The Ethics of Involving Young People Directly in the Research Process

This paper draws on a Participatory Action Research (PAR) project carried out in the secondary school of an independent day and boarding school in the east of England. An adult researcher and five young researchers (R4U) worked together to explore bullying at the school. The PAR framework allowed for a close working relationship to develop between the adult and young people but the closeness associated with PAR can raise specific ethical issues. This paper explores two specific issues: insider and outsider knowledge and a shift in power dynamics, and discusses how these issues were ameliorated as the project evolved.