Child-Led Research: From Participating in Research to Leading It

This study aims to explore how the participation of children and young people in their own child-led research contribute, positively or negatively, to decision-making processes in the context of humanitarian and international development programmes. The first case study, Dhaka, involved Bangladeshi children and young people researching birth certificates and the second, Bekaa and Irbid, was conducted by a group of Syrian refugee children and young people on the issues relevant to their lives. The study involved 48 participants: 26 in the Bekaa and Irbid and 22 in Dhaka. The research participants were the young researchers and the adult professionals who facilitated or otherwise supported the child-led research. The methods used were focus groups, interviews, document review and observation. Data was examined using thematic analysis, which involves identifying patterns or themes within the qualitative data.