Involving children and young people will help you:

• find out about research questions that are important to them

• learn new ideas for your research that you might not have thought of

• understand how best to approach young people to take part in your research

• find new ways to talk and communicate with them

• develop your research questions so that they are relevant

• write your questionnaires, leaflet and reports so they are clear and easy to understand

• understand issues and learn new skills

• ensure the research remains focused on young people.

Some of the things young people are saying:

 

“Adults shouldn’t assume they know what young people want, we think differently”

 

“Some adults overlook how much vocabulary children understand, making leaflets too complicated or patronising”

 

“Adults often forget that children get bored and don’t want to read a seven page black and white leaflet”

 

“Young people’s experiences in research must be listened to in order for the research to improve”

Resources – details of organisations and resources with further information on how children and young people are being involved in research.

Thank you to the young people who commented on this page.

You can read our new report on Involving children and young people as advisors in research: top tips and essential key issues for researchers  here

You can read our new report on Involving Children and Young People in Research here