Children's Narratives Research Articles

Application of Mixed Methods in Childhood Trauma Research: A Study Example of Divorce-Related Trauma Research from India

Background: The use of mixed methods research (MMR) has become progressively important in the field of behavioral and social sciences. This article makes an argument for the combination of quantitative and qualitative methods in the study of childhood trauma. It focuses on the role of MMR in effectively exploring the traumatic life experiences and narratives of children and adolescents. Methods: The mixed method approach is beneficial for multi-dimensional research strategies, thereby surpassing the quantitative-qualitative divide. We also discuss the key characteristics of the mixed methods approach applicable to these behavioral studies. Results: This article concludes with a study example from the author’s MMR-driven doctoral research on the topic of divorce-related child custody issues in India. Conclusion: The implications for MMR use in future childhood trauma research are discussed.

Effects of Narrative-Based Group Language Intervention on Spoken Narrative Skills of Preschoolers who are Deaf and Hard-of-Hearing in One-to-one and Public Speaking Interactions

Objectives: Previous research has shown that narrative-based language intervention (NBLI) is a viable approach for enhancing the narrative skills of children who are deaf and hard of hearing (DHH). This study aimed to evaluate the efficacy of NBLI in enhancing productivity, lexical and grammatical processing, and reducing the use of mazes in the spoken narratives of children with DHH. Methods: Ten children aged 5 to 6 years participated in this study. These children attended twelve 50-minute sessions of NBLI group therapy. Storytelling skills of children were elicited using carefully selected picture prompts designed to evoke specific narrative elements. The efficacy of the NBLI program was assessed using a pretest-posttest design, focusing on both one-to-one and public speaking interactions. Results: Significant improvements were observed in the total number of C-units and the diversity of words in the spoken narratives of children, both in one-on-one interactions and public speaking contexts, underscoring the effectiveness of NBLI across various communication settings. Conclusion: Improvements in spoken narrative skills in one-to-one and public speaking interactions were observed in children with DHH, supporting the effectiveness of NBLI for this population. These findings underscore the importance of language interventions that are specifically tailored to the characteristics and developmental stages of children with DHH, as they significantly improve spoken narrative skills across diverse communication contexts.

"At Least I was Allowed to Play How I Wanted": From Correcting Autistic Behaviors to Celebrating Autistic Play

Educators are tasked with assessing the behavior of children in their classrooms for any autism-related “red flags” which includes lining up objects, collecting items, and stimming. These kinds of behaviors are often framed as a distraction to learning; therefore, correcting them becomes the goal of many interventions. This conceptual paper asks what new possibilities can emerge when autistic “behaviors” are seen as autistic forms of play. Driving this paper are the childhood narratives of autistic people, specifically the experience of one adult case study participant who recalls her preschool memories of play. Through a Disability Studies in Education (DSE) framework, I examine theories of children’s play along with historical framings of autism to trouble the ableist practices of schooling. I conclude with practical ways classroom teachers can embrace neurodiverse forms of autistic play by centering autistic experiences.

Theory of Mind and its reflection in Children's Narrative Abilities

Theory of Mind and its reflection in Children's Narrative Abilities

Evaluating the Feasibility and Preliminary Effectiveness of a Multi-Tiered Multimodal Narrative Intervention Program for Preschool Children.

The present study aims to evaluate the feasibility and preliminary effectiveness of a novel multi-tiered narrative intervention program-the multimodal narrative (MMN) program-in Catalan that was co-created to boost preschool children's narrative and pragmatic skills. First, we describe here in detail the novel program, which consisted of a set of interventions oriented around the retelling of a narrative in a multimodal fashion, that is, with an abundant use of appropriate gesture and facial expression and careful attention to the pragmatic aspects of communication. We then describe the results of a self-reported feasibility study (Study 1) after this program was trial-implemented by 31 preschool teachers and speech-language therapists in their respective professional contexts. A pre- and post-intervention pilot study (Study 2) was conducted in which the researchers measured the effect of the MMN intervention on the 51 children who participated in the trial implementation. Results from Study 1 revealed that most professionals adhered to the intervention protocol, that they found it enjoyable and easy to implement, and that it fostered active participation on the part of children. Results from Study 2 revealed that after the intervention, the narrative and pragmatic skills of all the children had improved. These results suggest that a full-fledged implementation of the MMN intervention program is feasible and has the potential to improve children's narrative and pragmatic skills in both clinical and educational contexts.

