The purpose of this article is to contribute to the growing debates about appropriate methodologies for researching children's lives. I intend to outline the usefulness of using drawings as a methodological tool. This method was one of three used in a study concerned with examining children's experiences of doing the Eleven Plus. This is an exam taken by the majority of 10–11 year old children in Northern Ireland. The advantages and disadvantages of employing drawings in research with children will be explored. Drawing is generally considered by adults to be a common form of expression for children. However, the article will question its relevance as a method of obtaining data on how children view their social worlds.
Get full access to this article
View all access options for this article.
References
1.
AtkinsonD.1991‘How Children Use Drawing’, Journal of Art and Design Education, 10 (1): 57–71.
2.
BoydenJ.EnnewJ.1996Children in Focus – A Manual for Participatory Research with Children, Stockholm: Rädda Barnen.
3.
CavinE, (1991) Children doing artwork, in WakslerF. (ed.) Studying the Social Worlds of Children: Sociological Readings, London: Routledge.
4.
Central Advisory Council for Education1967Children and their Primary Schools (The Plowden Report). London: HMSO.
5.
ChristensenP.JamesA.2000Research with Children. London: Falmer Press.
6.
CohenO.RonenT.1999‘Young Children's Adjustment to Their Parents' Divorce as Reflected in Their Drawings’, Journal of Divorce and Marriage, 30(1): 47–71.
7.
CoxM. V.1993Children's Drawings of the Human Figure. Hove: Erlbaum.
8.
EflandA.1990A History of Art Education: Intellectual and Social Currents in Teaching the Visual Arts, New York: Teachers College Press.
9.
FreedmanK.1997‘Artistic Development and Curriculum: Sociocultural Learning Considerations’, pp. 94–106 in KindlerA. M.Children's Development in Art. Reston, VA: National Art Education Association.
10.
GardnerH.1980Artful Scribbles, The Significance of Children's Drawings. New York: Basic Books.
11.
GoodenoughF.1926Measurement of Intelligence by Drawings. New York: Harcourt, Brace and World.
12.
HarrisD.1963Children's Drawings as Measures of Intellectual Maturity. New York: Harcourt, Brace and World.
13.
HillM.LayournABorlandM.1996‘Engaging with Primary-aged Children about their Emotions and Well-Being: Methodological Considerations’, Children and Society, 10 (2): 129–44.
14.
KelloggR.1970Analysing Children's Art. Palo Alto, CA: National Press Books.
15.
KoppitzE.1984Psychological Evaluation of Human Figure Drawings by Middle School Pupils. London: Grune and Stratton.
16.
LowenfeldV.BrittainW.1975Creative and Mental Growth. London: Collier-Macmillan.
17.
LindstromM.1957Children's Art. Berkeley, CA: University of California Press.
18.
MauthnerM.1997‘Methodological Aspects of Collecting Data from Children: Lessons from Three Research Projects’, Children and Society. 11: 16–28.
19.
MorrowV.1999‘If you were a Teacher, it would be harder to talk to you: Reflections on Qualitative Research with Children in School’, International Journal of Social Research Methodology, 1(4): 297–313.
20.
NieuwenhuysO.1996Action Research with Street Children: A Role for Street Educators? PLA Notes 25, London: HED.
21.
PostmanN.1982The Disappearance of Childhood. New York: Delacorte.
22.
PunchS.2002‘Research with Children: The Same or Different from Research with Adults?Childhood9 (3): 321–41.
23.
QvortrupJ.BardyM.SgrittaG.WintersbergerH. (eds) 1994Childhood Matters: Social Theory, Practice and Politics. Aldershot: Avebury.
24.
QvortrupJ.1987‘Introduction’, International Journal of Sociology, 15: 3–37.
25.
RiordanR.J.VerdelA.C.1991‘Evidence for Sexual Abuse in Children's Arts Products’, School Counsellor, 39: 116–21.
26.
RudenbergS.L.JansenP.FridjhonP.2001‘Living and Coping with Ongoing Violence. A Cross-national analysis of children's drawings using structured rating indices’, Childhood, 8 (1): 31–55.
27.
ThomasG. V.SilkA.M.1990An Introduction to the Psychology of Children's Drawings. London: Harvester Wheatsheaf.
28.
WilsonB.1997‘Child Art, Multiple Interpretations and Conflicts of Interest’, in KindlerA.M. (ed.) Children's Development in Art. Reston, VA: National Art Education Association.
29.
WilsonB.WilsonM.1977‘An Iconoclastic View of the Imagery Sources of the Drawings of Young People’, Art Education, 30 (1): 5–11.
30.
YamaM.F.1990‘The Usefulness of Human Figure Drawings as an Index of Overall Adjustment’, Journal of Personality Assessment, 54: 78–86.
