Questioning Participation: Reflexivity, Silence, and the Limits of Knowledge Production in Research with Children

Participation is often heralded as a key tenet in the ‘New Sociology of Childhood’. Increasing recognition of children’s right to participate has been welcomed by childhood studies (Powell & Smith, 2009). Article 12 of the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child provides the legal backing for this right. However, there are authors like Spyros Spyrou or Nick Lee, who question the limits of participation to “problematize the scientific production of knowledge” (Spyrou, 2018, p. 178).

This paper critically examines ethical challenges in qualitative research with children, focusing on the limits of participation and complexities of knowledge production. It discusses the risks of coercion in human and non-human interactions and the implicit power dynamics within the research process. This raises key questions: What if children choose silence or disengagement? Are researchers unintentionally compelling children to fit adult-centric research paradigms?

This leads us to interrogate the role of adult researchers in shaping knowledge production. We explore how adult frameworks and methods shape—and may distort—children’s insights. Drawing from poststructuralist and postmodern critiques, we refer to authors like Donna Haraway and Veronica Pacini-Ketchabaw who push for more reflexive approaches that address these asymmetries. Also, we introduce Karen Barad’s theory of diffraction to explore limits in relying solely on reflexivity. Reflexivity allows us to critically examine our positionality, but diffraction encourages engaging with contradictions and tensions in research. How do these "diffracted" perspectives reveal the ways adult methods influence children’s participation?

This paper opens a space for dialogue. Rather than offering definitive answers, we invite researchers to rethink participation and knowledge production, acknowledging power asymmetries while embracing the uncertainties of qualitative research with children.