
These are planned activities and exercises tailored for the profile of the group or individual, and aimed to meet the objectives of the study. They also help facilitate rapport building and openness among the participants, children researchers, and the adults involved.
Some Considerations in Doing Structured Activities

Number of participants A team of an adult and child can handle five to ten participants. If young people would handle the documentation of the activities, two are needed to work and coordinate.
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Ages of the child respondents The activities need to be appropriate for the developmental level of the child respondents. In the Evolving Definitions of Child Abuse PAR study, the team did not anticipate the age difference among the participants that an NGO assembled. Only teenagers were supposed to come to the participatory group activity but smaller children from the center tagged along. The team adapted to the situation by dividing the children into two groups7 to 11 years old and 12 to 17 years old. The existing module prepared for older children was revised to suit the younger ones. The younger group used art and play as tools to aid expression and to convey messages. The older group employed group interaction and discussions.
Gender and class
The module should consider the different needs of girls and boys. Activities should not perpetuate discrimination against girls. Modules should provide opportunities for girls and boys to discuss or be informed of discrimination and gender equality. Experiential activities should be relevant to the lives of the children for whom economic class plays a role. Use activities and situations which the children can identify with.
Venue for the activities
Is the venue wide enough for children to run around? Are they allowed to make noise, shout, laugh, and sing aloud? Could the facilities accommodate the needs of the children and of the modules? Are there toilets that the
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children can use? Are there things or persons (e.g., playgrounds, swimming pools, other children playing around) that will distract the participants? A couple of suggestions:
If you need the children to focus on a discussion, use a venue with walls so they will not be easily distracted.
If the module employs group activities that involve play and drama, find a venue with large open spaces. When at the venue, be sure to define boundaries. The children should be involved in decision making, e.g., all the children and adults should agree that no one should run beyond the big tree without telling the facilitators.
Profile of the children/respondents The modules need to be sensitive to the background of the children. The activities have to recognize the experiences, skills, capabilities, and vulnerabilities of the participants. This way, the modules will be appropriate for the participants.
Changing the activities to fit the current situation Be ready for surprises and be flexible. As no module is perfect, the facilitator must be ready with alternatives and options to fit the current context.
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Designing a Structured Activity

This phase is often done as a team. This may or may not involve the child researchers, depending on the level of their skill and experience in conducting structured activities with children. If the child researchers are not equipped with skills to design modules, their opinion on them must be acquired. Ask about what they think about the module and seriously consider their comments and suggestions.
The following are guides in designing a structured activity based on the recommendations of Carmela Ortigas Group Processes and the Inductive Method (1990):
Orientation
Differentiate types of module (fun, ritual, variations, detachable) What atmosphere should be created/maintained
Introduction
What can be done to create the mood appropriate for the activity
Activity
What type of activity can best help achieve the goals of the study/phasegroup or individual In terms of approach, differentiate which is more effective, cognitive, evocative etc.
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What are the possible problems to be encountered Design a Plan B.
Processing
What guide questions can best help ? What behavioral responses can be anticipated and how to handle them
Throughout the planning, keep in mind the resources available to the team:
The skills, strengths, and weaknesses of the facilitators; their familiarity with each other and their interaction as a team
Time to complete the project Finances Materials The physical setup of the venue
Adapting and revising structured activities

No module prepared in advance is perfect. Unexpected situations always arise, which call for the ability of the facilitators to adapt to the situation. Here are some ideas that will help facilitators adapt the modules to the situation at hand.
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Change names, words, or details so that they relate to local conditions. Consider the time, equipment, and space that they have available. Use topics for discussions that reflect the interests of the children and their level of understanding.
Remember that the age range of the children called to participate may only be approximates. Thus, the planned activities may be changed to fit the actual age range of the participants.
If children are likely to enjoy and learn from an activity, try it. Make the activity harder or easier if necessary.
Consider the number of children in your group. If it is a large number, it might be best to have a small group of children demonstrate the activity first to the others, then divide into several small groups where everyone can participate.
Conducting structured activities w ith individuals

In one-on-one sessions or interviews with children, it is recommended that activities accompany interviews. The classic question-and-answer interviews are basically an adult activity that children may not understand. The adult stranger with all the questions could even intimidate the children. Thus, a child-focused interaction or interview would imply the use of methods that are accessible to the childrens developmental level, e.g., drawing, play, and art.
For example, if a study requires a complete background on a child, an activity called the life map may be conducted. Based on the study on the definitions of
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abuse, the life map activity required everybody to draw representations of the significant events. Yes, even the adult and the child researcher participated in drawing and shared about their experiences. Anybody can ask questions about what was shared. The session became a venue not only for gathering information about the childs family life and history but also for sharing thoughts and experiences, thus facilitating the building of trust.
With groups . .
Structured experiences with groups could be a series of activities that are aimed to attain the objectives of the session. In working with children, the initial activities should build up toward the objectives of the study. For example, in the study on the evolving definitions of child abuse, one of the objectives is to understand how children perceive abuses. The module started with their own sad and happy experiences, followed through by activities that aim to process these experiences, extract what the children think to be abusive and why they believed that the experience was abusive.
In these sessions facilitation is a crucial part in the process. Facilitation is important in producing the information needed in the study and in processing the whole experience.
How do an adult and a child work together in this setting? Planning is again important, more so in this setting because a number of activities will take place in succession of each other. The activities must be thoroughly discussed. Tasks and roles must be assigned.
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Children can take the lead in facilitation but they must always be supported or backed up by an adult. It must still hold true the other way around with the child providing support facilitation.
The PAR study of the definitions of child abuse showed the capabilities of teenagers in facilitating structured experiences with other children. They could easily give instructions for the activities, and, more importantly, evoke answers or thoughts from the participants.
Expressive Activities
Expressive activities help facilitate childrens self-expression. These are usually artistic activities such as dance, song, drama, and art. One must be culturally aware and sensitive to the use of these artistic expressions.
Since communities develop indigenous psychosocial resources, indigenous forms of expression should be primarily employed. Of course, new games and forms of expression could be introduced as long as they are appropriate and adaptable to the local culture.
Play
Play is the natural way of children to express themselves. Through unstructured plays or structured games, their needs are expressed and messages are conveyed. It is also a reflection of indigenous psychosocial resources,
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since children naturally work out and discover alternative solutions to existing problems (Nylund, et al.,1999).
In the context of an action research with children, play becomes an important tool in data gathering for several reasons:
It is one venue where the children are relaxed enough to be open and express themselves.
Issues or subjects could be explained through play. Key messages can be conveyed through games. Play establishes rapport between the researchers and the child respondents.
Play is often used in communicating with younger children. But more complicated games can still catch the interest of teenagers and convey messages that can best be communicated through experiential activities.
Adult facilitators should not stand in the sidelines in play activities and games. Whenever possible, they must join in. This helps build rapport and establish trust.
Art
Art allows children to deal with the past. It helps them to separate themselves from the situation that they are sharing with others. It provides a way to deal with sensitive issues in a way that is encouraging and easily accessible by children. With art, they are free to express feelings such as fear and confusion, which they have suppressed.
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An example of this is the drawing and telling a story about it. By asking the child to draw and then talk about his or her art, the researcher can learn much about his or her inner world, including the childs needs, joys, and fears. Drawings are also concrete and graphic representations of the childs experiences. Thus asking him or her to draw will enrich the pool of information (Carandang, 1996).
Remember, activities such as this need not be limited to drawing. Other materials could be used like clay, sand, sticks, mud, leaves, stones, and anything that the children could use to represent figures.
The use of art is appropriate for all ages. It is the way of evoking the stories behind the drawings that must adjust to the childs developmental age, context, language, etc.
Nonverbal expressive activities
represent a way of
communication that children use even before they are able to speak. These activities include drama, dance, and pantomimes. They provide a chance to act out emotions under the pretense of being someone or something else. More importantly, these help adults communicate with children.
If the children are old enough, nonverbal expressive activities give them an excellent opportunity to use basic and advanced communication skills like listening and
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public speaking. They help children learn about the importance of communicating their own ideas and listening carefully to others as they work in a group.
Role Play
You can use role play to express attitudes and feelings. It is a form of communication where ones feelings, thoughts, and attitudes are expressed. Role playing helps children learn to listen with an open mind and listen to what is not being said. You can roleplay almost any situation where two or more people talk with each other as long as it is something that the children can identify with. They will not learn much from a role play if they have to imagine a dialogue for a situation that is totally outside their experience. Let the children be your guide.
It is usually best to write down a brief description of the situation to be acted out in the role play. It should tell who the characters are (age, gender, relationship to each other), the problem or decision under discussion, and the viewpoint or attitude each character has already expressed, if any. The children who are playing a role need to be clear on these points before they start.
If the children are not used to role playing, explain that the players should try to speak and act, think and feel as these characters would in this situation. The players must think of the possible words the characters would use, and respond appropriately to what other characters say and do. They should present the point
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of view of the character they are playing as forcefully as they can, even when they do not agree with it. If children learn to put themselves in the shoes of another like this, they will be greatly helped as listeners. Allow some time beforehand for the players to think about the characters they are playing and decide what they will say and do.
The discussion after a role play is as important as the role play itself. Some of the topics that may come up may revolve around the following questions: Did the players speak and act the way these characters would? What feelings and attitudes were communicated? Were they expressed in words or in other ways? Did the characters listen well to each other and understand each other? Why or why not? What would have helped to make communication better?
Skits and Dramas

