Involving Young People as Co-Researchers

Abstract

This article reflects on some of the issues arising in research involving young people as co-researchers. It addresses the challenges faced by one research team in implementing a lottery-funded project in England that addressed young people’s health needs. The researchers judged that a collaborative approach would be appropriate in this context, and considerable attention is paid to the role of young people as ‘co-researchers’. A number of significant methodological issues were identified, associated with key themes:- practicalities; ethics; validity; and value. The article addresses a number of challenges in each area, exploring the implications for projects that involve young people as co-researchers. The article discusses the strategies adopted by the researchers in order to resolve these concerns. The article concludes that there are real benefits to be gained from participatory research, which clearly offset the additional demands involved.