Symposia 17 Be my guest! Challenges and practical solutions of undertaking interviews in the home with children and young people (11)

Symposium lead:
Jane Coad, Senior Research Fellow. Centre for Child and Adolescent Health, Bristol, Faculty of Health & Social Care, The University of West of England and University of Birmingham, Bristol, United Kingdom

Symposium chair:
Dr Alison Twycross Principal Lecturer in Children’s Nursing, Kingston University and St George’s University of London.

Symposia focus:

Undertaking interviews with children and young people can provide unique opportunities for professionals to gain in-depth understanding of their unique perspectives. One challenge in seeking their views relates to where the research interview takes place. Whilst there is a plethora of guidelines and studies that use interviews there is less critical debate in the literature about interviewing children and young people in their home (Mayall, 2000). However, there are numerous ethical and methodological issues such as establishing a rapport, time, conduct, consent, confidentiality and safety which need to considered, from entering to leaving the child’s home.

This symposium will allow delegates to share work and debate around the specific focus of undertaking interviews with children and young people in the home setting. It will bring together a number of child health researchers who will draw on their work, explore challenges they have encountered, and discuss how they overcame them.

By the end delegates will:

  • Understand some contextual issues pertaining to undertaking interviews within the home of children and young people
  • Have explored common challenges and practical solutions when planning and conducting interviews with children and young people in their own homes
  • Have had an opportunity to debate common ethical and methodological issues that arise when interviewing children and young people in their own homes.

Presenters will undertake thematic presentations relating to planning, conducting and exit strategy for interviews with children and young people in the home setting. Following this a debate will take place, which will discuss the ethical and methodological challenges that researchers face when undertaking such field-work. The symposia will have much to offer researchers who undertake children and young people’s research but will also be of interest to any researcher planning or conducting interviews with participants in their own homes.

Reference:

  • Mayall B (2000) Conversations with children: working with generational issues. In: Christensen P & James A (Eds.) Research with children: perspectives and practices, pp. 120-136. Falmer. London

Source of Funding: N/A

Level of Funding: N/A

Abstract 1: Planning the interviews

Linda Milnes Research Fellow. Department of Health Fellow, School of Nursing, Midwifery and Social Work, University of Manchester Duncan Randall Lecturer. School of Health Sciences, University of Birmingham

This paper will draw upon ethical and methodological experiences when planning to interview children and young people in their home. It will firstly draw on field work to explore how researchers can ensure that recruitment is maximised while providing children and young people the opportunity to be interviewed in the home setting.

Methods will be shared that have been used including:

  • Consulting children and young people in the design of the project using contemporary communication methods
  • Written, web based social networking sites and text messaging to communicate project information to potential participants
  • Pre-interview home visits.

This paper will also address the potential effects of gender of both the researcher and the child or young person being researched in relation to planning for the interview.

Several issues will be considered that have arisen from field-work of the presenters such as:

  • Exploration of how gender issues and the interviewing of children at home could affect recruitment of children and young people to research studies;
  • Ethical issues of safeguarding children and young people during home interviews
  • Overcoming issues pertaining to the gender of both the researcher and the child or young person.

The interactive and iterative processes that occur between the interviewer and child participant in the family are always pivotal and in the child’s home this could not more so. This emphasises the need for planning thoroughly before entering the field. Consequently, the first paper in the symposia will aim to explore some challenges and share some practical solutions to assist this important early stage in the process (Christensen and James, 2000).

References:

Christensen, P. and James, A. (Eds.). (2000). Research with Children: Perspectives and Practices. London: Falmer. 120-135

Abstract 2: Conducting the interviews

Dr Faith Gibson Senior Lecturer in Children’s Cancer Nursing Research. Institute of Child Health & Great Ormond Street Hospital for Children NHS Trust, Centre for Nursing and Allied Health Professions Research Maire Horstman Principal Lecturer. Department of Children’s Nursing, Faculty of Health and Social Care, London South Bank University Dr Veronica Swallow Senior Lecturer in Children’s Nursing. University of Manchester.

Challenges arising from two studies performed by the presenters will be discussed in terms of confidentiality issues and building rapport when conducting interviews in the child or young person’s home. The first study investigated family learning in the management of chronic kidney disease. A particular challenge was that of negotiating a situation whereby parents were happy to withdraw from the interview so that their child could talk to the researcher in confidence.

Different strategies will be explored such as:

  • Introducing a research interview contract, the terms of which are regularly restated and renegotiated
  • Maintaining researcher neutrality; A second study, which enabled children, aged 4-18 years, with a diagnosis of cancer to give their views in the home setting about hospital care they had received will be also used in this paper.

The study sought specifically to facilitate participation and involvement with children through conducting interviews at home (Gibson et al. 2005). In conducting the interviews, it was important that the child perceived there was plenty of time, and activities could move forward at their own pace in an effort to reduce stress and pressure.

A range of strategies will be explored such as:

  • The importance of building a rapport with children
  • Developing an appropriate interview structure
  • Establishing a setting for the interview that facilitates a child’s participation, on their terms.

Interviewing children and young people in their home may produce dilemmas, such as providing confidentiality and privacy for the child, while satisfying the social conventions of being a guest in someone else’s home. The aim of the second paper will be to unpick some of these issues and provide practical examples from the field-work of the presenters.

Reference:

  • Gibson F, Richardson A, Hey S, Horstman M, O'Leary C. 2005. Listening to Children and Young People with Cancer. Final report submitted to Macmillan Cancer Support. Available from authors.

Abstract 3: Exiting the home

Professor Bernie Carter Professor of Children's Nursing Children. Families and Life Transition Research Group. Department of Nursing University of Central Lancashire Dr. Jane Coad Senior Research Fellow. Centre for Child and Adolescent Health. University of the West of England, Bristol.

Extensive field-work will be drawn upon from both presenters who will highlight that the final exit from the home is not an event but rather a process which should be considered as important as the other stages (Coad and Houston, 2007).

The presentation will include:

  • The sort of power relationships and/or other relationships that influence the way(s) in which researchers choose to exit the home
  • The ‘knowing’ of when to leave including not outstaying your welcome and being clear about the length and purpose of the interview with the child/young person
  • The sensitivity and process issues related to saying thank you and offering rewards
  • De-briefing and dealing with feelings of ‘loss’ associated with being a guest in the family’s home.
Overall, the focus of this final formal presentation in the symposia will highlight a number of key issues that relate to exiting the child or young person’s home following an interview. It will thus provide practical solutions drawn from both researchers field-work in order to provide delegates with a useful tool bag of ideas. However, the paper will also emphasise that such issues need full consideration from the early outset of any project.

Reference:

  • Coad, J; Houston, R (2007) Involving children and young people in the decision-making processes of healthcare services. Action for Sick Children. London.

Abstract 4: Be my Guest

Discussion:

Following the formal presentations there will be an opportunity for delegates to critically debate the issues raised. This will provide an opportunity to discuss ethical and methodological challenges of interviewing children and young people at home in order to generate some practical solutions about how these might be overcome. The papers and debate will be of interest to researchers who undertake children and young people’s research but the symposia focus of undertaking interviews in participants own homes will also be of interest to any researcher planning or conducting similar methods.