A skit is a short play, often consisting only of one scene. Skits take a bit of time to prepare, but they allow children to practice many different kinds of skills and creativity. Skits can be simple or as complicated as you and the children want to make them.
There are important differences between skits and role plays. In a role play only the situation at the beginning is set in advance. The players make up the dialogue as they go along, and the scene may develop in any one of several ways, depending on what each character says or
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does. In skits the scenarios, or the outline of what is going to happen, are planned in advance. One knows how the skit is going to begin, develop, and end. The players may improvise some of the dialogue or the group may develop a script.
A few children in a matter of minutes may prepare a skit. Or a more elaborate skit may allow many children to take part in different ways-as actors, scriptwriters, directors, people who prepare the scenery, costumes or props, or as audience, and critics. In all of these activities the children must use listening and talking skills. They will soon see how essential it is to be a good listener when they are producing something together.
The subject of the skit should relate to the daily lives of the children and the audience. But the treatment of the subject can be as imaginative, creative, or funny as the group wants it to be. This is another difference between skits and role play: in skits you can have diseases talking like people or a mosquito that is as big as an airplane; in role play the scenes should be as close to real life as possible.
The discussion after a skit may center on the performance itself and reactions to it. But you might also ask the children to think about the time when they were preparing it. What did they learn about listening to each other as they worked on the skits? What listening skills did they use (for example, group discussion to decide the questions that came up, giving and following oral instructions, being sensitive to feelings)?
In the study of the definitions of abuse, skits and dramas became vehicles for reporting group discussions. The children usually wove a story out of the main points that they discussed and debated upon. One group recreated the heated debate-with a few elaborations for theatrical effect -that the group had beforehand.
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Written methods
For children and young people who have the skill of writing and composition, the written method can provide them with opportunities to express their thoughts and opinions unhindered. They could be asked to write diaries, poems, and essays on the subject matter at hand.
Creating and
Telling Stories
Tell me a story is a phrase that is almost as old as human speech. Since the earliest times people have used stories to explain the universe, to make others laugh, and to draw people close to one another. We still use stories every day in much the same way. Notice how often you tell or hear a little story-at work, in the market, at a party, or over a cup of tea or at a family meal.
A story can be a powerful teaching tool. Through the centuries people have used stories to share information, reinforce religious beliefs, hand on values and traditions, and pass on ideas.
Since the spread of childrens rights, there has been renewed interest in stories as a way to make such rights available to everyone. Stories help people find out what they can do to
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promote childrens rights. Stories allow children and adults to suggest change in a way that does not seem to criticize local people and customs. And stories, through their emotional impact, motivate people to act.
Stories can be created, read silently, read aloud to others, or told to others. All four ways of using stories are valuable, but reading aloud and telling stories to children both have the added advantage of helping them to improve their listening abilities.
When children tell a story they can say things to adults that they could not say otherwise. Stories can be used to help children learn about their culture and feel part of it; deal with fear, anger, and other strong feelings by experiencing them in a safe context of a story and talking about them; experience the pleasures and rewards of good listening, thus learning to listen in different ways; become more aware of body language, other nonverbal communication, and the uses of language and voice; stimulate imagination and creative thinking among children; acquire new information and ideas in a way that helps them remember it; explore values; and express themselves as storytellers, story writers, or critics.
For adults working with children, telling a story helps them build a relationship with a child. There is eye contact. You work together to create something new. From childrens reactions to a story, adults may get clues to their hidden fears and worries and be able to help them. When you tell a story, you can personalize and localize it, make it fit the needs and interests of your group. You can use stories to help children test their ideas, build vocabulary, exercise memory, and develop a critical sense. Stories arouse interest in history, language, geography, and a number of other subjects. Stories can be used to develop oral tradition unique to your group of children.
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People who use stories in their work with children agree that the more children take part in the whole process of story making and storytelling, the more they enjoy and learn from it.
Children enjoy creating their own stories. They can work in pairs, small groups, or alone. They can tell their stories to each other, record them on tape, write them down, or even draw or paint their stories. If the children cannot write, an adult or older child can do that part for them.
Children also enjoy and learn a lot from retelling a story. This is a very important skill in doing PAR. The ability of the child to retell a story, as told by another, is important in getting the right information.
The way the children describe or retell parts of the story will show you what feelings have been aroused. Because of the subject, situation, or characters, a child may find a certain story disturbing. The facilitator should be on the lookout for this and deal with it either during the discussion or by talking with the child afterwards.
People hear different things in the same story and have different reactions. Welcome the differences and let the children discuss them. Hearing other peoples reaction can enrich everyones interpretation of the story but sometimes children prefer to be left alone with their own interpretations. Help them learn to become good critics. Encourage them to express their opinions on the story.
One imporant characteristic of these expressive activities is it not only helps children to expres themselves but they also have a helping value to childre who experienced abuse. Play can be an instrument in healing wounds.
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Art, Drama and music can help boost self-esteem and help them release pent-up emotions. Allowing and encouring them to tell stories spark a sense of hepoe for themselves because it facilitates communication and interaction between peers. In turn, this also allows them to realize that what is happening to them is also happening to others. Thus, sessions with the children aimed to gather data are also venues to provide help for children who experienced abuse. It is important that adult facilitators are equipped to handle sharings of painful stories by the children/respondents.
In the Process of Data Gathering, What Do You Do When a Child ChildRespondent Shares a Painful Story?
telling itself could be helpful if handled properly and sensitively. Otherwise, it could cause more pain and stress.
ainful stories are stories that could be abusive in nature and/or traumatic for the child respondent. These stories are often kept inside and rarely told. The
Acknowledgment is enough when a painful story is shared. Painful stories need to be recognized. Tell the child that you do feel and think that what he or she has been through is an awful experience. Accept what is being shared without judgment. This implies that you must not try to change the feelings being shared by saying that everything will be all right. Saying so will send a message that what the child is feeling is not acceptable, because you are immediately trying to change and cover it up. Listen first and just be there.
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Offer comfort and support. This conveys that you are there to listen and to help. To an extent, you become a shield against the overwhelming painful memories.
If a child relates several or a series of stories that he or she found painful, do not assume that you know which is the worst. A boy interviewed for a case study shared that his father often beat him. He also felt that his mom neglected him. For the adult, it would be easy to assume that the worst experience would be the physical abuse that the child suffered. It turned out that for him, the most painful experience was when he repeatedly asked his mother to buy him shoes but was ignored. He said that he would have understood if there was no money to buy them with but he often saw his mother gambling. This shows that there needs to be sensitivity to the persons sense of what is most frightening or overwhelming. You can do this by truly listening to what the child is sharing.
Closing a discussion needs sensitivity. The pain that the child shared will not go away because he or she has shared it with you. He will still have to live with the memory every day. See if the child has needs that you can provide. If not, refer them to professionals who can give psychosocial help.
Processing the Experience

What is processing and why is it important?
Content and process are the two components of all human interactions. Content deals with the subject matter at hand while process is the underlying dynamics, how things were carried out, and the things left unsaid.
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In research, the focus is often on the content-the data gathered. In a participative action research with children, we need to consider the process or the experience that they underwent. That is why we do processing-it is reflecting on the activities focusing not only on the content but also on the experience the participants and facilitators underwent.
Processing seeks to...

