"It is refreshing to see a book such as this which is both broad in its conceptualization of the field of child research and deep in its focus. The volume′s editors are paragons of awareness when it comes to the need for interdisciplinary research and theory to illuminate the lives and experience of children" - Professor James Garbarino, Loyola University Chicago

"It is refreshing to see a book such as this which is both broad in its conceptualization of the field of child research and deep in its focus. The volume′s editors are paragons of awareness when it comes to the need for interdisciplinary research and theory to illuminate the lives and experience of children."
- James Garbarino, Loyola University Chicago

"Covers a satisfying and unprecedentedly wide range of research relating to childhood. The contributors include many eminent international scholars of childhood, making the book a valuable resource for child researchers. Child advocates will also find the book to be invaluable in their efforts to improve children’s well-being, and to change policies and practices for the better."
- Anne Smith, University of Otago

"A really scintillating collection that will provide a lasting perspective on child studies - stimulating and comprehensive!"
- Jonathan Bradshaw, University of York

In keeping with global changes in children′s social and legal status, this Handbook includes examination of children as family members, friends, learners, consumers, people of faith, and participants in law and politics. The contributors also discuss the methodological and ethical requirements for research that occurs in natural settings and that enables children themselves to describe their perspective.

The book is divided into three parts:

• Part I: Setting-Specific Issues in Child Research
• Part II: Population-Specific Issues in Child Research
• Part III: Methods in Research on Children and Childhood

INTRODUCTION
The Nature and Scope of Child Research: Learning About Children’s Lives - Gary B. Melton
PART ONE: SETTING-SPECIFIC ISSUES IN CHILD RESEARCH
The Setting of Childhood - Asher Ben-Arieh
Childhood as a Legal Status - Roger J.R. Levesque
Children as Political Actors - Anu Toots, Natalie Worley, Anna Skosireva
Children, Religion, and Spiritual Development: Reframing a Research Agenda - Eugene C. Roehlkepartain, Peter L. Benson
Children as Patients - Priscilla Alderson
Children as Consumers - Ragnhild Brusdal, Ivar Frønes
Young Children as Learners - Jan Kampmann
Children as Family Members - Jennifer Mason, Becky Tipper
Children as Friends - Steven R. Asher, Whitney A. Brechwald, Kristina L. McDonald
PART TWO: POPULATION-SPECIFIC ISSUES IN CHILD RESEARCH
Children in Exceptional Circumstances - Judith Cashmore
Research on Ethnic Minority Children: A Tale of Risk and Resilience - Oscar Barbarin, Emma Sterrett, Dari Jigjidsuren
Sexual Minority Youth and Youth with Sexual Minority Parents - Charlotte J. Patterson
Children Who Have Disabilities - Patricia Sloper, Bryony Beresford
Youth Who Have Broken the Law - Michael R. McCart, Terje Ogden, Scott W. Henggeler
Children as Witnesses - Kelly McWilliams, Else-Marie Augusti, Jacinthe Dion, Stephanie D. Block, Annika Melinder, Judith Cashmore, Gail S. Goodman
Child Maltreatment and Bullying - Kelly McWilliams, Gail S. Goodman, Juliana Raskauskas, Ingrid M. Cordon
Children Living Away from Home - Judith Cashmore
Refugees, Asylum-Seekers, Displaced Persons: Children in Precarious Positions - Jacqueline J. Goodnow
PART THREE: METHODS IN RESEARCH ON CHILDREN AND CHILDHOOD
Challenges and Innovations in Research on Childhood - Drika Weller, Sue Hobbs, Gail S. Goodman
Interviewing Children: A Primer - Karen J. Saywitz, Lorinda B. Camparo
Children as Self-Informants in Longitudinal Studies: Substantive Findings and Methodological Issues - Amy Dworsky
Use of Administrative Data in Childhood Research - Robert Goerge, Bong Joo Lee
Children Taking Photos and Photographs: A Route to Children’s Involvement and Participation and a ‘Bridge’ to Exploring Children’s Everyday Lives - Kim Rasmussen
Time-Use Studies - Lyn Craig
Parents’ Reports about Their Children’s Lives - Marc H. Bornstein
Adults’ Memories of Their Own Childhoods - David B. Pillemer, Ryan A. Dickson
School-Aged Children as Sources of Information about Their Lives - Michal Soffer, Asher Ben-Arieh
Infants and Young Children as Sources of Information about Their Own Lives: Methodology and Findings - Harlene Hayne, Karen Tustin
Children as Researchers: We Have a Lot to Learn - Tove I. Dahl