Child Agency in Design
A Scoping Review of Co-design and Participatory Design Methods with Children
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.29147/datjournal.v11i2.1047Keywords:
Co-design, Participatory design, Children, Child Agency, Scoping ReviewAbstract
This study conducted a scoping review to map co-design and participatory design methods used with children, focusing on practices that promote child agency in the creation process. The analysis of 137 articles revealed a methodological ecosystem based on six typologies: participatory structuring, idea and meaning generation, materialization and iteration, context and experience understanding, deliberation and decision, and mediating technologies. The application contexts cover Education and Learning, Health and Well-being, Technology and Interaction, Culture and Citizenship, and Methodological Design. The study identified five central dimensions for promoting children's agency: agenda setting, design co-authorship, reflexivity, multimodal expression, and the right to refuse. These findings demonstrate that co-design with children is a multidimensional, ethical, and political field, which establishes them as co-authors and decision-makers, reconfiguring power relations in the design process.
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![Capa da publicação científica DAT Journal (Design, Art and Technology Journal). No topo, destaca-se a tipografia em caixa alta e verde-limão com o nome da revista, intercalada pelo logotipo estilizado "dat]" em minúsculas. Abaixo do título, encontra-se a identificação da edição: "v.11 n.2 2026". A composição visual apresenta um fundo gráfico abstrato com formas geométricas e texturas digitais contrastantes.](https://datjournal.emnuvens.com.br/public/journals/1/cover_issue_36_pt_BR.jpg)
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