A Critical Approach to Collaborating with Students as Researchers

Abstract

Young people’s involvement in "real life" research activities has been raised recently by a number of researchers. This paper theorises the concept of young people as researchers by discussing potential benefits and limitations of such involvement. The literature identifies some issues that need to be considered in planning and reflecting on collaboration with young people as researchers, such as voice, i.e. insider/outsider, expert/novice and the question of empowerment. These issues will be discussed with reference to late modernity theorisation according to writers such as Habermas, Hargreaves, Giddens, Kemmis, and other writers within the action research literature and within the practice of students as researchers movement in different countries.