Doing comparative research with children and young people

To outline first the project design, we interviewed children and young people from 12 countries in Europe, from those just starting school at 6 years old to those coming to the end of their school career at 16 years old. Some live in rural surroundings, others in suburbs, others in city centers, and they come from households that vary considerably in income and social class. In all, we surveyed some 11,000 6 to 16-year-olds in four age bands (6-7, 9-10, 12-13, and 15-16 years).1 Where funding allowed, we surveyed them face-toface; many others completed questionnaires in their classrooms. Using qual- itative, in-depth interviewing, we interviewed several hundred more. Their willing, often enthusiastic, participation in our project and their readiness to answer our questions at length added to the quality of the material collect- ed. They were keen to contribute to a book about children and new media, and felt this addressed issues of importance to them.