Understanding and creating learning spaces in research with primary children in Tanzania

Education research is largely done on rather than with children and their experiences of learning have often been neglected in the global South. This paper presents the approach taken to increase participation and visibility of children in a comparative case study of school, home and neighbourhood learning spaces in Tanzanian primary schools. I outline the creative, spatial methods developed to enable children to share their perceptions and experiences of learning, including arts-based methods; go-alongs; and photo-elicitation interviews. I highlight the possibilities that each method opened up but also flag limitations and how these were mitigated through multiple methods. The paper extends the discussion of the benefits of multiple methods and highlights the value of multiple sources of data within methods and of penetrating multiple layers of interpretation. Finally, the paper highlights how the creation of new research spaces offered additional insight into and opportunities for children’s learning beyond home and school.