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Excerpts from the above report are copied below. The full report is downloadable from the bottom of this page.
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Introduction
Researchers and practitioners use a range of approaches for collecting information from individuals (e.g., written surveys, in-person interviews, telephone interviews, computerbased surveys). The literature provides numerous studies to support the use of these approaches with adults but is much more limited in describing and testing the use of these methods with children. Recognizing the complexity of collecting information from children ages 9 to 13, the Lucile Packard Foundation for Children’s Health commissioned ETR Associates to conduct an in-depth analysis of different research methods for soliciting information directly from children ages 9 to 13.
This report provides a practitioner-oriented summary of research on eight common methods used to collect data from children ages 9 to 13, including important considerations, advantages and drawbacks. The information stems from an array of disciplines, such as education, health promotion, sociology, psychology, and survey research methods. The report focuses only on studies that tested the use of the methods with children (e.g., compared methods, examined data quality), not on all studies in which these methods have been used.
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from the Summary (p. 22)
The research on collecting data from children suggests that, in general, children ages 9 years and older are capable of contributing valid information about their own feelings, experiences, behaviors and physical symptoms through many of the traditional data collection methods, such as diaries, in-person interviews, written surveys, and computerbased surveys (Rebok et al., 2001). Observational methods also can be used with this age group. Children in the upper end of the 9-13 age range (i.e., 11-13) tend to have stronger language skills and higher levels of cognitive functioning, both of which contribute to better quality data.
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