Researching children’s physical environment: a systematic review of research methods Sara El-Husseiny and Yasser Mansour Architecture Department, Ain Shams University, Cairo, Egypt Mohab Elrefaie Urban Planning Department, Ain Shams University, Cairo, Egypt, and Ahmed El Antably Architectural Engineering and Environmental Design Department, Arab Academy for Science, Technology and Maritime Transport, Cairo, Egypt Abstract Purpose – The aim is to examine, critique, and synthesize commonly used methodological approaches that capture middle-aged children’s experiences of their physical environments. Design/methodology/approach – The systematic review identified 174 empirical studies from peer-reviewed journals published in English between 2014 and 2023. Fifty-two studies met the inclusion criteria. A thematic analysis (1) identified study characteristics and common methodological approaches, (2) synthesized the literature to reveal major themes and trends, and (3) pointed out significant research gaps. Findings – Qualitative methods, combining traditional and participatory approaches, are most effective in capturing children’s spatial experiences. Participatory methods offer more authentic insights and reduce power imbalances compared to traditional methods. Place-based methods, such as child-led walks and participant observations, are particularly valuable for capturing the multidimensional and sensory aspects of children’s interactions with their environments. Research limitations/implications – The choice of keywords, selected databases, and the English-language criterion restricted the number of captured reviewed articles that might contribute to the topic. Originality/value – This systematic review contributes to a deeper understanding of the methodological approaches used in researching middle-aged children’s experiences of their physical environments. It highlights common strategies used with children to communicate their experience of place, identifying the strengths and limitations of each method. Additionally, the review discusses the various aspects of space revealed by different methods. Keywords Power, Traditional methods, Participatory methods, Middle-age children, Place-based methods, Spatial experience Paper type Research paper Introduction Over the past few years, children’s experiences and perceptions received attention from different academic disciplines (Greene and Hogan, 2005). These disciplines focused on how children experienced their world differently from adults (Punch, 2002; Christensen and James, 2008). Nevertheless, adult expectations shaped most of these studies (Wyness, 2015). Therefore, many disciplines witnessed an increased interest in listening to children’s voices and understanding their inner experiences (Hart, 1992; Greene and Hogan, 2005). They sought to develop new methodological approaches for research “with” and “for” children rather than “on” children (James et al., 1998). They called for methodologies that help researchers access and understand children’s worlds. As a result, new methods for engaging children in research have emerged within the humanities and social sciences by adapting methods used initially with adults (Greene and Hogan, 2005; Punch, 2002). They started from the assumption that no adult, even the most skilled ethnographer, can fully comprehend children’s understanding of their worlds (Christensen, 2004). Archnet-IJAR: International Journal of Architectural Research The current issue and full text archive of this journal is available on Emerald Insight at: https://www.emerald.com/insight/2631-6862.htm Received 30 August 2024 Revised 22 November 2024 3 December 2024 Accepted 6 December 2024 Archnet-IJAR: International Journal of Architectural Research © Emerald Publishing Limited e-ISSN: 1938-7806 p-ISSN: 2631-6862 DOI 10.1108/ARCH-08-2024-0372