Dr Rosalind Willi recently passed her viva voce, with no corrections. The focus of her thesis was the wellbeing of Syrian Armenian children in situations of displacement and return. In this blog she talks about her fieldwork, her methodologies, and her experiences carrying out her doctoral research at IDS.
Interviewer: What was your career path before undertaking this PhD?
Rosalind: Before starting my PhD, I had spent almost a decade working in the development and child protection sector across various countries. My work always centred around research and children’s rights – themes that naturally evolved into the focus of my doctoral research.
Interviewer: Why did you choose to come to IDS?
Rosalind: IDS stood out to me for its strong focus on interdisciplinary, applied, and practice-based research and its deep commitment to participatory methods. The opportunity to be part of a research community grounded in real-world impact and critical reflection was incredibly appealing.
Interviewer: What drew you to this particular area of study?
Rosalind: I’ve long been interested in the concept of wellbeing and for many years worked on impact evaluations focused on interventions to enhance children’s wellbeing. But with this PhD, I wanted to turn the usual approach on its head. (My thesis title was Homecoming or last resort? Exploring children’s wellbeing in situations of displacement and return. The experiences of Syrian Armenian children and their families in the context of family support services in Armenia.)
Instead of measuring predefined wellbeing indicators, I sought to understand how children, their families, and professionals themselves define and experience wellbeing. I was also drawn to the underexplored topic of return migration and mobility, particularly among children. Having grown up in a country different from my parents and later returning to live there, this theme resonates with my personal experience too. Yet my story of return mobility could not have been more different from those of the children I encountered in Armenia, who moved from their homes in Syria to Armenia due to the Syrian war, sometimes via multiple other countries. My family and I neither experienced war, nor forced mobility. I was intrigued to learn about children’s perspectives and strategies towards wellbeing, against the backdrop of having experienced mobility and conflict.
Interviewer: How did you choose your supervisors, and can you describe your relationship with them?
Rosalind: My supervisors are Keetie Roelen and Dorte Thorsen. I was inspired by their research work spanning social protection, mobility and migration and children and young people, which was a perfect fit for my topic. From the outset, they have been brilliant, generous, and deeply supportive. I have learnt so much from them throughout the PhD journey, not just in terms of contents and research skills, but also in terms of being empathetic, professional and supportive mentors. Their mentorship has extended well beyond the PhD programme.
Interviewer: What methodology did you use for your research and why?
Rosalind: I adopted a child-centred ethnographic and participatory approach, tailored to the diverse ages, preferences, and abilities of my participants – from children aged three to young people aged 21. I also worked with the children and young people’s adult family members, as well as professionals providing support services to these families – from social workers, psychologists, to government officials. The methods I used included photovoice, drawing, play, going along, biographical interviews, observation, workshops, informal chats, as well as more traditional methods like semi-structured interviews. The adaptive use of different methods with children helped me account for power dynamics in the research by letting the children dictate which methods they were interested in. I carried out nine months of fieldwork in Yerevan, Armenia.
Interviewer: What was the most significant or surprising finding from your research?
Rosalind: One of the most striking findings was the divergence in how adults and children perceive wellbeing. Adults often focused on material or behavioural aspects, while children highlighted emotional connections, a sense of belonging, and their own strategies for navigating change. It was inspiring to see the creative, flexible ways that children built pathways to wellbeing, often under challenging circumstances. Children’s experiences of mobility could inform their wellbeing strategies but did not have to. This reinforces how wellbeing does not necessarily have to be influenced by migrant status, but also by other factors and experiences related to social relations, gender, or institutions like school. This really reinforced the importance of listening to children’s voices directly.
Interviewer: How do you hope your research will be used in the future? What change would you like to see?
Rosalind: I hope this research contributes to a shift in how we design support for children and families – putting children’s perspectives at the centre. Too often, children’s ideas are not considered in interventions meant to help them and their families, such as family or parenting support services. I want to see them recognised not just as passive or indirect recipients, but as active agents with valuable insights.
Moreover, in specialised interventions for families who have experienced mobility, many different wellbeing understandings come together. The wellbeing framework I developed and used in my research offers a way to map different wellbeing understandings and explore priorities across children and adults during intervention design.
Interviewer: What are you hoping to do next in your career?
Rosalind: I’m looking to continue building my research agenda by conducting follow-up studies and co-designing both research and interventions with children, young people and adults. I’d also like to continue experimenting and trying out innovative and child-centred methods and thinking through their ethical implications.
Interviewer: What is your proudest achievement to date?
Rosalind: Working with the children I met in Armenia was an absolute privilege. Their openness, creativity, and resilience left a lasting impact on me – and shaped the research in ways I could never have anticipated.
