Ethical issues associated with listening to children in research and practice environments are commonly addressed within the ethical guidelines of several organisations across various nations worldwide, for example, ERIC, the Ethical Research Including Children guidelines (http://childethics.com). However, there is an overall lack of guidance or guiding principles relating to facilitating, listening to, and interpreting the voices of very young children.  

This workshop will explore issues relating to this complex, challenging and under-researched area. It arises from discussions that took place during a recent international seminar series hosted by the University of Strathclyde: Look Who’s Talking(http://www.strath.ac.uk/whystrathclyde/news/givingchildrenavoiceintheirownlearning) in January and June 2017. Participants included the authors as well as the following experts in the field  -Dr Claire Cassidy and Dr Lorna Arnott (both University of Strathclyde), Professor Dana Mitra (Penn State University), Gerard McKernan (Glasgow Early Learning Centre), Professor Ingrid Pramling Samuelsson (University of Gothenburg), Dr John I’Anson (University of Stirling), Julia Flutter (University of Cambridge), Professor Lasse Lipponen (University of Helsinki), Dr Mallika Kanyal (Anglia Ruskin University),  Dr Mhairi Beaton (University of Aberdeen) Professor Pia Christensen (University of Leeds), and Professor Sue Dockett (Charles Sturt University). During the associated events, academics and practitioners, with expertise in early years and primary education and research, discussed ways in which - and for what purposes - the voices of children from birth to eight years are elicited in research and practice settings.  Nested within these discussions was the issue of partnership and how power and dialogue are understood between researchers and practitioners, between professionals from education, health, the law and social work and most critically between children and adults.

The objective of this workshop is to build on the seminar outcomes in such a way to codify the original groups’ understandings with a wider audience, as well as to further develop thinking. We will use ethical and pedagogical dilemmas, solicited from practitioners for the seminar series, exemplifying the practice of eliciting voice in the early years (0-8 years), as starting points. This will mirror the approach to enquiry around transition suggested by Dockett and Perry (2014), where examples of practice are used to promote discussion of the issues. By introducing provocations from early years practice (educational and research), we aim to promote reflections and discussions focusing specifically on the ethical and pedagogical dilemmas associated with eliciting the voices of young children within this age group.

In light of these vignettes, we will facilitate an open discussion around the implications for research and practice represented in relation to the following questions:

• What are the overarching ethical considerations of eliciting voice and what are the specific practices associated when working with children aged 8 and under?
• Can children aged 8 and under have an informed voice? If so, in what areas (and in what areas can they not have an informed voice) and how is this decision made?
• What guidelines can we provide to support the practice of eliciting voice with young children?

Consideration will also be given to how the perspectives of children who are not able/choose not to access spoken language, are elicited and to whether (and if so how) the ethical and pedagogical issues that arise in educational practice and research differs according to different circumstances.

Dockett, S. & Perry, B. (2014). Continuity of Learning: A resource to support effective transition to school and school age care. Canberra, ACT: Australian Government Department of Education.