Syntax Language Skill in Children with Down Syndrom: A Systematic Review

Background: Down syndrome (SD) is the most common genetic disorder and the easiest to identify. SD or better known as the genetic disorder trisomy, where there is an extra chromosome on chromosome 21. Objectives: Analyzing syntax abilities in Down Syndrome children and learning materials in writing scientific research as well as providing additional information regarding syntax abilities in Down Syndrome children. Methods: The research carried out is a systematic review research. This research uses data from previous research. A quantitative systematic review combines findings from various independent studies, and produces a statistical summary of those findings (Last, 2001 in Murti, 2018). Results: Down syndrome children show conditions of intellectual problems that are continuous with language problems. Where cognitive abilities are the main capital in communication. Conclusion: Syntax communication abilities create core impairments in the narratives of children with Down syndrome. Syntax difficulties and deficits in global executive function when compared with children with other typical development.. Keywords: Syntax Language, Down syndrome, Systematic review

Exploring the correlation between translation methods and quality in Mandarin-Indonesian: A case study

This study examines how approaches affect the quality of translating the Mandarin children's narrative "对小虎的称赞" into Indonesian. This study examines how approaches affect translation quality. This study investigates how approaches affect Mandarin-to-Indonesian children's story translation quality, unlike earlier studies. This study uses qualitative research. This study found that the most common method of translating source data into the target language was literal translation. 87.70% of the data underwent literal translation, exhibiting average readability, accuracy, and acceptability. The average readability, correctness, and acceptability of semantic translation, 3.45% of total data, was good. Free translation comprised 49 cases (5.63% of total data) with worse readability, accuracy, and acceptability. We applied communicative translation to 0.92% of the data, which was readable, accurate, and acceptable. Faithful translation had 13 occurrences (1.49% of total data) of illegible, inaccurate, and poor translation. We adapted 0.57% of the data with legible, accurate, and acceptable translations. According to these data, translation method choice strongly impacts translation quality.

The story so far: scoping review of narratives in deaf children.

Narrative language samples can be used to measure language development in children, but research on narrative development in deaf and hard-of-hearing (DHH) children is scarce, limiting knowledge of developmental stages and best practices for collection and analysis. This scoping review included 39 articles that explored recent methodologies and achievements in oral or signed narratives of DHH children, including comparisons with hearing peers and within-group analyses of early auditory experience, device use, and other measures. Articles featured DHH participants aged < 4 to 18years, varying in device use, communication modalities, and educational settings. Most studies utilized story generation tasks with early elementary-aged children and analyzed either microstructure or macrostructure. Mixed results in comparisons with hearing children emphasized the need to consider individual differences (e.g., speech perception and age of spoken language access) in DHH narrative assessments. Findings also suggest that comparability across studies would be improved by more consistent terminology and procedures in narrative collection/analysis.

Flying to conquer. The aeronautical pedagogy in narratives for children in Italy (1911–1945)

This paper analyses the representation of flight in children's narratives in Italy from the Libyan war to the end of the Second World War. For this period, it is possible to see an escalation in the centrality of the theme of flight, functional to the construction of the myth of the aviator which reaches its peak during fascism. The regime used the subject of flight extensively for propaganda purposes and to further consolidate those that were the fascist values: strength, the mastery and the conquest of the earth and the sky, and the supremacy of Italian spirit through technological and engineering advancement. The construction of the myth of the aviator made use of a variety of tools aimed at children, through the definition of an “aeronautical pedagogy”. Such construction aimed to stress the Italian superiority against the Arab and African inferiority. The theme of flight sanctioned and reaffirmed this hierarchy.

