Humour in studies with children and its effects on the child-perspective research process

Abstract

The purpose of this study is to investigate how humour affects the qualitative research process in studies of children’s perspectives. In this study, six researchers re-analyse data from five different studies from the perspective of humour using abductive content analysis. The data consist of transcribed audio and video recordings from children’s interviews and researchers’ field notes. The data have been collected with children (N = 48) aged 2–14 in Finland and Belgium between 2016–2022. We conclude that enabling humour in research relieves tension between children and the researcher, promotes confidential interaction, and encourages children to share more of their views.