======= Date Modified 07 33 2010 21:33:48 =======
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Hi Button,

My PhD looks solely at talking to children with SEN, and I had similar doubts about getting access to the children. I ended up going through schools and this worked fine for me.

You have two options. You can approach the local education authority and ask them to send out a letter on your behalf to all parents of children with SEN (children with SEN are registered at schools and this data should feed to the LEA), or you can go through schools, sending letters home to parents via the children. The problem you may have with this option is that some schools don't tell the parent their child is registered on the SEN register and so you may only end up with statemented children's parents, similarly this might happen if you go through the LEA.

I ended up with quite small samples (not an issue for me as my research is qualitative) as I had to get consent from parents and so faced similar problems with access (mainly schools fearing a backlash from parents about their child being labelled as having SEN), so I guess it depends on what you want to do.

I hope this helps... don't worry too much, you will get there in the end!! If you're passionate about the topic, stick to it!! I love what I do despite it being a pain in the rear at times!

Let me know if you need any further help.:-)

Jinkim, thanks so much for your reply! I guess I just needed some reassurance that obviously, it is possible to do, just difficult!

Like you, I'm planning to gather qualitative research, so I guess I don't have the worry of needing lots and lots of participants. As I'm planning to do interviews, I'm aware of the amount of time needed to transcribe etc, so I know my sample is going to be fairly small.

I think I will try firstly through schools, and see how I get on there.

Just a couple of questions though, and I'd be really grateful if you could give me some insight:
-Are the LEA likely to agree to sending out a letter on my behalf, or would this be quite difficult? No problem if you're unsure, I'd just imagine that this would be quite a difficult route to go down

-Were you very familiar with the school/schools that you contacted e.g had you worked in them? I conducted my first degree dissertation at my old primary school, and I have also done some work experience/volunteering at two other schools. The only thing is I've recently moved house which is a long way from these schools! Would it perhaps be beneficial to put in the extra effort and try and contact parents through these schools that I already have links with, or should I try and get some volunteering in a local school during my MA and try to gain access to parents that way?

Thanks a million for your help though, I'm so grateful! Hope your PhD is coming along well, and it's great to know that there's someone on here in a similar field!

Also, if anyone else has any advice/past experiences please share, even if they're not directly relevant!

With regard to the LEA access, as long as you have a good rationale for the research, then I don't see it being a problem, but as I didn't go down this route I can't be certain they would be able to help you. There are obviously data protection issues, but if you asked them to send the letters and parents replied directly to you, you would only have access to those who volunteer and therefore the confidentiality of other families would still be protected, if you get my drift.

About the schools, I worked with schools I'd previously had no contact with. I wrote to all schools fitting my criteria and waited for them to get back to me. Generally schools are pretty welcoming, but for a few I had to ring up and ask to speak to the Head or SENCO to get permission - schools can be busy and therefore overlook letters sometimes.

I personally think, for research and ethical purposes, it is best if there is no personal relation to the school. However, I did use one school I worked in only because I was at a loss and needed another school. But in this instance I didn't do any research with the year group I worked in, but only worked with kids who didn't know me/ hadn't met me personally at school. If you're working with parents, it shouldn't be a problem, but I'd avoid interviewing anyone you know personally. It all depends on what you're researching though.

Sorry if any of this seems rambling or muddled. Hope it helps!

Hey Button! I have had similar worries about getting access to enough participants for my PhD. My area is Alzheimer's disease, so obviously different from yours but the struggle to get enough people is similarly stressful I think, although I obviously have longer to recruit mine! I would explore as many options as you can- try recruiting through schools but also through support groups as you say, look online and in newspapers for group meetings of this sort, and perhaps go along to a meeting and introduce yourself and your work if they are happy to let you do that. Maybe think about putting up posters in relevant places with permission, at the doctor's or the library or wherever. Just keep going and remember that every single one counts, so even if you explore an avenue and only get a single participant, remind yourself that it's worth it. And remember to be flexible and emphasize that the appointment time for the research will fit in with their routine and not put them out too much. Be persistent and eventually the participants will trickle in and you will get going. How many people do you need? I have found that a lot of people with dementia and their carers actually really value talking to a researcher about issues that affect them, and the people who have come forward to help with the research have been fantastic. I'm sure you'll be fine, just get going as soon as you can as keep at it! Best of luck! KB

Keenbean thanks a lot for the advice. My supervisor has suggested that I should only aim for around 10-20 participants as I'm planning to do in-depth interviews, so I'm feeling much more positive now, and feeling like it is definitely achievable!

Thanks for your help!

Try netmums.com or any other related facebook group - infiltrate them and then post your study