ABSTRACT
Conducting research with groups of children likely requires collaboration with child-serving organizations, primarily schools. However, tourism researchers and professionals may not have ongoing relationships with those organizations. Those partnerships may be necessary to help design and conduct empirical studies, evaluate educational content developed by the site for classroom use, or to field-test interpretive resources such as children’s booklets, audio tours, or activities. Accordingly, this chapter outlines proven strategies to identify, sustain, and grow such beneficial partnerships. Safeguards for children’s participation include securing child protection clearances and research approvals; engaging parents and guardians; promoting children’s safety and well-being while traveling; and becoming an unobtrusive participant-observer during children’s visits. Logistics include funding, itinerary planning, research equipment management (and instruction, when children collect their own data), and non-disruptive data collection times and spaces. Using case illustrations, this chapter offers practical suggestions for how to initiate and sustain research partnerships with schools and sites.