Exploring the connections: Elementary teachers’ narratives of Mexican deaf children’s play behaviours, social interactions, and communication development

ABSTRACT This study explores the experiences and perspectives of eight elementary teachers regarding the play behaviours of deaf children in their classrooms in Mexico City. Through a narrative inquiry design, this research comprehensively explains teachers’ insights and observations on social interactions and communication development among deaf children. The findings indicate patterns in social interactions related to play behaviours, language development through imitation, and communication variations contingent on proficiency in Lengua de Señas Mexicana (LSM). The study emphasises the necessity of creating inclusive educational environments and providing appropriate support for the communication development of deaf children. Employing a qualitative research approach, this study involves in-depth interviews with Deaf elementary school teachers with experience working with deaf children. This study aims to elucidate teachers’ perceptions and interpretations of language acquisition and play behaviours concerning social interactions and communication development by analysing their narratives. Three key dimensions emerged from the narratives: linguistic proficiency, play behaviours, and social engagement, which intersect and influence each other. The findings hold significant implications for educators, policymakers, and parents, offering valuable insights that can inform the development of more effective instructional strategies and support systems tailored to the unique needs of deaf children in educational settings.

Radical Issues in Children's Narratives on Eliyas Explains What’s Going On in Palestine

The discourses about childhood and its entanglement with commonly discussed literature significantly impact children’s literature. This is reflected by writers’ drive to raise issues that do not always revolve around normative issues in their works. Lately, critical issues prominent in children’s literature include radical political unrest and social injustice, as exemplified in Zanib Mian’s illustrative book Eliyas Explains What’s Going On in Palestine. Zanib Mian’s work was the focused material object of the research. The research employed a qualitative approach, explicitly utilizing document analysis as the primary method. This study utilized Gerard Genette’s Narratology and Kimberley Reynolds’ theory of Radical Children’s Literature to examine how narrators convey these problematic issues to children’s readers. The analysis revealed that the narrator in “Eliyas” employed an autodiegetic perspective to foster understanding, effectively engaging children by sharing personal experiences and emotions. Furthermore, the radical issue of the Palestinian conflict, which was presented sensitively, profoundly impacted the children’s characters within the story and, by extension, the children’s readers engaging with the story. The novelty of this research lies in discussing radical issues without leaving the narrative dimension in literary works using narratological theory and the notion of radical children’s literature, especially in Zanib Mian’s latest work, which deals with politics and war in Palestine.

An Unforgetting Cradling: A Performative Witnessing of a Mother’s Return to a Children’s Orphanage

Once I walked as an accidental autoethnographer through the entrance door of a repurposed children’s orphanage. There on the doorstep, I witnessed a former resident in the final moments of a secular pilgrimage of unforgetting and cradling. Unforgetting is understood, in this article, as a metaphor for the thousands of women and children robbed of their truth, agency, and sometimes their future in state and religious-run orphanages. Cradling is understood as a metaphor for a desiring, sensual, performative, and singular/universal reparation. Influenced by phenomenological writings on the buildings we inhabit and those that inhabit us, and embodied, rhythmic, sensory, and experimental qualitative inquiry writing, I challenge the erasure of violence-toleration in official discourses of church and state-run institutions through a performative aesthetic of witnessing, evoking, and inscribing the lost sensations of a denied, difficult, and violent past into the grand narratives of mothers, children, and childhood.

Beyond Monolingual Norms: Analyzing the Complexity of Greek-Turkish Bilingual Children’s Written Narratives

This research explores the written narratives of Greek-Turkish bilingual and Greek monolingual children, focusing on their retelling abilities. We analyze both the macrostructure and microstructure of their narratives, utilizing the story-grammar model for the macrostructure analysis and examining lexical diversity, syntactic complexity, spelling accuracy, connectives, and word stressing for the microstructure assessment. We also examine correlations with contextual factors, including home and schooling input. Thirty-six children, comprising an equal number of bilinguals and monolinguals, participate in a picture narrative task (retelling mode). Our findings indicate that while bilingual children exhibit proficiency in constructing the story-grammar comparable to their monolingual counterparts, notable differences emerge in the microstructure of their narratives. Specifically, bilingual children produce shorter narratives. They also demonstrate lower lexical and noun diversity, syntactic complexity, and spelling accuracy (in inflectional suffixes) compared to monolingual children. These observed differences in the microstructure imply a potential trade-off between establishing the core story schema and elaborating on narrative details in bilingual narratives. Additionally, our study identifies early literacy practices (i.e., print exposure in preschool years) and current literacy practices (literacy habits outside the school setting) as predicting differently aspects of the microstructure in each group, further enhancing our understanding of how bilingualism influences narrative development. This underscores the importance of examining both the macrostructure, microstructure, and contextual factors for a comprehensive understanding of narrative development in bilingual and monolingual children.

Medicalisation, development and adult power: Exploring the contributions of the medical system to child disenfranchisement in theory and society

AbstractThe marginalisation of children globally is frequently justified by appeal to medical, developmental science. While childhood has increasingly become recognised as a social construct, this research has focused largely on education and legal structures, leaving this medicalisation unexamined. This essay closes that gap by examining the medicalisation of childhood and the contribution of the medical system to adult power. These are approached in separate sections. The first portion of this essay addresses the theoretical and rhetorical manner in which children are medicalised, using Piaget's theories as examples of a trend to over‐state the universality of childhood deficiencies and assume adult competences. Latour's work on the scientific black‐box is combined with Halliday's assessment of scientific language to examine how these theories are transformed from specific psychological findings, into assumed objective truths, carrying disenfranchising assumptions about children into public discourse. The essay's second part examines the practical role of the medical system in mobilising adultist discourses and disempowering children, through the operation of scientific management. This is built up from discussions of childbirth and adolescence to wider issues of medical power as it permeates educational, legislative and media spaces through Samuel's concept of biocertification. Finally, these two parts meet in highlighting the role of medicalisation in maintaining the hegemony of adult power through its veil of objectivity and expansive reach. I contend anthropological works referenced throughout the essay show that medicalised narratives of childhood are insufficient but culturally contingent and thus open to revision.

The Effect of Narrative Intervention on Spoken Narrative and Reading Comprehension Abilities in Farsi-Speaking Children with Autism Spectrum Disorders: A Randomized Clinical Trial.

Children with autism spectrum disorders (ASD) show prominent deficits in pragmatic aspects of language such as spoken narrative. Deficits in spoken narrative in school years lead to deficits in reading comprehension. Therefore, this randomized clinical trial research examined the influence of narrative intervention on spoken narrative and reading comprehension abilities in children with ASD. In the current double-blind, randomized clinical trial study, 21 students with ASD from second to seventh grade participated in the study. Two intervention methods were provided three times a week and a total of 24 sessions of 45 minutes. The experimental group received the Supporting Knowledge in Language and Literacy (SKILL) program and the control group received Traditional Language Therapy (TLT). The score of macrostructures, microstructures, perspective-taking index, narrative complexity, Story knowledge index, and reading comprehension score were measured pre and post-intervention. ANCOVA was used for between- within-group comparisons analysis. The experimental group indicated significant improvement in macrostructure (P < 0.001, η2 = 0.614), microstructure (P = 0.012, η2 = 0.303), narrative complexity (P < 0.001, η2 = 0.585), story knowledge index (P < 0.001, η2 = 0.574) and perspective taking index (P < 0.001, η2 = 0.553) compared to the control group. However, the difference between the two groups in reading comprehension skills was not significant in post-intervention (P = 0.457, η2 = 0.031). The results showed the efficacy of the three stages of the SKILL program compared to TLT in spoken narrative. Also, the results of the study showed that the SKILL program and TLT have the same effect on improving reading comprehension.

Narrative Accounts of Youth and Their Mothers With Chronic Headache: Application of a Socio-narratology Framework to Pain Narratives.

