Child Study Movement

Children have been the focus of many studies, and there is a long tradition of research on children in the social sciences. Nonetheless, the nature of children's involvement in research has been changing in accordance with the way in which childhood is viewed in society. Children have progressed from being merely the object of the study, or background actors, to being the subject of the study in the role of main actors, where their insights and experiences are the core interest of the researchers. This entry describes and discusses the changes that have taken place in the child study movement over the years, from the old paradigm that dominated the child study movement until the 1990s to the new paradigm for the study of children today, which focuses mainly on children's participation in research. In that connection, methodological and ethical issues concerning the involvement and participation of children in research are presented.