Help children understand what just happened.
It is generally believed that explaining serious matters to children is not necessary because they are young and would not understand. This is wrong. Children need to understand what is happening in their environment to facilitate learning, coping, and affective, cognitive, and social development.
Provide children with a chance to express their opinions about the activity and the experience.
This is consistent with the participatory principles. Getting feedback about the experience will also ensure that the activities all uphold the rights of children. It will also be a venue for the children to contribute suggestions on how to make the process more suitable to their situation.
Provide a closure.
Activities that aim to tackle the experiences of child respondents must provide a finality, a resolution, or a plan for the experiences and emotions
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that were revealed during the activity. For example, a group of street children shared about their sad and happy experiences while living on the streets. Most of the stories were stories of abuse and hardship. Only a few had happy memories to share. A closure of the activity could include a reflection on the experience of sharing with their peers, the facilitator encouraging the children to think of how to improve their current situation, and identifying the NGOs and individuals whom they could run to and ask help from.
In asking questions, keep the following in mind:

What actually happened (narrate beginning and end of the activity) Ask how the children felt about the acttivity (if working with a group, ask about how they felt abot what the other children shared and did. Do they agree or disagree? What are their opinions?) What are the thoughts that came during the activity? What were their insights? Did they learn anything? If they did, is it relevant for them? Do they have suggestions on how to improve the activity? Or on what follow-up activity should be?
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Recording the Data Gathered
perspective different from those of adults, which may yield insights that are usually overlooked. The challenge is to make documentation interesting and easy for children.
he children should also take par t in documenting the experience of data gathering, the processes involved, and the methodologies used. They have a
There are several ways to document the data and processes of the research:
1. Write it down.
Journals are not only data gathered but also the thoughts, problems encountered and modifications made on the methods used. It is important to consider the level of literacy, exposure to reading and writing, and attitude towards writing (Cabilles, 1994). Some children with the skills of composition could document the processes that happened during a group activity.
2. Record the interviews and structured activities on tape recorders or cameras.
Remember that not all could be caught and recorded in tapes and film. Thus, taped sessions should be supplemented by journals that note down the nonverbal cues and exchanges.
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3. Transcribe interviews.
To ensure the accuracy of the transcription, the interviewer should review and correct it.
4. Keep the group and individual visual output.
Drawings and other artwork like comics and cartoons, diaries, notes, and group reports must be considered as data and documentation of an activity that occurred. Again these must be accompanied by the researchers note or journal explaining the context of the activities and detailing the observations and exchanges that occurred.
Tying Them Together . . . .
articipative data gathering means children and
adults going through the processes of planning,
implementation, and analysis together. This experience helps both children and adults learn new skills, gain new knowledge, and develop better attitudes during the process of data gathering. This is because the methodologies used to gather information or data
also have helping values. They not only facilitate communication and interaction but they are also venues that facilitate learning and healing.
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The basic skills in helping children are grounded on establishing a trusting relationship between the adult-researchers and the child-researchers. A trusting relationship is also important between the researchers and the respondents especially if the respondents are children.
For genuine participation to take place, the children must be well informed so that they can decide for themselves. Thus, expressive activities like play, art, and drama, which facilitate self-expression, are important in helping adults and children communicate with each other. Adults should learn how to convey messages and themes to children using these activities, and understand what the children want to say.
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Chapter Six
Analyzing Data From PAR

The qualitative analysis of data The team approach to data analysis The different ways of presenting data
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fter collecting the data, the next step is to analyze and interpret the information. Data analysis and interpretation refers to the process of explaining
and giving meaning to the results of the research. Since most of the data gathered from PAR with children is qualitative, the corresponding analysis is also qualitative. This is done by trying to make sense of voluminous amounts of data, reducing the data in manageable numbers through categorization, identifying themes and patterns, and constructing a framework for communicating the essence of the data (Patton, 1990).
Unfortunately, there are no hard and fast rules in analyzing and interpreting qualitative data. For the most part, qualitative analysis rests on the skills, training, and abilities of the researchers. Patton (1990) observed that the human factor is the great strength and the fundamental weakness of qualitative inquiry and analysis.
Doing Qualitative Analysis
ohn Seidel (1998) proposed a model of qualitative data analysis. He identified three basic processes in data analysis: noticing, collecting, and thinking about
interesting things. He likened the process to jigsaw puzzle solving. A common strategy of solving this kind of puzzle is by identifying and grouping pieces that seem to fit (noticing and collecting). The act of fitting the pieces together to complete the picture or image is analogous to thinking about things in your data. However, Seidel cautioned:
Of course, this analogy differs in important ways from qualitative data analysis process. For example, in data analysis you dont always have a final picture of the puzzles solution. Also, the puzzle pieces are not precut. You create the
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puzzle pieces as you analyze the phenomena. Nonetheless, the jigsaw puzzle analogy captures some important attributes of the . . . process.
Figure 7 represents the process and the relationships among its parts.
Figure 7. Qualitative Data Analysis
Notice Things
Think about Things
Collect Things
The figure suggests that qualitative data analysis is not linear. When you do qualitative data analysis, you do not simply notice, collect, think about things, and then write a report. Seidel described the process as an infinite spiral. The process has no defined starting or end point. One may start to collect things, and then think about things before noticing others. Or as one starts noticing things, he or she might also start collecting and thinking about the things he or she collects.
Noticing: The Art of Coding

Noticing involves figuring out what bits of information fit together. It begins by reading through the transcripts of the interviews, group discussions, and case reports. As you read these records, you name or code things that go together.
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Codes are simply labels that you give to your data. Coding the data is an important step in identifying themes and patterns.
How to code data

1. Read the transcripts, field notes, or case studies.
As you read the data records, make notes of possible codes.
2. Develop a code book.
A code book is a list of possible code words that you will use in an analysis. The best guide to developing the code book would be the questions that you posed in the interviews or group discussions. You could code your data as answers or responses to your research questions.
3. Initially, code a small segment of your data.
The initial coding work helps you notice new things in your data and allows you to check the adequacy of your initial codes.
4. Assign codes or labels to the rest of your data.
Re-read your data records but this time, code the data as you read them.
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5. Re-read the coded data for corrections or new insights.
For the research on child abuse, each member of the research team was assigned a transcript from a particular focused group discussion or participatory session. Each member reviewed the transcripts assigned to him or her, carefully noting pertinent data about the parents, children, and other household members taken from all the focused group discussions. After organizing the demographic data, each member identified relevant concepts and organized them as meaning units. Each also listed relevant quotes from the respondents.
The researchers also noted the frequency of the terms used by the participants. This provided them with information on the salience or importance of a concept, word, or phrase. Counting is a familiar step to see what is out there.
Collecting: The Art of Categorizing

