Painting with Children’s Voices: Portraiture as a Participatory Research Methodology with Young Children

This paper explores the methodology of portraiture as a participatory approach to research with young children. At its core, the study is rooted in the principles of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child (UNCRC, 1989), which affirms children’s rights to express their views in matters affecting them and to have those views taken seriously. In particular, the research is framed using Lundy’s (2007) model of voice, which provides a practical framework for realising Article 12 of the UNCRC. According to Lundy, meaningful participation by children requires four key elements: Space (children must be given the opportunity to express a view), Voice (they must be facilitated to express their views), Audience (those views must be listened to), and Influence (those views must be acted upon, where appropriate).