Children’s and Young People’s ICT Experiences in School Education: Participatory Research Design to Engage Children and Young People as Experts in Research

Abstract

AbstractWith technological change affecting all aspects of life, it is important to ensure that children and young people are prepared for a future in the digital world. Education plays an important role in this. However, the perspectives of children and young people are often overlooked when researching this role. This chapter describes how children and young people were actively involved in a video workshop approach as part of a participatory research design used in the DigiGen study. One of the children’s and young people’s tasks was to develop an interview guide for their peers. The development of interview guides by the children and young people and teacher candidates in these workshops varied considerably between the five participating countries—Estonia, Germany, Greece, Norway, and Romania. The main implications of the methodological approach were the great benefit of uncovering previously unrecognised aspects (which is important in participatory research), such as how children and young people see education as preparation for their future life in the digital age. Solutions could be developed for the challenges that have arisen, and with appropriate planning and preparation, the method can be successful. The results help to highlight the relevance and potential of video workshops for future research and involve children and young people in the research process, making use of their knowledge to supplement traditional approaches.