Our method
Changefactory Knowledge Centre (CF) collects, summarises and highlights experiences and advice from children and young people around Norway. The goal is to help make schools, kindergartens, help services, the police and the legal system as safe and helpful as possible for children. What distinguishes the surveys from other knowledge collections conducted by CF is that they are conducted according to a fixed method description that is followed consistently, and that experiences and advice are collected exclusively from children who have not participated in surveys conducted by CF previously.
About the Change Method
The method for collecting data has been developed by Changefactory based on the action research method Participatory Learning and Action (PLA). Various creative and visual tools are used to make it safe and exciting to participate in the qualitative surveys. Safety is a fundamental part of the implementation, and the researchers are responsible for making the space safe for all children. Answers that are repeated by many children and young people, are highlighted as “main answers” or “main findings”, without being linked to theory. This is presented as “knowledge from children” in reports, books, films and podcasts. Children are invited to help change Norway, which is why we call the method the Changemethod.
Changefactory surveys are not to be considered research, but at the same time follow specific methodological requirements that are to ensure that we document children’s experiences and advice in a responsible manner. Summarised knowledge from children and young people is a supplement to research knowledge and can be an important contribution to making better decisions in the work of improving working methods and results. The surveys are exclusively attended by children who have not previously participated in Changefactory surveys, which distinguishes these from other knowledge collections by CF.
Responsibility for the method
Professor Marit Skivenes and Professor Arild Bjørndal are responsible for quality assurance of Changefactory’s work with our surveys. In addition, a researcher monitors the implementation of each of the surveys. Changefactory has collaborated with researchers on knowledge collections and surveys for more than 10 years.
The method summarised:
- Participatory method with a strong focus on making it safe for children to participate
- Both qualitative and quantitative approaches
- Engages all children, including children who cannot/don’t like to talk
- Creative and visual tools combined with dialogue
- Systematic and verifiable, provides a reliable description of children’s experiences
- The experiences and advice are summarised without adding ones own opinion or interpretation
Selection of topics and questions
The topic of the surveys is determined based on requests or wishes from children, authorities and professionals – or based on the need for further elaboration of topics in previous surveys. Topics can also be chosen on topics where CF has found little knowledge from children and believes that it is needed.
The project group is set up, with 1-2 researchers from CF, 1-2 from CF’s group for students and professionals, 1 from CF’s group for decision-makers, and 1–2 young consultants (young people with experience in the field to be surveyed and with additional responsibility). The project group drafts a semi-structured interview guide with sub-themes and in-depth questions. In addition, “counting questions” are created, i.e. yes/no questions that, when sorting answers, make it possible to quantitatively present experiences. Before the questions are finalised, they are tested with children and young people in the target group, to ensure that they are perceived as understandable, important and relevant.
Researchers have the main responsibility for the project
Researchers or key professionals in the field of practice are invited to assist in assessing which themes and questions are most important for Norway. In formulating the final questions, Changefactory strives to ask them in a way that children will understand and can relate to. Before the interview guide is finalised, the questions are therefore assessed by professional consultants and/or professionals who know the relevant age group.
Children are invited in collaboration with professionals
Children and young people are mainly invited to participate in the surveys, in collaboration with professionals and management in kindergartens, schools or help services. Recruitment is based on, among other things, whether the school or service is located in a larger or smaller city, and whether it is public or private. For example, when recruiting for a child welfare survey, the number of children who are affiliated with child welfare in different parts of the country can also affect the number selected from a region or municipality. A representative sample is most easily ensured when a class or a kindergarten department can be invited. CF emphasises a desire for the sample to be representative, but in services this can be more challenging. Tips on how to ensure representative samples are therefore shared with services that want this. In surveys, only children who have not participated in any of Changefactory’s previous surveys are invited.
Conducting sessions
The surveys use both qualitative and quantitative approaches. The qualitative method is most important, to ensure a range of experiences and in-depth understanding of these.
The qualitative approach is consistent in all the studies. The researchers meet the participants physically, either in groups or in one-on-one conversations. The interviews are qualitative, with semi-structured interview guides and participatory methodology. The questions asked are open-ended but specific. The wording ensures depth. The researchers mainly follow the children’s direction in the conversation. They express themselves, and they respond to what the children say in a human way.
The quantitative approach is ensured with selected questions that all participants initially answer. These answers are counted and converted into percentages or fractions.
Sessions follow a layout as described in the points below:
- Sessions are carried out without caregivers or other adults that the children already know present. This is done to ensure that all responses are collected in the same way, and because the researchers in CF cannot know whether other adults can influence children’s responses if they are present. It is also based on feedback from children
- The children receive thorough information about what their answers will be used for, who will receive the answers, that participation is voluntary, etc. before questions are asked
- Engaging tools are used to ensure that each child gives their most important advice to the greatest extent possible. Tools can for example be a different stations, mind maps, sheets or notes, illustrative drawings, photos, letters, recipes on how things should be done from a child’s perspective
- The focus is on advice for the systems, not in-depth personal experiences
- Children are encouraged to talk about what is important to them. It is emphasised that there is no right or wrong answer, but that Norway needs everyone’s honest answers in order to be able to provide the best possible services for children
- The researchers also emphasise that explanations are needed from many children, and that repetitions, nuances and new explanations are therefore needed.
- If a child does not want to answer one or more questions, the researchers assure that it is completely okay and up to the child
- The implementation may develop differently, but the researchers are responsible for ensuring that it does not deviate too much from the starting point in the interview guide. They must ensure that everyone has the opportunity to answer
- The researchers give their contact information to the participants, so that they can contact the researchers afterwards if they have any questions, want to talk about something or want to help give more advice
Summary of the answers
The answers are summarised as described in the points below:
- During the sessions, verbatim, anonymous, transcripts are written
- What the children have answered is summarised in sorting documents, where a clear distinction is made between the children’s experiences and advice
- The answers are summarised under thematic headings, which are created based on recurring answers
- The counting answers are used to complement the in-depth answers that are sorted in sorting documents. The percentage or fraction is calculated based on how many children have answered the question
- What are called “main answers” are answers that have been repeated in the survey. Along with the main answers, bullet points are often written, which show nuances of the main answers
- The researchers have primary responsibility for writing the report. The main content of the report is the answers from the children. These are not linked to theory or analysis
- The wording from the original reports is not changed far from the starting point, so that the description in the report is as similar as possible to the one the children have given. This ensures that the children’s opinions are not changed. The report also contains information about the background to the survey, a description of the methodology, the themes and questions asked, the places visited and a thank you to the participants. The report usually also contains a description of national challenges and advice to politicians and authorities.
