Metodologisia haasteita ja kysymyksiä lasten tutkimushaastattelussa

Authors

• Piia Roos University of Tampere, Finland
• Niina Rutanen University of Tampere, Finland

Keywords:

methodology, metodologia, children under school age, alle kouluikäiset lapset, interview, haastattelu, narration, kerronta

Abstract

This methodological article focuses on the process of interview with under school age children. The article contributes to the discussions within multidisciplinary childhood studies about children’s participation and children’s ‘voice’ within research process. Our investigation focuses on how the interview begins, what occurs during the interview and when and how does the interview end? Our analysis is based on the interviews the first author, Roos made for her PhD thesis. In these interviews, children tell about their everyday life in day care centres. Instead of investigating the thematic contents, we will investigate the process that the researcher and the research subject are co-constructing in interaction. We will focus our investigation to particular events, where something occurred and directed the interview in a new way. We will also mirror our observations to previous literature to build a wider description of the challenges, benefits and difficulties occurring during interviews with children. We will conclude that interviews with children are not separable to clear-cut phases, but getting to know the other and building trust continues during the whole interview. Interviews are characterized by fast changes and situationality; the researcher should maintain openness and flexibility rather than follow pre-fixed plans.