After identifying bits and pieces of the data that you find interesting, the next step is collecting or combining them into groups. Collecting involves sifting through and sorting the coded data into groups or categories. Sorting through has been made easier as a result of the coding process. By using the codes as guides, you simply combine data bits or segments that were assigned with the similar codes, and then name the group. This activity is also referred to as categorization.
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Some Practical Guides in Categorizing Data

Categories must be exhaustive
This means that every information can fit into one category. If there are bits of information that do not fit in any of the categories, then the categories may not be exhaustive enough.
Categories must be mutually exclusive

In categorizing data, one response should belong to only one category. The existence of overlapping data, according to Guba (1978), suggests a faulty categorization system.
In the research on child abuse, the members, after sorting and counting the meaning units, each proceeded to cluster those that seemed related, and labeled them accordingly. Thus, each one of them came up with their own set of categories. They then set a meeting to discuss how to integrate the data from the different sessions. After much discussion, they agreed on a classification scheme that was based on the research questions. Using these categories, they re-clustered and re-classified the data in a synthesized version. For example, in definitions of abuse, they used the following categories to organize their the data: abusive situations and acts; reasons for the abuse; consequences; and coping.
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Thinking About Things: The Art of Finding Meaning

After coding and categorizing the data, the next step is to try to make sense out of the organized data. Thinking about things involves description and interpretation.
Describing the collection

Description answers basic questions: who, what, when, where, and how. The first task in analysis is providing the reader with solid descriptive data (Patton, 1990). This could be achieved by any of the following strategies: creating typologies, highlighting sequences and processes, and developing themes and patterns.
Creating typologies
Typologies are made up of categories that divide some aspects of the world into parts (Patton, 1990). The typologies could either be indigenous (categories used by the participants themselves) or researcher-constructed.
We encountered an indigenous typology when parents described their notions of how children should behave. They came up with two categories: mabuting anak (good child) and masamang anak (bad child).
Another indigenous typology was the childrens description of the pain that they suffered from abuse. The children described sakit na panlabas (external pain) as the physical effects of abuse. They used sakit ng loob (inner pain) to refer to the inner turmoil caused by the abuse.
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Highlighting sequences and processes

Another way of describing the data is to look into the chronology of events and the processes that were undertaken. In examining the childrens stories of abuse, the members took note of the following process: abuse gives the children a deep sense of pain, which they either suppress or express. Both strategies, however, may or may not cause the children more pain. See Figure 8 for a more detailed description of this process.
Figure 8. Expressing Sakit ng Loob and Its Consequences

Kinikim kim (suppression) Lumalayas (run aw ay)
Sobra (reason) Sadya (intention) Di makatwiran (un reasonable)
Sakit ng Loob (inner pain) Lumalala ang sakit (pain gets worse) Inilalalabas sa ibang tao (anger/pain is vented on others) Sakit Panlabas ?Lalong napapalo o nabubugbog (the beatings gets worse)
Tumatahimik (remain silent) Sakit sa Loob (inner pain) Nilalabas (ex pressions) Umiiy ak (crying) Nagagalit (getting angry) Nangangatw iran (reasoning out)
Developing themes and patterns

Patterns are regularities in the data that you could develop into themes. Themes that emerge from the informants stories are pieced together to form a comprehensive picture of their collective experience.
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As the responses of the participants in the child abuse research were surveyed, a clear pattern emerged: abuse is a possible event in their daily lives, since both children and parent groups associated abuse with discipline. Most stories involving abuse took place in the home and in the hands of their family and loved ones.
Interpreting the Data

Interpretation goes beyond description. It involves answering the why questions, providing explanations for the findings, attaching significance to particular results, or drawing out their implications. Schlechty and Noblit (1982, as cited in Patton, 1990) concluded that interpretation might take one of three forms:
Making the obvious obvious (i.e., confirm what is known by presenting relevant data)
Making the obvious dubious (i.e., clarify misconceptions) Making the hidden obvious (i.e., illuminate important points that are not known but should be known)
Interpreting qualitative data is actually illuminating the relationships between and among things. This makes it different from the traditional quantitative mode of interpretation. The focus in qualitative interpretation is on illumination, meaning, and understanding, and not on causation, prediction nor generalization (Patton, 1990). This can be accomplished by any one of the following strategies: making contrasts and comparisons and providing explanations.
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Making contrasts and comparisons

Contrasting and comparing is a good exercise in thinking about the relationship between things. Here is an example of contrast and comparison:
Pain is salient in childrens constructions of abuse. The level of pain is mitigated by factors such as intensity, degree, intent and reason. Children grapple with such considerations before judging an event as abusive. Thus, for children, abuse is context-bound and situation-dependent . . . . Parents, on the other hand, associated abuse with clear-cut violations of appropriate discipline. This points to the reality that the relationship between adults and children is one that is characterized by power and authority.
Making inferences
Another way of interpreting your findings is to make inferences about your data. One way of doing this is by relating the results to similar or known information (such as findings of other related studies). Interpretation also necessitates context because context provides meaning.
Identifying the context of abuse facilitated interpretation and understanding of the phenomenon of child abuse immensely:
Locating abuse in the relationship between adults and children helped us veer away from the notion that abuse is usually contained in dysfunctional families. Thus, attention can now also be devoted to families previously considered as normal.
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The Team Approach to Qualitative Analysis

Analyzing qualitative data can be an overwhelming work for one researcher. The team approach makes the process more manageable. Working in teams has its own advantages and disadvantages.
Advantages of working in teams

Teams provide the opportunity to look at the same set of data from different vantage points. More people working on the same data set reveals more details.
Disadvantages of working in teams

Problems in diffusion of responsibility arise. There is role confusion. More people working together takes longer.
Tips on how to make teams work best

Meet halfway. Manage your time.
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The Role of Children in Analyzing Data

Most researches involving children give them little opportunity to do actual analysis of the data. One reason for this is that there is a tendency to think that children are not capable of analysis.
However, in our experience in research with children, we found the children to possess the necessary skills for analysis. Child participants were able to cluster and categorize similar experiences. After the individual sharing, the children were able to take note of similar experiences and classified them accordingly.
We admit, though, that most of the tasks in the analysis are adult-oriented, but again our experience showed some valuable insights the children provided, which enriched our analysis. For instance, in one of our feedback sessions, the children pointed out to us that abuse is not an all-or-nothing type of situation. In their view, abuse depends on several factors, and one of them is intention. This direction helped us to realize and appreciate the complexities of childrens understanding of their world.
The Role of Feedback and Consultations in Data Analysis

Continuity and confidence in the conclusions can be achieved through feedback. In communication processes, feedback is important to know if the message has been effectively transmitted.
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One of the major criticisms in research with children is the failure of the researcher to share the data and their interpretations with the participantswhether they are children or adults. In fact, if the research faces budget limitations, the resources set aside for feedback sessions are usually the first to be compromised.
Involving the respondents in verifying data and analysis heightened their sense of ownership and participation. Giving feedback on the data gathered in their own words becomes important because it enables the participants to:
arrive at their own understanding of their experiences; participate more fully in things that affect them; and gain more control of their lives by giving voice to their perceptions and realities.
The power to define the quality and value of something like child abuse is very important, especially if it is coming from the point of view of children.
Different Ways of Presenting the Data
he presentation and dissemination of results is as important as any other part of the research process. In PAR with children, different ways of presenting
your study need to be explored, depending on who your audience would be. This section presents several strategies of research presentation, ranging from the conventional to the creative.
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Written Reports
The conventional way of presenting the data is by writing formal reports.
Parts of a formal research report

Introduction
This section usually tells your reader what the research is all about. This contains some background or rationale for doing the study, general and specific objectives, and its scope and limitations. Some research reports place their review of pertinent literature in the introduction.
Methodology
This section includes a description of how the study was done: the participants, sites and setting, methods used, and the procedures for analysis and interpretation.
Results and discussion

