Mapping Powerful Constellations in Childhood and Youth Research. Critical Reflections on a Participatory Research Process With Young People

Abstract

Participatory approaches face significant scientific pressure for legitimacy, particularly in German-language childhood and youth research, and reports on studies with collaborative methods remain underrepresented. At the same time, participation of young people is becoming increasingly important, also in scientific contexts, and participatory methods are currently used more frequently. Against this background, I first report in this article on the completed Peer2Peer project, in which young people participated extensively as co-researchers. I then discuss the diverse data material of the study employing three mapping tools of situational analysis in order to enable retrospective reflection on the research process in its entirety. As a result, relational networks and constellations as well as the research ethical complexity of studies with young people become visible. The selected approach is beneficial and contributes to a power-sensitive discourse with regard to the redemption of participation rights. It also provides further critical perspectives, including on (participatory) social science research.