Participatory research with young people: benefits, limitations, and methodological considerations

Participatory research with young people centres their knowledge and experiences to generate research outcomes which are meaningful to them. In recent years, there has been an increase in participatory research within education, yet there is still little methodological insight into this approach. In this project, which explored adolescents’ reading motivation and engagement, a young people’s advisory panel was convened to ensure the perspectives and experiences of young people were central to the research. The panel consisted of 6 young people (13 – 15-years-old) from 3 schools in Scotland. The panel worked with researchers at the Universities of XX and XX and a national literacy organisation across one academic year to plan and design the project, carry out data collection and interpret the findings. To achieve this, online group meetings, an online interview training workshop, online 1-1 interviews with the first author and in person peer-interviews were conducted. In this article, the methodological practice of working with a young people’s advisory panel to carry out a research project is evaluated using thematic analysis of panel members’ reflections and meeting content. A discussion of the benefits, limitations, and practicalities are provided for researchers interested in working closely and collaboratively with young people to conduct educational research.