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~Article 2: “Researching Children and Fashion: An embodied ethnography” By Pole (2007)
1. What are the basic assumptions that inform the reading?
-Research studies focused on children and their bodies, like fashion, can make the research process due to the current concerns about abuse and children’s rights.
2. What are the major organizing ideas?
-Processes of collecting data are not ethically acceptable for children to respect their rights and ensure their safety. Methods need to elicit “good, rich and reliable data”. What kind of research approach is key to the collection of data about children and their relationship with fashion?
3. What serious questions does the reading raise regarding the fields of child and youth study?
-How do children’s clothing choices inform adult’s understandings of children’s identities? Being mindful that certain socioeconomic restraints may limit a child’s choice in clothing options, in these particular situations, are the choice they make to assert their identity connected to their expression of self through appearance? Is it up to adults to understand the “how” and “why” of children’s expression of self, or should adults be providing children with the opportunities to discuss it or create a space where the children are comfortable to openly disclose their feelings about themselves?
4. What serious omissions are left out of the article or reading (if any)?
“The centrality of the ethnographer to the process of ethnographic research, in particular the relationship between researcher and researched is key to the collection of ‘good’, rich and reliable data.”
-The author states that the relationship between the researcher and the participants of the study is important. Considering this point, the author is a middle-aged male seeking to reach children’s relationship with fashion and their feelings about their bodies, including young females. This may be a caveat as the relationship between young children and an older man may not be easily established as it could be with a younger researcher. Pairing a same-sex researchers to research participants may aid in eliciting “rich” data.
5. In what ways does this article reinforce, extend, challenge, or oppose your own views on child and youth study/research/practice?
-This article presented the reflexivity of child research and it’s importance in child-centred methodologies. The relationship between the researchers and the children should be bi-directional and circular; each member in the research should be connecting with themselves. Researchers should ensure their transparency about the research focus and process. The experience of researching and being a part of your own research allows the children access to the entire experience.
6. What do you take away from the reading in terms of your own child and youth practice?
-The research suggested that research methods used to gain information about children’s feelings about themselves can be sensitive. A male researcher collecting data from children, some young girls, may impose issues with the collection of research data. Embodied transparency is key to facilitating the reflexive relationship between child research participants and researchers, ensuring that all children’s identities can pair with similar researchers to support the comfortable connection to disclose personal thoughts and feelings regarding a child’s identity.
Most importantly, the research study provides additional evidence to continue building strong, trusting, mutual relationships with children. This is particularly important for children in care, to establish a safe space and ‘safe person’ away from family.
