Requesting informed assent from preschoolers involved in participatory research through photovoice: A practical possibility

The paper presents a possibility of requesting informed assent from preschoolers during a participatory research with photovoice as a meaningful experience of participation and expression of agency and advocacy. The literature highlights that asking children for informed assent represents a key ethical expedient for engaging them in photovoice processes (Samanova, et al., 2022; Root et al., 2017) to which little attention is paid from a practical perspective. In accordance with the UN Convention (1989) and the sociology of childhood (Corsaro, 1979), which conceptualize an idea of expert child with agency, practical experiences of involvement in assent processes that respect children's competencies and rights need to be identified. The research is conducted within a participatory paradigm (Creswell, 2013) and data are collected through a qualitative method following the photovoice methodology (Wang, Burris, 1997), accompanied by participant observation and audio-recordings analyzed through thematic analysis. Research started after receiving the informed consent/assent, withdrawable at any time. Utilization of pseudonyms was implemented to ensure participants’ privacy. A process of authentic participation and advocacy was possible through implementation of a voting system where children feel free to take the floor and give their informed assent or express disagreement, showing they felt comfortable giving a response that was distant from adult expectations. A practice based on acceptance and listening atmosphere can be an opportunity to express children’s agentic power in a participatory process. The results offer practical suggestions of meaningful ways to achieve informed assent from preschoolers, as a step in which participation can be realized.