Data collection
Qualitative research
Underserved groups
Intersectionality
In many research efforts, the experiences of children from underserved or marginalized groups are excluded. Not because they don’t matter, but because they are often considered too complex or difficult to capture. The VOICE-IDENTITY Project by Terre des Hommes (TdH) Netherlands, however, decided to tackle this perceived barrier head-on.
Through a multi-country study in Bangladesh, Bolivia and the Netherlands, the team deliberately sought out children and caregivers from communities often overlooked in online safety work: children with disabilities, SOGIESC (Sexual Orientation, Gender Identity, Gender Expression, and Sexual Characteristics), and Indigenous children. Rather than allowing the challenges of inclusive research to be a barrier, the team designed an adaptable and layered methodology to ensure these perspectives were included, in consultation with children.
“An important [methodology] is we really take them [children] along in designing our research methodology, so really doing the research with them rather than for them”
Charlotte Tierolf, TdH Netherlands
Their diverse methods included:
Importantly, when working with children with hearing impairments, the team paid close attention to non-verbal cues, like body language and facial expressions, treating these signals as legitimate and valuable forms of data. The team also ensured that translators supporting the collection efforts understood responsible and ethical data collection practices to be able to effectively navigate the conversations with these principles in mind. These are the kinds of insights often missed in conventional data collection approaches.
Valuable data can look very different depending on who you’re working with. In some contexts, stories, symbols, or physical cues may carry as much meaning as text or numbers. When we don’t adapt our methods, we risk overlooking critical voices and perspectives.
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