Dirk Schubotz

Involving young people as peer researchers in research on

community relations in Northern Ireland

The key challenge

‘All too often the opinions of young people are ignored when decisions are made about many issues involving them.‘ (YLT)

Our ambition is to produce social research that is:

1. Academically sound;2. Relevant to young people; 3. Informative to social policy makers, but also4. Critical towards social policy.

Framework

Research • on children and young people• with children and young people• empowering children and young people (Borland et al. 2001)

1. UNCRC: Articles 12 and 132. NI Children’s Order (1995)3. NI ten year strategy for children and young people

(2006)

About YLT

1998-2000• YLT run alongside NILT• All 12-17-year olds living in the same household

as adult researchers

2001/02• Review of methodological approach

Since 2003 • Annual stand-alone survey of 16-year olds

About YLT

• Every 16-year old born in February of the survey year who receives Child Benefit (ca. 2,000 eligible young people each year)

• Postal questionnaire (also online and phone completion possible)

• Initially large-scale survey design with no participatory element or significant qualitative question

About YLTCommunity relations and cross-community contact - asked since 2003

Education - asked since 2003

Identity – asked since 2003

Family - asked since 2006

Health - asked since 2004

Environment and global issues - asked in 2006

Child poverty and rights of child – asked in 2007

Politics - asked in 2004 and 2007

Pressures and influences - asked in 2004, 2005, 2007 and 2008

Self-harm and emotional health – asked in 2008

Attitudes to minority ethnic groups – asked in 2008

Background and social capital - asked since 2003

Means of participation in YLT

1. Participatory elements in the survey design

2. Giving active feedback on survey results

3. Qualitative follow-up projects involving young people

4. Involving peer researchers in projects

5. Competitions (e.g. essay, photo)

‘Participatory’ survey?

• Ask open questions• Ask respondents to suggest questions for next

year’s survey• Alternate question format and style to reflect

societal changes

Challenge: Time series survey questions ‘don’t like’ to be changed…

‘Participatory’ survey?

‘Is there anything else you would like to say about community relations in Northern Ireland?’

• 1,500 open responses since 2003

‘What questions do you think we should be asking respondents in next year’s survey?’

• Each year we incorporate up to five suggestions in the new survey

‘I think Young Life and Times is a very good opportunity for young people to get their views

taken into perspective.’

(YLT respondent, 2003)

Follow-up projects so far

1. ‘Voices behind the Statistics’ (with NCB) (2003/4)

2. ‘Being Part and Parcel of the School’ (with NCB, commissioned by NICCY) (2005/6)

3. ‘Cross-community schemes: participation, motivation mandate.’ (Peace II) (2007/8)

4. ‘Attitudes to Difference’ (with NCB) (2008/9)

5. Self-injury and emotional health (Nuffield Foundation) (2008/9)

Levels of participation

1. Being informed (Recipient) Young people being informed about research being carried

out

2. Expressing a view (Participant) Young people as research participants/respondents

3. Influencing decision-making (Peer Researcher, or having an advisory role)

Young people with some say in research process

4. Deciding partners (Colleague Researcher) Young people making joint decisions with adult

researchers

5. Main deciders (Leader) Young people with authority to make final decisions(Kirby 1999)

Cross-community schemes

• Background:– 93% of pupils in NI attend single-religion

schools– Two thirds of people in NI live in religiously

segregated areas– Participation in cross-community projects is

positively related to more favourable views towards others

Cross-community schemes

Feelings towards other religious community

Favourable Neither favourable nor unfavourable

Unfavourable

CatholicsTaken part in cross-community event

42 49 9

Not taken part in cross-community event

33 54 13

Did attend planned integrated school

46 48 6

Did not attend planned integrated school

39 52 10

ProtestantsTaken part in cross-community event

41 49 10

Not taken part in cross-community event

26 58 15

Did attend planned integrated school

43 51 6

Did not attend planned integrated school

36 52 12

Cross-community schemes

Questions:• What is the motivation of young people to

take part in projects outside the school context?

• What are their experiences of participation• What is the mandate of youth workers to run

these projects

Cross-community schemes

Research design– One module in 2007 YLT survey– 8 peer researchers recruited through YLT

survey– One research methods training day– Field work in teams of 2(+1) in 4 cross-

community projects– Data analysis day– Presentation/dissemination of findings

‘It has also been a pleasure working with you, being a peer researcher with YLT/ARK has opened many doors for me, I am now a lot more confident, and have made many new friends, and also being able to attend the Save the Children event and getting my face on the big screen and appear at the Mitchell Conference was great. Thank you very much for all your hard work with us. Thanks very much again, I will keep in touch.’Cross-community schemes project, 2007/08

Attitudes to difference

Background– Increased inward migration to N Ireland– Over-exaggeration of proportion of people

from minority ethnic communities in NI– Little research about inter-ethnic relations– Belfast the ‘hate crime capital of Europe’??

Attitudes to Difference

Research design– One module in 2008 YLT survey– Follow-up in 8 schools

• All-school survey;• Interactive Talkshops with Year 5/6 students;• Interviews with people from minority ethnic groups.

– 10 (+2) peer researchers recruited from participating schools (two training days)

– Data analysis day– Presentation/dissemination of findings

Background data

2004 2005 2008

Less than 1% 2 4 2

1-5% 18 19 10

6-10% 25 24 24

11-20% 27 18 31

More than 20% 15 12 24

Don’t know 11 17 9

No answer 3 7 1

Among the figures below, which come closest to the proportion of people from minority ethnic background living in NI?

‘I had fun working with everyone in the group. YR training – very helpful and helps me understand how important it is to interact and respect other people’s ideas and opinions.’

‘I think that the two-day training was excellent, but also that the project as a whole is an amazing opportunity towards an excellent cause and I would love to be a part of it.’

Benefits

From the senior researchers’ perspective

1. Better Research • (rapport with young people, common language,

access to hard-to reach groups, insightful)

From the peer researchers’ perspective

1. Capacity building and personal development for peer researchers

• (self esteem, biographical effects, new friends)

2. Involvement of young people as citizens

Further Challenges

1. Providing appropriate research training;

2. Selection of researchers and research contract;

3. Different levels of ability among peer researchers;

4. Creating a research team spirit;

5. Keeping the momentum going;

Further Challenges

5. Dealing with hierarchies in research (e.g. gender, seniority)

6. Keeping young people interested;

7. Preventing peer researchers from ‘going native’ (Do they listen or do they already ‘know’);

8. Assuring quality standard of research (confidentiality, ethical considerations);

9. Decision on research output and level of involvement of peer researchers in this.

Sharing and promoting dataAll data made publicly available

www.ark.ac.uk/ylt

• Downloadable datasets and questionnaire; • Results tables (by gender and religion);• Open-ended responses (un-edited, summarised;• Teaching tutorials (ARK in Schools project);• Publications in different formats (summary leaflets,

research seminars, PP presentations, press releases, Research Updates, ‘academic’ publications);

• Edited book using YLT data (2008);• Dataset archived annually with UK Data Archive.

Dirk Schubotz

Involving young people as peer researchers in research on

community relations in Northern Ireland