Abstract
<jats:p>The monograph Children`s Voices: A Child-Centred Approach to Research (A Case Study of the Inclusion of Migrant Children) offers a comprehensive sociological analysis of the child-centred perspective, its characteristics, and the challenges of its implementation in research. It explores what child-centred research means in theory, the methodological approaches it entails, and the ethical issues it raises. The monograph also presents the research process as a space for reflecting on the role of the researcher, the power relations between adults and children within this process, and children as co-creators of the research process. The monograph is divided into three main sections: the first provides a theoretical definition of the child-centred perspective, the second examines the epistemological, methodological, and ethical aspects of researching children from a child-centred perspective, and the third presents an empirical case study. The child-centred perspective is characterised by placing children, their views, and opinions at the centre, recognising their agency, acknowledging the “contextuality” of children’s voices, and understanding the lives of (migrant) children beyond dualistic perspectives. Methodologically, the child-centred perspective is marked by the use of (innovative) methods, usually of a qualitative nature or a combination of methods, in which children are actively involved in the research process. However, the methods themselves are not inherently child-centred; rather, researchers play a central role through their reflexivity and ethical care beyond procedural ethics. The monograph also addresses the niche area at the intersection of child-centred research and the sociology of migration, recognising the importance of understanding (migrant) children’s experiences and views on migration and integration. The challenges of the child-centred perspective in researching the integration of migrant children are divided into three sections: challenges of definition, challenges of conducting research with children, and challenges related to recognising the complexity of migrant children’s lives. In the empirical section, five key themes are identified that characterise children’s views on integration in relation to language: 1) responsibility for integration, 2) othering, 3) the coexistence of inclusion and exclusion, 4) language as an element of vulnerability and agency, and 5) children as linguistic and intercultural mediators.</jats:p>