Researching Children and Youth: Methodological Issues, Strategies, and Innovations, part of the Sociological Studies of Children and Youth series, seeks to fill a void in current publications directly addressing the problems and pitfalls that often accompany researching children and youth in today’s society. Sociologists face increasingly limited access to children and youth given their “vulnerable” status, growing requirements from Institutional Review Boards, and more restricted access from organizations and educational institutions. As a result, researchers must be creative in the pursuit of researching kids and teens. Chapters in this volume address such topics as participatory and feminist ethnographic approaches, digital mining, children’s agency, and navigating IRBs. The importance of contextualizing sociological research with children with special consideration of space, location, and identity thematically runs throughout all of the contributions to this volume.

Table of Contents:
The Continued Importance of Research with Children and Youth: The 'New' Sociology of Childhood 40 Years Later - Melissa Swauger, Ingrid E. Castro, and Brent Harger SECTION I: METHODOLOGICAL ISSUES: ETHICS, LOCATIONS, AND ROLES The IRB as Gatekeeper: Effects on Research with Children and Youth - Brent Harger and Melissa Quintela Utilizing Youth Advocates and Community Agencies in Research with LGBTQ Young People: Ethical and Practical Considerations - Vanessa R. Panfil, Jody Miller, and Maren Greathouse Maneuvering the Stormy Waters of Ethnography in an Inner-City School: Reflections from the Field - Anne Scheer Researcher Positionality in Participant Observation with Preschool Age Children: Challenges and STartegies for Establishing Rapport with Teachers and Children Simultaneously - Heidi M. Gansen Researcher as College Coach: Dilemmas and Possibilities in Fieldwork with Adolescents - Melanie Jones Gast SECTION II: METHODOLOGICAL STRATEGIES: THEORY, AGENCY, AND VOICE The Cherished Conceits of Research with Children: Does Seeking the Agentic Voice of the Child through Participatory Methods Deliver What it Promises? - Jessica Clark and Sarah Richards Contextualizing Agency in High-Structure Environments: Children's Participation in Parent Interviews - Ingrid E. Castro Subverting the Research Encounter: Context, Structure, and Agency in the Creative Analysis of Research Data - Sally McNamee and Sam Frankel Challenges and Opportunities for Conducting Research on Children of Incarcerated Fathers - Kristin Turney, Britni L. Adams, Emma Conner, Rebecca Goodsell, and Janet Muñiz Sharpening Theory and Methodology to Explore Racialized Youth Peer Cultures - Ana Campos-Holland SECTION III: METHODOLOGICAL INNOVATIONS: VISUALS, MEDIA, AND TECHNOLOGY 'Is that a Mom and Dad Church?' Children's Constructions of Meaning through Focus Group Interviews - Henry Zonio Learning about Inequality from Kids: Interviewing Strategies for Getting Beneath Equality Rhetoric - Tricia McTague, Carissa Froyum, and Barbara J. Risman 'The Celebrity Thing': Using Photographs of Celebrities in Child-Centered Ethnographic Interviews with White Kids about Race - Margaret Ann Hagerman Digital Ethnography and Youth Culture: Methodological Techniques and Ethical Dilemmas - Alecea Standlee Accessing Children's Digital Practices at Home through Visual Methods: Innovations and Challenges - Ana Nunes de Almeida, Diana Carvalho, and Ana Delicado AFTERWORD - MY KIDS: FAIR WARNINGS AND BRAZEN METHODS - Gary Alan Fine Index