How schoolchildren wrote articles: reflection on the application of the participation methodology

Context and relevance. The participatory approach, widely adopted in contemporary international research, is grounded in the socio-political principles of childhood sociology, which advocate for children's right to participate in decisions affecting their lives. This study examines participatory research with children, addressing power imbalances in educational settings by fostering child agency through collaborative knowledge production. Objective. To analyze the conditions enabling the development of child agency during the co-creation of scientific articles. Hypothesis. Participatory methodology, based on principles of ethical symmetry, enhances adolescent agency, while adults' reflexive positioning (researchers/teachers) serves as a critical factor in rebalancing child-adult power dynamics and improving collaborative outcomes. Methods and materials. A monographic case-study approach was employed, utilizing qualitative methods: textual analysis (children’s academic outputs, chat logs), semi-structured interviews (with participants and teacher), focus groups, observation. Results. Adolescents demonstrated agency through autonomous topic selection, methodological decisions, and data interpretation. The key manifestations of adolescent agency were identified: independent goal setting, self-organization, critical understanding of information, and transformation of social relations. Conclusions. Participatory methodology enhances child agency while developing research competencies, offering a model for equitable child-adult collaboration in school. Success factors: power balance maintenance through negotiated roles, adult reflexivity in scaffolding support, communicative environment fostering equitable participation.

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