Recruiting Children for Research: How, Where and Why?

This guidance paper addresses the ethical issues in the context of recruiting children for research. Carrying out research with, by or on children raises a number of sampling questions from a practical, ethical and attitudinal perspective, such as:

• Why is it important to involve children directly in this research (what is the added value?)
• How can I ensure that the profile and characteristics of my research participants adequately reflect the aims and objectives of my research?
• Does my sample include an appropriately diverse mix of young people (in terms of ethnicity, age, socio-economic background, gender etc) to minimise potential distortion or skewing of my research findings?
• How and from where can potential research participants be recruited?
• What precisely is their role within the research project?
• Should they receive payment?

This paper is Guidance Paper 5 in the series The Ethics of Research Involving Children: Common Questions, Potential Strategies and Useful Guidance.

Read the paper, Recruiting Children for Research: How, Where and Why?