Kafisis (2010) observations
on implied consent were useful (any researcher should not assume anything), and
the transparency of research methods is also a necessary part of any legitimate
scientific research. The relative anonymity (albeit limited over time) of
online studies took away a lot of the hierarchy and power distance that is my
biggest concern in adult research on children.
Leonard’s (2007) article in Best’s (2007) book spells out my
most pressing concern with adult research work on youth. The gatekeeper
phenomenon is created in the inherent power imbalance in the adult researcher
and children divide. Leonard clarifies that the gatekeeping can keep children
quiet during the first few stages of the research. Gatekeepers have the power
to permit or restrict the access “to people or situations for the purposes of
research.” (p. 135) According to Leonard, trust and rapport need to be created,
built and strengthened “at a number of different levels.” (p. 135) This trust
and rapport building practice is to avoid a reemergence of the power distance. Its interesting to point out that one of the
good practices Leonard points out is a continual review of consent to ensure
that children remain willing to be involved.
Delgado (2010) takes the power struggle a step further.
According to Delgado there is even a power struggle between the youth doing the
research and the youth being studied. “Effort
must be made throughout the research endeavor to identify power differentials
and help youth recognize these situations and develop appropriate ways to
redress them.” (p. 86) This might require additional time and effort to the
research process, but this step may well be crucial to all youth led research processes. To address this I would facilitate problems
solving conversations that would focus on how to ensure all youth have equal
say in the research process.
According to this weeks chapter in Dimitradis, (2008) the
assumed drastic power imbalance between adult researcher can be alleviated by
using youth led or youth participatory action research (YPAR) methods. Where
youth take up the position of researchers and use their own observations and
experiences as well as those of their peers as the primary data collection. This data collection empowers youth at least
for as long as their research is being done and is one of the most effective
methods for bridging the power gap between youth and adults. It empowers them as Dimitradis (2008) explains
having youth lead research it “de-parochialize(s)” research. (p. 125) Taking
research away from the “elite” adult researchers, making research a “much more
universal elementary and improvable capacity.”
(p. 125) This youth led aspect, plus the conversation on equality of
power mentioned above, both addresses how I would solve the power distance issue
in my hypothetical evaluations research project on a youth service program at a
library.
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