Paper
Researching children in Indian classrooms: Challenges and Conveniences of the Researcher
presenters
Shashi Shukla
Nationality: Indian
Residence: India
University of Delhi
Presence:Online
Keywords:
Children, Classrooms, India
Abstract:
Classrooms appear as simple spaces for research but when classroom inquiries are initiated one realizes the multifaceted and unremitting activities that take place within the classrooms. Classroom research demands extensive training and time that present the researcher with multiple challenges. Classroom based researches are faced with methodological concerns because of the limited techniques that have been used to gather data from classroom spaces. These enquiries are mostly observation based and thus gives researchers choice between participant and non-participant method of collecting data. Each of this method comes with its strengths and limitations but here in this paper authors aim to discuss the need of evolution of methods while working on them in the field. This provides an opportunity for the researcher to address the challenges posed immediately and help them formulate strategies that can transit their research practice and purpose. It is vital for all researchers to make ethical, technological, methodological, social and cultural adaptations to move on with data collection especially while working with human subjects and in this chapter the focus will on researching children within the Indian classrooms.
To induce richness in the data collected from the classrooms, it is essential to develop synthesis between the child’s standpoint and the adult researcher understanding of the child’s social position. Classroom based researches need to perceive children knowledgeable and articulate social actors with a mind of their own who are constructors of meaning of self and world around them. In this paper an attempt will be made to look into the relationships between the researcher and the children; the role and responsibilities of the researcher; and ethical questions of confidentiality and informed consent. Author of the paper argue to endorse the conceptual autonomy of children with an intention to establish understanding of children from their own experiences and view