Analysing Students’ Drawings of their Classroom: A Child-Friendly Research Method
Analysing Students’ Drawings of their Classroom: A Child-Friendly Research Method

Summary/Abstract: Including students’ voices in research directly affecting their life and development has been emphasised in a wide range of studies. Children’s rights movement and childhood sociology have argued that young students are active participants in investigations and not merely passive recipients or objects to be studied; when adequate participatory strategies are used, children have the ability to report competently and meaningfully on issues relevant to them. However, despite this re-conceptualization of children as social actors, their opinions have not often found their way into research. Concerns about children communicative and cognitive abilities, about appropriateness and desirability of involving them directly in research have restricted their participation. The study “School as it is – research on students’ and teachers’ profiles and interactions”, conducted by UNICEF and Centre Education 2000+, Romania, demonstrates that children are nor overlooked exactly when specialists reflect on educational matters. Child inclusive methodologies have been added for this purpose to a multi-method, multi-site research project focused mainly on depicting the real portrait of Romanian school. The present paper explores the use of students’ drawings of their classroom as a child friendly research method, utilized – together with other approaches involving adults – to present “school as it is”. Drawings are considered an open-ended, familiar activity for children, one of their preferred means of communication and, therefore, an effective strategy for engaging them in research. As a concrete proof of the efficiency and reliability of the method, the interpretation of students’ drawings is selectively presented. The findings fully demonstrate children capacity of contributing to research, as their drawings revealed a powerful, convincing image of their learning environment.

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