This study was the first to apply a socio-narratology framework to the narratives about child pain as told by youth with chronic pain and their parents, all of whom experience chronic headaches. Storytelling is a powerful social transaction that occurs within systems (eg, families, clinical encounters) and is both shaped by, and can shape, the pain experience. Narrative can be harnessed as a clinical tool to aid in the ability to listen, understand, and improve clinical encounters. Twenty-six youth (aged 11 to 18y) and their mothers, both with chronic headaches, recruited from a tertiary level pediatric pain clinic separately completed in-depth interviews about children's pain journey narratives. Data were analyzed using narrative analysis, which incorporated elements of socio-narratology to compare similarities and differences between and within dyads' narratives. Five narrative types were generated: (1) The trauma origin story-parents, but not youth, positing traumatic events as the causal link to children's pain; (2) mistreated by the medical system-neglect, harm, and broken promises resulting in learned hopelessness or relying on the family system; (3) the invalidated-invalidation of pain permeated youth's lives, with mothers as empathic buffers; (4) washed away by the pain-challenges perceived as insurmountable and letting the pain take over; and (5) taking power back from pain-youth's ability to live life and accomplish goals despite the pain. Findings support the clinical utility of narrative in pediatric pain, including both parents' and youths' narrative accounts to improve clinical encounters and cocreate more youth-centred, empowering narratives.

"I remember most of my family seeing it": The presence of others during child physical abuse, as conveyed in forensic interviews with Israeli children.

Child physical abuse is often perceived as a crime perpetrated within the family and out of sight. However, recent studies have indicated the presence of others during incidents of physical abuse. The current study was designed to examine the experiences and perceptions of children who were physically abused in their families concerning the presence of others, as conveyed during their forensic interviews. A thematic analysis of 26 forensic interviews was conducted with Israeli children aged 5-13. Three main themes were identified: (1) Patterns, roles, and coping mechanisms: The multifaceted spectrum of familial abuse; (2) The echoes of family reactions: Shaping children's abuse experiences; and (3) Navigating the storm together: Sibling bonds amidst familial abuse. The children's narratives highlighted their distress and pointed to the abusive and chaotic daily routine in which they lived. In spotlighting their encounters with physical abuse, the children focused on their need to be seen and gain certainty in their daily routines. The discussion highlights the unique and elusive dynamics of families in which child physical abuse occurs and challenges the social perception that physical abuse occurs secretly. The characteristics of such abuse highlight the urgent need for policymakers and professionals to treat the phenomenon of physical abuse within the family as a visible phenomenon.

Delving into "Its" Storyworld: Nonhuman Narrative in Children's Literature

Delving into "Its" Storyworld: Nonhuman Narrative in Children's Literature

The House Narrative in Palestinian children's literature

The House Narrative in Palestinian children's literature

Disfluencies as a window to macrostructure performance in the narrative of bilingual children

Disfluencies mirror processes of speech production and when examined in both languages of bilingual children, can provide valuable information regarding their linguistic skills. The aim of this study is to characterize the rates and the types of disfluencies across episodes of a narrative as well as across different story grammar (SG) elements in participants’ home language (Russian) and societal language (Hebrew) as a reflection of narrative macrostructure skills. Twenty bilingual Russian-Hebrew children aged 60–78 months produced narratives in Russian and Hebrew using the wordless picture book Frog, Where Are You? (Mayer, 1969). Narratives were transcribed, divided into five episodes, and coded for main SG elements (Character + Setting, Initiating event, Internal response, Plan, Attempt and Consequence). Four types of disfluencies (silent pauses, filled pauses, repetitions, and self-corrections) were analyzed in relation to each SG element per episode in both languages. Overall children produced more SG elements in Russian with a finer analysis showing that Initiating Event, Character and Setting differed across languages while Attempt, Plan and Internal response were similar. Disfluencies significantly impacted macrostructure differently across languages such that in Russian, a high percentage of disfluencies was associated with higher production of Character + Setting and Plan, whereas in Hebrew it was associated with lower production of Attempt and Consequence. The present research suggests that disfluency has impact on macrostructure, and consequently on overall narrative quality differently across the languages. The theoretical contribution may shed light on the understanding of planning and formulation processes among bilingual children. The application of the results may relate to these processes impacting diagnosis and/or intervention protocols in bilingual children.