Beyond the classroom: a commentary on overcoming the challenges with conducting research in schools by using public engagement as a novel approach to data collection

Recruiting participants for psychological research is a well-known and frequently reported challenge associated with the research process. This is especially challenging when recruiting younger populations, often leading researchers to rely on educational settings for recruitment and data collection. This commentary explores the challenges of conducting research in schools, the potential drawbacks of this reliance, and proposes an alternative approach to address these challenges. We propose an alternative recruitment method utilising public engagement sessions with established groups, such as Scouting and Girlguiding communities, to facilitate data collection. This recruitment model has the potential to transform recruitment dynamics, overcome many of the barriers associated with school-based testing and offer researchers an alternative pathway to optimise data collection in psychological research with young people.