‘Wow, It Were Like Wow’: The Importance and Opportunity of Researchers Feeding Back Research Output and Being Fed Back Upon With Care Experienced Young People

Abstract

Research involving young people has become increasingly common and is widely regarded as good practice, though the ‘how-tos’ of this practice are less developed. One element of research practice that may be important to young people, especially those living in the care system, is the researcher returning to share with them what was found and how their participation has informed the output of the research. Feeding back moves beyond focusing on how we access the voices of young people, to considering the ways that young people involved in research can feel more listened to and that their voices have been taken seriously. A case study in which care-experienced adolescents were returned to following their participation in a qualitative, photo-elicitation study is summarised. The feedback phase involved sharing with participants the analytical output of the study and then exploring their responses to the results and their reflections on taking part. The interaction had multiple aims: for the researcher to feedback and to be fed back upon, as well as acting as the final punctuation point within a wider research process. The data generated from this phase is shared to create new learning and wisdom, with the perspectives of these participants offered to educate the academic community.