Back Chat: Participatory research with children during global crises
Developing arts-based methods of knowledge generation and exchange
This British Academy funded participatory research aimed to hear directly from children about the impacts of the Covid-19 pandemic and its continuing effects on children’s everyday lives, relationships and learning. Collaborative, socially-distanced arts-based methods enabled children aged 9-12 to chronicle their experiences over time. Findings are available in an animated film, ‘Our Voices’ and a Zine, ‘Back Chat’ capturing key messages about what supports children to maintain their relationships, education and wellbeing and what they need to recover now and in the future. The project follows earlier research, ‘Corona Chronicles’ (CHEER) carried out at the outset of the Covid-19 pandemic in 2020 in which children chronicled life in early national lockdowns and school re-openings.
This research prioritises hearing directly from children about the continuing impacts of the pandemic on their lives through collaborative, socially-distanced arts-based methods as well as exploring representations of children in policy and policy reporting.
The Research Team
Prof Helen Lomax
HudCRES
Principal Investigator
Dr Kate Smith
Just Futures Centre
Co-investigator
Methods and Resources
A key methodological contribution of the project is the development of collaborative arts-based resources to support children’s meaningful participation.
The team worked remotely, via digital platforms and face to face with children to encourage children’s participation and ‘voice’. Methods included creative arts - animation, collage, comic-strip, drawing, photography and filmmaking.
Corona Chronicles (CHEER)
The full collection of animations and accompanying activity sheets can be downloaded from the UK Data Service.
Lomax, H. and Smith, K. (2021) ‘Corona Chronicles: Children Researching Their Everyday Lives, Education & Relationships During the Coronavirus Pandemic: Digitally Animated Videos and Activity Sheets for Creative, Socially Distanced and Remote, Inclusive Data Generation With Children’, 2020-2021. [data collection]. UK Data Service. SN: 855013
http://doi.org/10.5255/UKDA-SN-855013
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Outcomes
Findings are available in a co-produced animated film, ‘Our Voices’ and a Zine, ‘Back Chat’ capturing key messages about what supports children to maintain their relationships, education and wellbeing and what they need to recover now and in the future.
Read the Zine online below, or download a printable copy.
Project Reporting
Key messages from children were submitted to the Education Select Committee:
- Lomax, H. and Smith, K., (2021) Corona Chronicles: Children researching their everyday lives, education & relationships during the coronavirus pandemic (CHEER): Evidence submitted to the Education Select Committee (Project Phase 3 - Creative data by children) 1st March.
- Lomax, H. and Smith, K., (2021) Corona Chronicles: Children researching their everyday lives, education & relationships during the coronavirus pandemic (CHEER): Evidence submitted to the Education Select Committee (Project phase 2, December 2020 – Image elicitation Interviews with children)
- Lomax, H. and Smith, K., (2020) Corona Chronicles: Children researching their everyday lives, education & relationships during the coronavirus pandemic (CHEER): Evidence submitted to the Education Select Committee (Project phase 1, September 2020 - Creative data by children).
The research is included in the House of Commons Committee of Public Accounts' report: Covid19: support for Education (no.240) as well as a HudCRES Policy Briefing: The experiences of children, young people and families during the COVID-19 pandemic
'Back Chat: Developing arts-based methods of knowledge generation and exchange with children during times of global crisis' was funded by the British Academy (grant number: SRG2021\211308) and ran from April 2020-July 2021.