This section is perhaps one of the most difficult to write. In the result section, you aim to present a summary of your findings as they relate to your research objectives. In the discussion section, the task is to explain why you have obtained such results and tease out their implications.
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Conclusions and recommendations

This section allows you to highlight important points made in the study and then consider what needs to be done in the light of the information that you have.
References
This part contains a complete listing (in alphabetical order) of all pieces of research that you have cited or used in your study. Different formats are used. In this book, we followed the American Psychological Association (APA) format.
Some tips for effective writing

Prepare an outline to organize your thoughts. Use clear and concise language. Review and edit your draft at least twice
Oral Presentations
It is usual that aside from the written report, you would be asked to orally present you research before an audience. One problem with oral presentations is that you are expected to adequately explain your research in a short amount of time.
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Some tips to spice up your presentation

Be organized. Prepare visual aids. Distribute handouts.
Creative Presentations
Posters
Posters are fast becoming popular among researchers. Posters allow you to make use of creative visuals. One important consideration in poster presentation is the minimal space that you are allowed to work with. The problem that you will confront is how to prioritize what to be included in your posters.
Street plays, songs, and dances

Another creative form of presentation is the use of theater, songs and dances. This form of presentation easily captures the attention of your audience, especially the children. Adequate preparation of script, props, and costumes is necessary.
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Comics and visual arts

Advocacy work entails the use of comics in getting the message across. It is also another way of presenting research results. In fact, popularized versions of academic research employ this kind of presentation.
Participatory activities
Researchers may also present the results of their research through a series of participatory activities such as games, puzzles, and other group dynamics activities. Key concepts, themes, and major points of the research could be conveyed through a series of activities. The modules must be suitable to the audience, who could be the respondents themselves, the academe, other children and young people, or people from the government.
The activities are also venues to get feedback from all those concerned. Feedback is important for reaffirming the results and analysis and for gathering different views and perspectives about the project.
Remember to always summarize the activities afterwards to confirm whatever was discussed during the session. And as always, process the activity.
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S
and thinking about things.
ince most methods used in data gathering with children are qualitative, the
corresponding data analysis is also qualitative. Qualitative data analysis is described as an infinite spiral. This is a departure from the traditional linear
process of the quantitative orientation. Data analysis involves noticing, collecting,
Noticing things involve labeling or naming the data. This is also called coding. Coding is important because it influences how a researcher will look at the data.
Collecting involves putting some order to the coded data. The process of categorization is said to take place. There are two important considerations in developing categories: they must be exhaustive and mutually exclusive.
Thinking about things refers to describing and interpreting the collection. Describing may involve creating typologies and developing themes from patterns. Interpretation goes beyond description because it seeks connections between and among bits of information to come up with a meaningful whole. The process of analysis and interpretation aims not to predict but to illuminate and understand.
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The role of feedback is emphasized. Feedback sessions help to confirm, disconfirm, add, or subtract to the analysis.
The challenge after data analysis and interpretation is how to present the findings. There are many ways of presenting the data. These range from the traditional to the more creative. Children can play a significant role in presenting the results of the research.
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References
Cabilles, M. C., Abelardo, M.T.N., Malarit, A.R.C.F. & Banzuela, M.E.A.P. (1994). Popularizing Research: A Manual for Facilitating Participatory Action Research in the Community Community. Center for Community Services, Ateneo de Manila University Press.
ECPAT International Young Peoples Action Against Sexual Exploitation of Children. (1999). Standing Up for Ourselves: A Study on the Concepts and Practices of Y oung Peoples Rights to Participation Young Participation. United Nations Childrens Fund.
Fine G.A. & Sandstrom, K.L. (1988). Knowing Children: Participant Observation with Minors Minors. Qualititative research methods, V15. Sage Publications.
Fine, G.A. & Glassner, B. (1979). Participant observation with children: Problems and Promise. Urban Life 8:153-174.
Fine, G.A. (1981). Friends, impression management and preadolescent behavior. In S.R. Asher and J.M.Gottman (eds.), The Development of Childrens Friendships Friendships, edited by. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
Guba, E.G. (1978). Toward a Methodology of Naturalistic Inquiry in Educational Evaluation. CSE Monograph Series in Evaluation no. 8. Los Angeles: University of California, Los Angeles, Center for the Study of Evaluation.
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Kvale, S. (1996). Interviews: An Introduction to Qualitative Research Interviewing Interviewing. California, London and New Delhi: Sage Publications.
Marasiga, R.R. (1997). Social Work: Inteviewing Children in Especially Difficult Circumstances: A Handbook Especially for Educators, Social Work Practitoiners, and Students in Degree Courses in Social Work Work. Pasig City: Academic Publishing Corporation.
McCrum, S. & Hughes, L. (1998). Interviewing Children: A Guide to Journalists and Others Others. 2nd ed. London: Save the Children.
Ortigas, C.D. (1990). Group Processes and the Inductive Method: Theory and Practice in the Philippines Philippines. 2nd ed. Ateneo de Manila University Press.
Pagaduan, M. (1995). Empowering research: A politically and culturally sensitive process. Torture Survivors and Caregivers: Proceedings of the International Workshop on Therapy and Research Issues Issues.
Paredes-Canilao, N. (1999). Ethics in feminist research. In S.H. Guerrero (ed.), Gender-Senstive and Feminist Methodlogies: A Handbook for Health and Social Researchers Researchers. Quezon City: University of the Philippines Center for Womens Studies.
Patton, M.Q. (1990). Qualitative Evaluation and Research Methods Methods. 2 nd Edition. London: Sage Publications.
Waksler, F.C. (1986). Studying children: Phenomenological insights. Human Studies, 9; 71-92.
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Appendix
Modules for Application
mended activities for similar undertakings. Note that the modules have to be revised and adapted to whatever situation that presents itself in the implementation.
he following are the modules that were used in PAR with children project on Evolving Definitions of Abuse. They are presented as examples or recom-
The description of each activity has several parts:
Name of the activity Duration Aim, the purpose of doing this activity or what children learn from it What you will need, materials or equipment or advance preparation if any How to do it Talking it over, points for discussion, questions Adapting/varying, how to make the activity harder, easier, or just different Comments, advice from people who have tried this activity Approximate age range for this activity
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Module 1 Introductory Activities

Objective: Duration: For the participants and the facilitators to get to know each other 45 minutes for the whole session (one or two activities)
Activity 1. Human Bingo

Duration: Procedure: 1. Each participant is given a BINGO card. Written on the squares of the cards are different characteristics of people 2. The participants are told to ask other participants to sign on boxes containing characteristics that describe them. 3. Remind the participants that they cannot ask one person to sign their BINGO cards more than once. 4. The first one who completes the BINGO is asked to come to the front and point out each one who signed his BINGO card. He is given a prize. 20 minutes
An example of a BINGO card: Somebody wearing pants Plays basketball Dislikes vegetables can play a musical instrument Likes dogs Can sing Wearing earrings
Appendix: Modules for Application
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Has an older brother Works Likes to draw Likes the color red Can dance Dislikes math Goes to school Can swim Has a younger sister
Activity 2. Who Farted?

