Exploring Young Children’s Research Practices as They Engage as Research Partners

While gathering young children’s insights and perspectives in any area of research is complex, there is increasing recognition of the need to elevate children’s voices to build shared understandings about what matters, and in the case of this paper their literate practices. Commonly used methodologies often follow traditional research models where young children participate in research as defined by the adult researcher. However, this approach can potentially limit young children’s ability to contribute their perspectives to genuinely inform and contribute to the research. This paper reports findings from a child-led inquiry nested within a broader project where children aged 4–8 years old were invited to participate as research partners alongside adult researchers. In this nested inquiry, children conducted explorative and reflective research on their own and others’ digital text production practices. In doing so, the children worked with adults to provide insights into their experiences through research practices, offering deeper understandings as to how children can act as research partners during the inquiry process. This study offers insights into how adult planning and facilitation can create the conditions for meaningful, child-led inquiry and highlights the value of recognising children’s agency within participatory methodologies.