Pupils’ voices and participation have received increased attention both practically and theoretically in the past decade, a development which is often attributed to the ratification of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child (UNCRC) (Lundy 2007). Participation as the right to be heard is seen as one of the fundamental principles of the UNCRC. The right of the child to express his or her views is an absolute right, expressed in Article 12 of the UNCRC. It guarantees the opportunity for children  to express their views, and also to have their views taken seriously. Participation is also connected to other goals of the treaty: “child participation is a tool to stimulate the full development of the personality and the evolving capacities of the child” (CRC 2009, p. 17.) Therefore studying the quality and effectiveness of different methods for promoting participation is needed to evaluate how well educational institutions are able to fulfill their role as supporters and nurturers of growth as a person and as a citizen.

Children’s participation has been one of the most debated and examined aspects of the Convention on the Rights of the Child (Landsdown, 2010; Lundy, 2007). One of the reasons for the debates relates to the concept’s lack of clarity. For example, it is unclear what is meant by “participation” in the context of children’s rights (Landsdown, 2010). Accordingly, in the educational literature the concept of participation does not have one shared definition. The concept refers generally to the process of sharing decisions that affect children’s lives and the life of the community in which they live. It should start with children and young people themselves—on their own terms, with their visions, dreams, hopes, and concerns.  (Hart, 1992; Shier, 2001; Gresalfi et al, 2009).

In educational literature there are different kinds of models through which pupils’ participation can be understood and promoted (e.g. Hart 1009; Shier 2001; Lundy 2007). There are many studies that have reported how pupils have participated on planning school events, improving school environment or improving classroom practices, but there are not many research available from pupils’ experienced participation despite the importance of the experiental factors of participation.

Our conception of participation defines participation as a relational phenomenon. Firstly, participation involves having a (formally and/or informally) recognized position as an agent. Secondly, participation should manifest itself in action (in sayings, doings, relatings). Thirdly, participation should produce a feeling of participation. (Kiilakoski, Gretchel & Nivala 2012.) This theoretical perspective defines participation as having social and political, as well as evocative components. To evaluate participation one should be able to analyse 1. both formal and informal roles of pupils (including encouragement and training), 2. The practices, discourses and activities that these roles will bring about, and lastly 3. The experiences of the children themselves about participation. In our understanding, succesful research on participation requires analysing the lived experience of the children, their roles in the learning environment and the nature and quality of activities.

Based on the above, twe address following research questions in this presentation:

1. Based on our efforts to analyse participation, what pitfalls are there in analysing participation as a lived experience?

2. How could the use of expressive, in particular visual methodologies help us as researchers to overcome these pitfalls?

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