Duration: Procedure Procedure: 1. Form a circle using chairs. The number of chairs should be one less than the number of participants. Ask the participants to sit on the chairs. The one who is unable to sit on a chair is considered the it. 2. Tell the participants that the objective of the it is to be able to sit on one of the chairs. 3. The it then asks one participant: Who farted? If the response is: I dont knoweveryone seated should move to the seat on their right I dont care everyone seated should move to the seat on their left Not me The it asks: Then who did? The participant should say a characteristic that describes some participants. [Ex. Everyone wearing rubber shoes. All those seated with that characteristic should exchange seats. 4. While the others are changing seats, the it tries to find a seat for himself. 5. The one who loses a seat becomes the next it. 20 minutes
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Optional Activities
Activity 1. Whats in a name?
Objective Objective: To learn more about themselves and their co-participants in the context of their culture Duration Duration: Procedure Procedure: 1. Ask the group to form a circle. 1 to 2 hours depending on the number of participants
2. Instruct that they should each give their full names and relate the story behind their names. Follow these guide questions: a. How did you get your name? b. Do you like your name? Why? Why not? c. How do you want to be called?
Activity 2. Face exercise

Objective Objective: Duration Duration: Materials Materials: Procedure Procedure: 1. Ask the participants to draw a face on a sheet of paper. The drawing should include eyes, ears, nose, and mouth. 2. Ask the participants to write or draw beside the drawing of the face about what they like or dislike to see, hear, smell, and taste. 3. Group the participants into small groups of 5 to 8 members. Let each one share about what he/she drew or wrote. To get to know co-participants likes and dislikes 20 minutes Short bond paper, Pens
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Activity for Expectations Check

Activity 1: Scavengers Hunt
Objectives: 1. 2. To determine the expectations of the participants and the facilitators; To gauge the level of knowledge and preparedness of the participants; and 3. To identify the other needs of the participants
Duration: Materials Materials:
1 Hours for the whole session
pentel pens masking tape small index cards 3 sets of three pieces of craft paper with the following questions written:
Questions (One question written per piece of craft paper): What are your expectations from the training? What do you expect from the facilitators? What can you contribute to the training?
Procedure Procedure: 1. Before the session starts, hide the pieces of craft paper in different areas in the training hall. Prepare clues to identify these areas. 2. Form the participants into three groups. Ask each group to choose a leader. 3. Give the clues for the first question to the leaders. The groups then try to
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find their craft paper where the first question is written. When they find the craft paper, they are to answer the question on the craft paper itself. 4. The group submits their finished work to the facilitator in exchange for clues to the second question. The process is then repeated until the groups answer the third question. 5. The pieces of craft paper are posted on the blackboard. A representative from each group is asked to report in front. The facilitator then summarizes the answers generated.
The objectives of the training and the schedule of activities are then presented by the facilitator. The facilitators expectations of the participants are also presented.
Module 2 Training Children on the Research Process

What Are You Going to Do? (Ano ang Gagawin Mo?)
Objectives: 1. To enable the participants to regard research as a means of solving a problem. 2. To show the participants that research is a natural process.
Duration:
1 Hour
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Procedure Procedure: 1. Divide the participants into two groups. Give each group a problem to which they have to find a solution (or give an activity they have to do). 2. Ask the group to write down the information they need to have in order to solve the problem or do the activity. They should also write down the steps they will take to get the information needed. 3. Each group is asked to present their solution. The strengths and weaknesses of the solutions are then discussed. 4. The whole procedure is compared to the research process. (The facilitator
must review the research process, and present it according to the developmental level of the participants.)
Learning points: 1. Research is a way of solving a problem or completing an activity. 2. There are processes (steps or ways) that would help research become easier and organized. The research process also ensures that the data gathered is accurate and the framework for analysis appropriate for the study.
Processing Processing: Guide questions: 1. What happened today? 2. Are there parts in the sharing/discussion that you did not understand? If
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there are parts that they did not understand: a. Ask the other participants if they feel the same b. Ask somebody from the group to explain what he/she understood c. Add and clarify, as necessary.
This module is composed of three parts. The concept of pagmamasid (observation) as a research method will be clarified during the first part. An exercise on how to perform it is also included here.
Pagtatanung-tanong (asking around) as a method of research will be discussed

during the second part. The effectiveness of the method in gathering data and its role in verifying correctness of information on hand will also be emphasized
The last part of the module delivers the message that research does not solely make use of the senses. Pakikiramdam (feeling around) is also important here.
Introducing Research
Objectives: At the end of the module, the participants are expected to: 1. Understand the different methods of data gathering, such as observation and asking questions; 2. See the use of these methods in daily life; 3. See the importance of pakikiramdam (feeling around) in research.
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Session 1: Observation
Objectives: 1. To know the participants level of awareness with regard to pagmamasid (observation) 2. 3. Duration Duration: To elicit words/terms associated with pagmamasid (observation) To determine the activities connected with pagmamasid (observation) 2 Hours
Activity 1.1: Guess what?

Procedure Procedure: 1. Divide the group into two equal groups. Make them line up, tell the participants face the person in other line. 2. Tell the participants to observe and note how the person in front of them looks like. Note the details of what they are wearing: their shirts, shoes, accessories, etc. 3. Tell them to turn away and change something on their person, e.g., remove an earring, change the position of a pin/bracelet, etc. Give them 2 minutes to change. 4. Make them face the other person on other line. 5. Ask each participant to identify what was changed.
Activity 1.2: Laundry List

Materials Materials: Procedure Procedure: 1. Form two groups. Ask the participants to line up facing the board. 2. Write the word observing on the board. Ask each group member to write Chalk
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on the board, words which they associate with observing. The group that writes down more number of words wins.
Activity 1.2: Role Play

Materials Materials: Procedure Procedure: 1. From the word listed in Racing, ask the groups to think of jobs/occupations requiring observation/observing. They should write these own on small pieces of paper. 2. Roll the pieces of paper and put these in a basket/container. Mix the pieces coming from the two groups. 3. Ask a group member to pick a rolled paper. The members of his group should guess the occupation written on the paper through his actions. 4. If the group members correctly guess the occupation, the group gets a point. If not, the other group gets a chance to guess and receive a point. 5. The groups take turns acting out and guessing occupations. The group that gets more points wins. Pens, Small pieces of paper
Activity 1.3: What did you see? (Nakita mo ba?)

Materials Materials: 10 or more objects, Table, Blanket/cloth Procedure Procedure: 1. Situate the table within clear view of all the participants. Place the 10 (or more) objects on top of the table. 2. Show the objects from 10 to 15 minutes then cover them with the blanket/ cloth.
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3. Ask questions regarding the objects the participants saw. Discuss incorrect/inaccurate responses.
Synthesis :
1. Based on the activities, discuss what makes for effective observation. 2. Let the participants describe an observant person. 3. Add to what was shared.
Learning points: 1. Observing is part of everyday life: in school, at home, in jobs 2. Observation is an important tool in research particularly in gathering data. 3. In research, it is important to note not only the changes but also those that did not change or are consistent.
Session 2: Asking around (PagtatanungTanong) and Communicating

Objectives: 1. To see the importance of asking around in data gathering 2. To show the naturalness of asking around as a method 3. To present a good example of how asking around is done
Duration Duration:
1and 1/2 Hours
Activity 2.1: Who am I? (Sino ako?)

