Studying Children using Ethnography: Heightened Challenges and Balancing Acts

Abstract

Scholars have debated how to carry out research with children, particularly about how to generate the most accurate data in an ethically-sensitive fashion. But there has been limited discussion of the practicalities of such research. Relying on our own ethnographic studies with children and families, conducted two decades apart, we argue that studying children heightens routine research challenges and requires the constant balancing of pressures. Our studies highlight difficulties in two broad arenas: the simultaneous management of procedural obligations to children and their gatekeepers (‘the double act’), and the need to juggle satisfying adult norms of interaction while generating and maintaining rapport with children (‘walking the tightrope’). These heightened challenges cannot be solved through use of the “right” method. Rather, they should be acknowledged and met with flexibility, reflexivity, and perseverance. More broadly, open discussion of the difficulties faced while conducting research should not be seen as revealing failings, but as a vital way for scholars to advance the field.