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Methodological and ethical issues in research with street children: an urban and regional planner’s perspectives

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Abstract

The growing interest in street children’s research in the field of urban and regional planning has been influenced by the renewed recognition of the importance of the spatial context of social issues. This paper is a recount of the author’s fieldwork experience supported by existing theoretical, conceptual and historical literature in dealing with the methodological and ethical issues in research with street children. The author reflected on the definitional problem of the subject matter, the research design, the sampling dilemma, and the sapiential strategies of engaging children and data analytical issues. The imperative of the definitional clarity, the integrity of drawing data from more than one vantage position and the importance of cultural immersion were accentuated. The paper also reinforced the sensitiveness of ethical issues in researching street children. Although the author’s recital in this paper contributes to knowledge in street children research in any discipline, it is more beneficial to researchers in urban and regional planning and related academic fields.

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  1. Department of Urban and Regional Planning, Bells University of Technology, Ota, Nigeria

    David Victor Ogunkan

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Ogunkan, D.V. Methodological and ethical issues in research with street children: an urban and regional planner’s perspectives. Qual Quant 56, 1139–1158 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11135-021-01169-9

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