Materials Materials:
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Index cards with the name of a famous person written on each Masking tape
Procedure: 1. An index card will be posted at the back of each participant. The participants should not be able to see their own cards. On the cars are names or pictures of famous persons, e.g., the president, an actor/actress, a religious leader, athlete, etc. 2. The object of the game is to guess the person on the index card. 3. The participants can ask questions from the other participants about the person written on the card. Ex. What is the nature of my work? Everybody is limited to ask the other participants just one question. 4. When the participant knows the name of the person on his card, he/she should approach the facilitator and ask, Am I _________? he/she should approach the facilitator and ask, Am I _________? 5. When everyone has guessed his/her cards, they will discuss as a group their feelings regarding the activity (Was it difficult? Why?). The facilitator should stress the importance of asking questions to generate information.
Activity 2.2: When asking Questions is NOT Allowed

Materials Materials: 10 identical sets of cut-out paper 10 big cartons to serve as dividers
Procedure Procedure: 1. Ask each one to look for a partner. Give 2 sets of cutout paper to each pair. If there are extra pairs, ask them to become observers.
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2. Ask each pair to assign roles to each other. Place the carton between them, such that they cannot see each other. 3. Read the following instructions to the first five pairs: Form a shape out of these cutout paper. The designer will design the shape and give instructions to the follower on how to do it. As the designer is giving out instructions, he should be forming the shape himself with his pieces of cutout paper. The follower is not allowed to ask questions. Similarly, the designer cannot demonstrate ho the shape should be formed. 4. Meanwhile, read the following instructions to the remaining five pairs: Form a shape of these cutout paper. The designer will design the shape and give instructions to the follower on how to do it. As the designer is giving out instructions, he should be forming the shape himself with his pieces of cutout paper. The follower is allowed to ask questions. However, the designer cannot demonstrate how the shape should be formed. 5. As the pairs are busy making shapes, ask the observers to note their progress. After 20 minutes, tell the pairs to stop working.
Discuss the following points: Which pairs finish first? How did the pairs feel while doing activity? What did the observers note regarding the pairs? Are there differences between those who were allowed to ask questions and those who werent? Emphasize that asking questions is not only important in gathering information, but also in verifying information received.
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Activity 2.3: Gossip/(Ang Manok ni San Pedro) St. Peters Chicken

Objectives Objectives: To show the obstacles to effective communication. To discuss measures to avoid problems in communication.
Procedure Procedure: 1. Form two groups. Ask each group to form a line. 2. Instruct that the game requires them to pass a message as fast as they can. 3. The participants are then given instructions on how to pass the message:
From participant 1 to participant 2

Participant 1: St. Peters chicken is clucking. Participant 2: Is it clucking? Participant 1: Yes, its clucking. Participant 2: Oh, its clucking.
From participant 2 to Participant 3

Participant 2: St. Peters chicken is clucking. Participant 3: Is it clucking? Participant 2: Is it clucking? Participant 1: Yes, its clucking Participant 2: Yes, its clucking. Participant 3: Oh, its clucking. 4. Tell the group that the process continues until the message reaches the last in the line. 5. After the message has been passed, the last participant should go to the front and crow like a rooster.
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Optional Activity for Gossip

Materials Materials: a picture pieces of paper marker pens.
Procedure Procedure: 1. Form 2 groups. Ask each group to form a line with their back towards the facilitator. 2. Give a piece of paper and a marker pen to the participants of the two groups who are last in line. 3. Show the picture to the participants who are first in line. Ask them to describe the picture to the next in line. 4. The description should be passed on until it reaches the participants who are last in line. The last players should then draw pictures based on the information they have. 5. Compare the drawing of the two groups with the original drawings.
Synthesis 1. Explain that because of communication problems accurate information is not always received. 2. Identify the communication problems. 3. Discuss how these problems can be avoided or reduced.
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Session 3: Feeling Around (Pakikiramdam)

Objectives: 1. To show that one is not limited to using the senses to acquire knowledge/ information. 2. To communicate how pakikiramdam (feeling around) is used in research
Duration:
2 Hours
Activity 3.1: Mirror-Mirror

Procedure Procedure: 1. Ask the participants to pair-off. For each pair, one should be assigned the role of the mirror, while the other role of the one looking at the mirror. The mirror should try to mirror the movements of the other one. 2. Give the pairs 5 minutes to do the mirroring, then ask them to switch roles for another 5 minutes. 3. After the activity, discuss the feelings of the participants while playing the two roles.
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Activity 3.2: Stop, Go!

Materials Materials: Handkerchief
Procedure Procedure: 1. Choose an it. Cover his/her eyes with a handkerchief. 2. Explain that the objective of the game is for the it to guess the person he will catch. When the it says GO! the other participants will run around the place to hide. When the it says STOP! the players will freeze so the it can search the room. 3. The players can try to escape or dodge the it. However, one foot should stay in its original place. 4. The it should guess the identity of the person he/she catches. If correct, he/she becomes the next it.
Synthesis 1. Explain that in gathering information, the senses are not the only ones used. Sometimes, feeling around also helps. 2. Clarify the concept of feeling around. Conduct small group discussions on the use of feeling around.
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Facilitating the narration of a story

The different ways to evoke and facilitate life stories
1 . Write down the sequence of events .
Procedure Procedure: a. Carefully think through the string of events. Starting from a significant point towards the present. b. Write this down as a kind of chart with arrows leading from one event to the next.
2 . Draw .
Procedure Procedure: a . Drawing pictures of significant events. b . This may be the form of a comic strip to show how the events of the story unfold.
3 . Think of key words .

Procedure Procedure: a . Make a mental list of key words to remind you of the main ideas or elements of the story. b . Write them down.
4 . Clay people and things things. (For individuals or groups)

Procedure Procedure: a . Tell the participant/s to make clay images of people and things
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that are very significant in their lives past and present. Ask about the story behind the images
If you are working with a big group:

b . Group them into three or fours where they will share what the clay people and things represent. c. The small group will make another clay image that will represent their collective experience and share this in a plenary session.
5. Life Map.
draw and tell activity about significant events and the This is a draw people involved in the lives of the participants. This activity is effective for both children and adults. This may take 1 up to 2 hours depending on the size of the group. Materials: Big pieces of paper, Pens and crayons
Procedure Procedure: a. Instruct the participants to draw a map representing of their lives. They may put landmarks, add twists and turns, well-paved roads, mountainous areas, tilled agricultural lands, flooded areas, whatever they think will represent the significant events in their lives. Tell them that their map must also depict their journey through life.
b. Guide questions must be prepared to help the facilitator in evoking the stories from the maps. Several of them could be: i. Can you tell us about this ______ part of your map? Why is this important to you?
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ii. iii. iv.
Who were the people with you then? Who did you share you happy/sad moment with? What do you do when you are faced with a diffi cult problem?
v.
To whom do you run to when youre in trouble?
The questions must be adapted to the goals of the research/ activity and whether the activity is conducted with adults or children.
c.
If the group is too big it would be a good idea to group them into five or so for the sessions on sharing.
There are several variations. If the concept of a map is unfamiliar to the participants, use a river or a trail as a guiding path.
6. Life Stories
This activity was often used in sessions with parents/significant adults in the study of The Evolving Definitions of Abuse. This may take 2 to 3 hours depending on the number of group member and their enthusiasm and openness in sharing stories about their lives. The facilitators role is to surface in the most natural manner the actual experiences of the participants as parents and the ideal behaviors expected from parents in our society. The facilitator also has the opportunity of obtaining a profile of the families in terms of their demographics, lifestyle, and values. This could be done individually or in groups.
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For groups each shall have a facilitator and documenter. Participants will introduce each members of each family, the names, ages and short description of each member. The parent will also share the significant events in the life of each child and how she/he responded to each event. Each parent will share this to the small group. The facilitator will have guide questions that were prepared. Be mindful of the time allotted for individuals to share their stories. Some participants may find the activity as the first venue to air their frustrations, triumphs, and failures this is good but be aware that there is a time limitation.
Processing
Guide questions for children:
1. What did we do in the last activity? 2. Did you like it? Why? Why not? 3. What did you feel while sharing your story? 4. What did you feel while listening to other children share theirs?
Guide questions for adults:
1. How did you find the activity? 2. Did the activity help you gain new insights? Are you willing to share them with us? 3. What did you feel while sharing your life story with the group/with me? 4. (In a group activity) What did you feel while listening to the others share their story? Did you learn something from their stories?
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Module 3: The Articulation Workshop

Objectives Objectives: The objectives of the articulation workshop is to present the re-
search project/proposal which includes:
1. The background of the research, rationale for the research, what we want to achieve through the research, the importance of the research results to the partner agencies and the communities 2. to review the research methodologies to be used in the research and to clarify the roles of the persons and the agencies involved in the project.
The activities of each module most of the time begin with getting to know you activities a level where rapport with the participants is established and where the participants socially accept the researcher.
Session1: Introducing the Project Rationale and Objectives

