Narrative Approach to Informed Consent

Fiona Mayne is a lecturer and researcher in the Graduate School of Education at the University of Western Australia. Fiona’s PhD in early childhood research ethics and participation won the international European Early Childhood Education Research Association Student Research Award in 2017. Her current research is in children’s voice and agency, enhancing the quality of young children’s research participation, digital influences on children’s learning environments and associated pedagogies, and use of digital technologies and mixed reality in pre-service teacher education.Christine Howitt is an associate professor at the Graduate School of Education at the University of Western Australia. Her research interests focus on young children's science learning, science identity, learning in informal contexts, participatory research and rights of the child. She has worked extensively with Fiona Mayne to produce a range of papers on young children’s active involvement in the research process, exploring appropriate ethical and methodological approaches.

"This valuable new text positions the child as competent in the research process and introduces the Narrative Approach, and its associated Informing Story, as an appropriate method for engaging young children in the informed consent process. Through various case studies, readers can deepen their understanding of how this innovative approach can be used in different contexts. Use of the ideas presented in The Narrative Approach to Informed Consent: Empowering Young Children’s Rights and Meaningful Participation will ensure that children are respected in research processes; are empowered to speak, be and feel in their participation roles; and that researchers can be supported to make this happen." Dr Natália Fernandes, Associate Professor, Institute of Education, University of Minho, Portugal"The Narrative Approach to Informed Consent: Empowering Young Children’s Rights and Meaningful Participation offers fresh theoretical and methodological perspectives on young children’s informed consent in research. The research-based Narrative Approach presented here provides an innovative conceptual and procedural framework for designing, doing and disseminating ethical research with children." Emeritus Professor Ann Farrell, Adjunct Professor, School of Early Childhood and Inclusive Education, Faculty of Creative Industries, Education and Social Justice, Queensland University of Technology, Australia

• Introduction. Part 1: Theoretical and methodological underpinnings of the Narrative Approach Chapter 1. Positioning the child as competent in the research processChapter 2. The conceptual model underpinning the Narrative ApproachPart 2: Developing and implementing an Informing Story Chapter 3. Developing and delivering an Informing StoryPart 3: Adapting an Informing Story Chapter 4. "Yes, he gets it". Enhancing 3- and 4-year-old children's reserach participation through a digitally interactive Narrative Approach Informing StoryChapter 5. Using a Narrative Approach Informing Story to engage 4- and 5-year-olds in research in the context of a study on the use of an augmented reality sandbox to enhance spacial thinkingChapter 6. Using a Narrative Approach Informing Story video to gain informed consent from 6–12-year-old children on their experiences in youth careChapter 7. Parental roles in supporting their young children’s participation in research through a Narrative Approach Informing StoryPart 4: Future directions for the Narrative ApproachChapter 8. Possibilities and challenges of the Narrative Approach Chapter 9. Examples: The Toymaker Informing Story and the Toymaker Participation Story