Using Video: Part of a Matrix of Approaches to Securing Informed Consent

I am in the early stages of the fieldwork of my PhD research project which focuses on the impact of infant massage on families at times when they are also facing challenging life circumstances. I am a student at the Centre for Research in Early Childhood (CREC) in Birmingham and the University of Wolverhampton (both based in the UK). I have a background in early years teaching and children’s centres, and these roles as well as my own history have fuelled a strong interest in attachment relationships between young children and their carers. Whilst working alongside other early childhood practitioners in children’s centres, I began to gather anecdotes around the effectiveness of infant massage in work with families, particularly on a one-to-one basis as part of our home visiting service. It was here that the project was born!

From the outset, it became apparent that a close up, fine-grained ‘view’ of families’ experiences of baby massage was needed, with the aim of improving understanding of the function of this practice. I have developed a small-scale qualitative study, intending to collaborate with four families across two children’s centre sites, and using a range of methods (including video, arts-based activities, one-to-one interviews and focus groups) which we hope will enable us to get close to their life worlds.

A critical component of this study has been around securing fully informed consent from families who are facing challenging circumstances. My view is that this can only be achieved through a range or matrix of approaches, allowing for diverse learning styles across the group of participants. I was keen to develop an accessible explanation of the project, which families could share with friends and other family members, and revisit themselves whilst coming to a considered decision around participation. I drew inspiration from the researcher Helen Kara, who produced a short video introducing her new book on creative research methods, and who had talked about the use of animated consent videos in research work with young children. Additionally, I was involved in a small project led by the University of Wolverhampton that aimed to recruit new PhD students, and was filmed talking about my project and life as a training postgraduate researcher.

Liz_Rouse

Action Researcher, Liz Rouse

HERE is a link to the short information video I have put together (I consider myself to be very much a ‘beginner’ filmmaker!) The intention was to offer a brief introduction to the project and its aims, to be shared with potential participant families. It is therefore deliberately naturalistic, attempting to express the participatory and strength-based intentions of the project (drawing on appreciative inquiry and praxeological approaches, part of the action research family of research practices), and to begin to address any fears that potential participants may harbour around meeting a student researcher. To me it was also important that I experienced a little of what I was asking participating families to do – i.e. consent to being filmed!

I would very much appreciate any feedback from the wider research community in relation to this technique, as well as to other aspects of my research project. I hope to further develop the use of information videos in future research, so your thoughts and suggestions will strengthen my work going forward! Thank you!