ASEAN Social Work Journal
Vol. 14 No. 1, June 2026

Challenges in Implementing Participatory Poverty Research with Children: Methodological and Ethical Reflections for Practice in Japan

Sheng Chen (Junior College Division, Shokei University, Japan)



Article Info

Publish Date
29 Jun 2026

Abstract

This study examines the challenges of implementing participatory poverty research with children. Conventional poverty research has largely been led by adult researchers, and the concept of child poverty has been constructed without clarifying how children perceive poverty. Although Japanese scholars have recently begun calling for incorporating children’s perspectives into poverty research, little progress has been made in developing empirical methodologies. To address this issue, in addition to the “expert knowledge” of researchers, participatory research in which children take an active role as participants is important. However, due to practical difficulties in implementation, participatory poverty research in Japan remains limited, with most efforts focused on adults and little to no involvement of children. This study draws on participatory poverty research with children in the UK, which has a rich history of such research. Using a framework developed from participatory poverty research with adults in Japan, this study examines how the challenges identified in that framework are manifested and addressed in UK studies with children. Through this analysis, the study aims to clarify specific methodological and ethical considerations for future practice in Japan.

Copyrights © 2026






Journal Info

Abbrev

asw

Publisher

Subject

Humanities Environmental Science Social Sciences

Description

ASEAN Social Work Journal (ASWJ) is an international social work journal, double-blind peer-reviewed, open-access journal mandated by the ASEAN Social Work Consortium (ASWC) to be published by the country of Indonesia, specifically the Indonesian Social Work Consortium (ISWC). ISWC was established ...