Activity 1: Charade
Procedure Procedure: 1. The children will be divided into two groups. 2. Each group will chose a volunteer who will act out to the other group a word provided by the facilitator The research team previously prepares the list of relevant words. Words
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chosen for this activity relate to the research agenda. 3. A group who will guess the word correctly will win a point. 4. The group who gets the most points wins.
Activity 2: Puzzle
Procedure Procedure: 1. Pieces of a big puzzle will be distributed to the children. 2. The facilitator will put the first piece on the board and the child who holds the next piece will attach it to the first piece. 3. The facilitator will encourage the participants to describe what they see and synthesize the whole picture. 4. The puzzles show the situation related to the research topic. The participants are encouraged to ask questions during and through out the sessions.
Tools that for facilitating sessions and presenting ideas

1 . Visuals the research methodology and the project outcomes are
best presented through visuals.
2 . Workshops the participants are divided into groups to discuss the

questions prepared by the team. The participants will present the discussion results to the big group. The facilitator will classify the responses into concepts which are related to the research on the one hand and those which are not related on the other hand. Synthesis will
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be focused on what research is, the different methodologies, as well as the program planning part of the action research.
3 . Defining roles - the group will be divided into smaller ones. Each
group will discuss the possible role their group will play towards the success of the research project. Points of discussion will be written on a sheet of manila paper and posted on the wall. Members of other groups may contribute their own perceptions on the role of a particular agency or organization by adding tasks or responsibilities on the manila paper of other agencies. This will be done on a carousel fashion.
4 . Plenary The big group will discuss the shared experience of the
smaller groups in sessions were the participants were divided into them. The documenters will prepare a revised copy of the roles agreed upon for the signature of all concerned. This will serve as a symbol of the commitment to the success of the project.
Module 4 Evoking the definition of abuse

The following activities were specifically planned and designed to answer the goals of the study on the Evolving Definitions of Abuse. They are presented as examples on the structure and flow of a series of activities building up to achieve a goal. The activities come one after the other they aim to evoke the data needed in an experiential and in a process that is child-focused.
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Activity 1: Undesirable situations

Procedures: 1. Group the children into 5-6. 2.. Draw representations in strips of paper, situations that they think are undesirable for children. 3.. The facilitator will write their answers on the board and/or post the strips of paper. 4. The participants will evaluate which among the responses cause much hurt to the children. Ask the participants if the situation is abusive. And if it is, what are the parameters they use to define the abusive. 5.. Allow the participants some freedom to analyze each situation. As much as possible obtain a consensus from the group for the categorization of each situation. Remind them that they may add other situations that fit the category. Also encourage the participants to formulate their own parameters of abuse. Pay special attention to factors that bring about the situation. These are important in establishing the dynamics of abuse.
Activity 2: Exhibit
Procedures Procedures: 1. The participants will post their drawings on the wall. 2. They are asked to go about and recall the sharing that happened. 3. They will choose which of the drawings represent what they do not wish to happen to children and what they see as desirable. 4. They will mark the drawings and rank them with color coded stickers e.g., the desirable scenarios will be marked with pastel colors-light blue for the
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most desirable, light green for the next, light pink, light orange and so on. 5. The drawings with the same color will be gathered together:: happy and sad events. They will be asked to add to the pictures. 6. It is important to note why the children considered the events to be happy or sad. This will be the take-off of the discussion on what the children consider to be abuse.
Feedback and Validation Activity

Objectives Objectives: 1. to present the data gathered, organized and analyzed by the research team to the children-respondents. 2. to evoke the reactions, opinions, corrections, clarifications, and whatever they want to add on what is presented.
Activity 1: Erase! Erase! Erase!

Materials Materials: Procedures Procedures: Erase, 1. There will be three areas around the room with the following signs: Erase, paper and pens for signs
Y oure right, and Oh, Id like to add something. Youre

2. The facilitator will present a statement about the results of the participatory sessions. 3. The participants who think that the statement was true, they will go to the area marked Youre right. 4. If they wanted to add more comments regarding the statement, they will
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go to the area marked Oh, Id like to add something and express whatever it was they wanted to add. 5. If the thought that the statement was false then all the participants who think so will go to the area marked Erase! Erase! Erase! The facilitator will ask the participants to correct the statement.
Module 5 Activity for Planning, Visioning,and Processing

Objectives Objectives: 1. To help the children-respondents envision what they expect from the research that they participated in. 2. To process the whole experience of participating in the research.
Activity 1: Dream on
Procedures Procedures: 1. In a small group, the participants will imagine or dream a situation opposite of a given situation (based on the data gathered, their experiences in participating in the research, their current context, etc.). 2. Their dreams can be presented to the whole group in whatever form the children want to: a skit, a poster, a poem, etc. 3. This is an activity to prime a visioning or planning. Thus, the facilitator should prepare guide questions to help process their experiences and help them plan what to do next to achieve their dreams.
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n ending, we would like to repeat what we said in the beginning we hope that our experiences helped you in the challenge to apply, promote, and uphold the genuine participation of children in various activities and projects. We hope that you will also take the initiative to document and share your experiences and what you learned in doing participatory action research with children. As more of our experiences are shared, the more we learn from each other and from the children and young people we work with.
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DOING PARTICIPATORY ACTION RESEARCH

What This Book Is About

DOING PARTICIPATORY ACTION RESEARCH

How This Book Is Organized

Chapter 1, The importance of research in working with children children, points

DOING PARTICIPATORY ACTION RESEARCH

How to Use this Book

REMINDER This icon represents information that readers need to remember.

DOING PARTICIPATORY ACTION RESEARCH

Principles in Doing PAR with Children

DOING PARTICIPATORY ACTION RESEARCH

The Importance of Research in Working with Children

This chapter discusses...

DOING PARTICIPATORY ACTION RESEARCH

Childrens Rights and Childrens Work

increasingly becoming conscious of the importance of using it as a guide to their work.

The Importance of Research in Working Working with Children

Best interest of the child

Right to life and maximum development

DOING PARTICIPATORY ACTION RESEARCH

Respect for the childs opinion and right to be heard

The Importance of Research in Working Working with Children

Indivisibility and interdependence of rights

DOING PARTICIPATORY ACTION RESEARCH

Implementation of C hildrens R ights

The Importance of Research in Working Working with Children

DOING PARTICIPATORY ACTION RESEARCH

Research and Childrens Work

The Importance of Research in Working Working with Children

Mistaken notions by practitioners

DOING PARTICIPATORY ACTION RESEARCH

Mistaken notions by researchers

Being scientific is equated with the use of technical terms

The Importance of Research in Working Working with Children

Being scientific is synonymous to an obsession with numbers

Only specific subject matters could be deemed scientific

DOING PARTICIPATORY ACTION RESEARCH

process more closely.

The Research Process

The Importance of Research in Working Working with Children

The problem identification phase

Analysis and interpretation phase

DOING PARTICIPATORY ACTION RESEARCH

Conclusions and recommendations phase

The Importance of Research in the Helping Process

The Importance of Research in Working Working with Children

DOING PARTICIPATORY ACTION RESEARCH

The Importance of research in Working Working with Children

Tying Them Together . . .

guiding childrens work.. However,

DOING PARTICIPATORY ACTION RESEARCH

This chapter discusses...

DOING PARTICIPATORY ACTION RESEARCH

Categorizing Child Research

The Place of Children in Research

Adult Roles in Child Research

Table 1. The different roles that adults assume in research

DOING PARTICIPATORY ACTION RESEARCH

Level of Interaction Between the Researcher and the Research Partner

DOING PARTICIPATORY ACTION RESEARCH

Figure 2. Levels of interaction between researcher and researchee

Types of Child Research

Research about children