Assent in action: Exploring ethical practice in arts-based research with young children
Background: Beyond adhering to standards and institutional processes, what makes a research encounter with children ‘ethical’, particularly regarding assent? Research on assent processes with young children is limited and lacks consensus on appropriate practices. Existing evidence tends to focus on assent at the research design stage—prior to the encounter. Examining how assent is negotiated during the encounter, and the ethical issues this raises, can generate valuable insights for methodology and practice.
Aim: We explore the issue of children’s assent through three researchers’ ethical praxis in an arts-based encounter with preschool-aged children experiencing disability. The broader project examined children’s experiences and understandings of health, including the people and places that support it.
Method/approach: Institutional ethical approval shaped the design and practice of this study. Participants were four four-year-old children with health or developmental impairments from a rural NSW community, all attending the same early intervention transition to school class. The encounter included a creative facilitator, three researchers, and two early interventionists (the children’s teachers). Data comprised photographs, video, and a written running record, supplemented by an audio-recorded researcher reflection session.
Results/findings: Assent was initially established according to institutionally-approved ethics processes, then continually renegotiated throughout the encounter as it unfolded, both directly by researchers and with support or confirmation from teachers. The researchers questioned what assent permitted them to ask, particularly in a context where trust develops over time and participants had diverse abilities, and what the limits are to encourage continued participation if a child indicates they wish to stop.
Conclusion: Seeking assent extends beyond securing initial agreement. Reflections revealed nuanced, in-situ ethical decision-making and highlighted the complexity of ethical praxis in research with children. The absence of children’s own perspectives on assent is notable; including these in future research would strengthen rigour and validity.
Implications for children and families: This research will help others interested in your experiences understand how to ask you about being part of their project. It will also help people consider how to ask you what you thought of being part of the project.
Implications for practitioners: Practitioners are encouraged to adopt a reflexive, responsive, and context-sensitive approach, embedding ethical practice in moment-to-moment interactions rather than relying solely on formal consent procedures.
Funding: This research was supported by Charles Sturt University’s Children’s Voices Centre
Keywords: qualitative research, research ethics, children, disability, children’s assent
This presentation relates to the following United Nations Sustainable Development Goals: