Using child-centered methods to explore young children's information experience

This poster describes the use of child-centered methods in a recent research project exploring young children’s information experience in a daycare setting. The project involved participant observation, child-led tours of the daycare, and photo-elicitation interviews. The strengths and weaknesses of each of these methods within the context of this research project are discussed, as well as the ethical implications of using child-centered methods in research with young children

Examining the red thread of information in young children’s interests: A child-centered approach to understanding information practices

This dissertation explored 5- to 7-year-old children’s information experience related to their individual interests. Using task-centered activities, participants articulated information wants that included descriptions, procedures, and explanations. They described information activities that involved information seeking (things, people, and experiences that “can tell you stuff”) and use (applying information to their activities and sharing information with others). Children faced challenges related to their own capabilities and skills, constraints of information sources, and parental restrictions when engaging in information activities, while enablers included the child’s personality, affordances of technology, and parental support

“I asked my mom a hundred times to put it on YouTube”: Unboxing videos in early childhood

Unboxing videos are an increasingly popular type of media consumed by young children worldwide. According to the most recent Common Sense Media survey, 34% of children eight years of age and younger in the United States often or sometimes watch this type of video online. When targeted to children, these videos feature products such as Shopkins, L.O.L. Surprise balls, and other toys being unpackaged and assembled on camera. This poster will present a case study of Rosabella, a 6-year-old girl who enjoys watching unboxing videos on YouTube and creating her own videos when she receives new toys. Data were collected through interviews, participant-generated photography, and photo-elicitation. Rosabella described engaging in a variety of information activities related to her interest in unboxing videos, including information seeking, creation, and sharing. For instance, she described watching CookieSwirlC, a popular YouTube channel with over 11 million subscribers. She also described ways in which her information activities are both facilitated and restricted by her parents. For example, Rosabella’s parents facilitate her information creation activities by recording her as she unpackages new toys. They also restrict her information sharing activities; Rosabella expressed a strong desire to share her unboxing videos with others, stating “I asked my mom a hundred times to put it on YouTube.” However, her mom said that the videos are “just for family.” Drawing on the case of Rosabella, this poster will also present a research agenda for further explorations of the unboxing video phenomenon as it relates to young children’s information practices

“Okay Okay Okay, Now the Video Is On”: An Analysis of Young Children’s Orientations to the Video Camera in Recordings of Family Interactions

This paper explores 3- to 6-year-old children’s orientations to the video camera in video recordings of everyday family interactions. Children’s orientations to the video camera in these recordings were identified and analyzed using the constant comparative method. Types of orientations to the video camera included talking about the camera, engaging in camera-directed talk and/or action, and interacting with the camera. In some cases, these orientations occurred after a parent or sibling first oriented to the video camera; however, in other cases no prior orientation was evident. Theoretical and practical implications of the results are discussed

Mobile Apps for Visual Research: Affordances and Challenges for Participant-Generated Photography

The incorporation of participant-generated photography in research can be a powerful means of studying participants\u27 perspectives and experiences. Approaches such as photovoice and photo-elicitation that incorporate participant-generated photography are increasingly being used in library and information science to study topics such as information needs, information seeking, and use of library space. This article describes two recent studies that used mobile apps (PixStori and EthOS) to facilitate participant-generated photography and photo-elicitation processes in research exploring the information practices of children and young adults, including the affordances, challenges and practical considerations identified by the researchers. Affordances of these apps within a research context include recordability, immediacy, portability, visibility, and durability. Challenges and practical considerations in using these apps in research settings include data security and storage, device failures, app failures, user instruction, cost, and ethical considerations. Implications for future research in library and information science are also explored

Creating Space for Youth Voice: Implications of Youth Disclosure Experiences for Youth-Centered Research

This paper examines youth’s disclosure experiences within the context of chronic illness, drawing on examples from IN•GAUGE, an on-going research program led by Dr. Roberta L. Woodgate. Youth’s descriptions of their disclosure experiences provide valuable insights into the ways in which they use their voice in everyday life. This examination of the disclosure experiences of youth offers a lens through which the concept of youth voice in the research process can be understood and youth’s agency foregrounded. We present implications for researchers, ethics boards, funding agencies, and others who engage in youth-centered research, and offer alternative terminology to use in characterizing the elicitation and dissemination of youth voice in the research process. We contend that conceptualizing such efforts as giving youth voice has the potential to discredit the significant agency and autonomy that youth demonstrate in sharing their stories, perspectives, and opinions within the research context. We advocate for the adoption of the phrase of providing or creating space for youth voice, as one alternative to the phrase giving youth voice

The Lived Experience of Anxiety and the Many Facets of Pain: A Qualitative, Arts-Based Approach

Background: Findings reported in this article emerged from the study titled “Youth’s Voices: Their Lives and Experiences of Living with an Anxiety Disorder.” Though the initial focus of this study was not on the pain experiences of youth living with an anxiety disorder, it became apparent from the very first interviews that pain and suffering was key in the youth lived experience, permeating their everyday lives and impeding their participation and functioning in the world. Aims: The aim of this article is to highlight the ways in which pain is a central experience for young people living with an anxiety disorder. Methods: The study was approached from the qualitative research design of hermeneutic phenomenology. Fifty-eight young people who were living with anxiety disorders and their parents participated in the study. Youth took part in multiple qualitative open-ended interviews and the participatory arts-based method of photovoice. Themes were developed using van Manen’s method of data analysis. Results: The overall theme emerged as “anxiety is very much about pain.” The four subthemes are (1) embodied experience of anxiety: physical pain; (2) a prominent symptom of anxiety: mental–emotional pain; (3) difficult interpersonal relationships: social pain; and (4) articulating their pain. Conclusions: Use of qualitative, arts-based methodologies provided the opportunity and space for youth with anxiety to articulate their multifaceted experience with pain in their own words. This work reinforces the need for use of qualitative approaches to understanding pain experiences in young people

Values, Risks, and Power Influencing Librarians\u27 Decisions to Host Drag Queen Storytime

This paper reports preliminary qualitative findings from a survey of public library staff who work at libraries that have and have not hosted drag queen storytimes (DQS), a popular but contested children\u27s program. Three constructs—values, risks, and power—are developed to describe how individual, library, and institutional forces combine to determine whether DQS occur. Findings contribute to limited scholarly work on DQS by including locations that have not hosted DQS and by engaging critically with how institutional forces shape library staffs\u27 decision-making around DQS. It is critical to understand factors contributing to this decision-making to inform contextually appropriate strategies for encouraging dialogue about DQS as well as LGBTQ+ visibility and justice in children\u27s programming. Moreover, DQS constitute a salient context through which to critically explore broader issues of power and inclusion in public libraries

Development, Learning, and Equity in Child- and Youth-Focused Courses in ALA-Accredited Master’s Programs

To support and empower the next generation of library and information science (LIS) practitioners, the LIS community must take seriously the opportunities and challenges that come with serving today’s children and youth. While LIS educators are uniquely positioned to promote equity-oriented understandings of child development and learning in their courses, the extent to which they currently do so is unknown. This poster presents in-progress findings of an analysis of child- and youth-focused course syllabi. The website of each ALA-accredited master’s program was examined to identify those courses focused on children and youth (including courses in the areas of children and youth services and school libraries). For each course, the syllabi and reading list was obtained by downloading those available online and/or contacting the instructor of record to request these materials. In our analysis, we focus on the extent to which the following are evident in these courses’ descriptions, learning objectives, readings, and assignments: 1) theories and concepts related to child development, learning, and equity; 2) emphasis on child- and youth-centered approaches to designing and delivering library programs and services; and 3) inclusion of emerging topics (e.g., library makerspaces) that reflect ongoing transformations within child and youth services. An understanding of the current curricula in courses related to children and youth is necessary to help LIS educators identify existing gaps between research, education, and practice. This analysis will yield timely insights into the range of approaches and orientations to childand youth-centered courses being offered by ALA-accredited master’s programs

“Alexa, where do babies come from?” Investigating children’s practices with intelligent personal assistants

Intelligent Personal Assistants (IPAs) (including smart speakers like Alexa/Siri) are rapidly proliferating and are now available globally in ~80 countries. Library and Information Science (LIS) literature is only beginning to examine their impact, especially within the context of children and their learning, and to determine implications for LIS education. This paper reviews the current LIS literature on IPAs, presents results of an exploratory content analysis of customer reviews of Amazon’s Echo Dot Kids, and proposes a preliminary research agenda focused on children’s IPA use