Children In Different Contexts Research Articles

Drawing and Play as Windows into a Child’s Multimodal Meaning-Making Development during COVID-19

Framed within multimodality and situated in a bounded socio-geographical context (i.e., Vancouver), this ethnographic case study provides an in-depth analysis of a bilingual 8-year-old girl’s literacy practices of meaning-making established across varied semiotic modes (i.e., linguistic, visual, audio, spatial, embodied, kinesthetic) during COVID-19. The study draws upon 13 open-ended informal interviews, three sessions of imaginative play, and 16 participant-generated artifacts. The findings revealed two themes (i.e., drawing as collective meaning-making; play as embodied, anthropomorphic meaning-making) that show how the child’s interactions with humans and nonhumans (e.g., toys, objects) contributed to her multimodal meaning-making during the pandemic, which might be beneficial for children in different contexts.

Traditional or Contemporary Art? A Study of Educational Approaches to Children in Two Chinese Art Museums

ABSTRACT Although the number of art museums in China has increased significantly in recent years, art museum educators find it difficult to create relevant, relatable, and engaging learning experiences for children in different contexts of art museums. I conducted this qualitative, comparative case study in Shanghai, China, examining how two different art museums, one contemporary art-based, and another one traditional Chinese art-based, conceptualize museum education for children. The research data included face-to-face, semi-structured interviews with museum educators and a content analysis of documents gathered from the museums’ websites. Using the frameworks for the contextual model of learning and constructivism theory in museum learning, I compared and contrasted the two art museums educational approaches in creating connections between educational programming and children’s learning. I found that both art museums were able to connect programming to children with their current exhibitions, but using two different approaches.

Bridge to the Silence—Integrative Dramatherapy with Selective Mutism

This article is presented as a clinical case study in research and the arts that explores the journey of a 7-year-old girl with selective mutism, and her growth through an integrative intervention that combined dramatherapy, systemic, behavioral, and attachment-informed approaches. Sessions took place in Shanghai, China. Gorla et al. (2017) [Without words. Different children in different contexts (Trans.). A.G. Editions] and Perednik (2016) [The selective mutism treatment guide: Manuals for parents, teachers, and therapists: Still waters run deep. Oaklands] propose that the significant others of a person with selective mutism can become therapeutic agents of change, and through this lens, the child’s family, peers, and school staff became involved. Through the use of play and the therapeutic relationship and the coming together of specialties and community, it is posited that the client found her voice again, enhancing her relationships and embarking on a journey of lasting change. The dramatherapy-based, multimodal intervention provides an example of clinical practice intended to assist therapists, parents, schools, and practitioners looking to support an individual with selective mutism.

Comparativa entre procedimientos para el análisis del primer desarrollo lingüístico en niños y niñas con L1 vasco y español

Background and objectiveThe need to carry out studies on the level of early lexical development in Basque-Spanish bilingual children is a reality reflected in the scientific literature. In this context, both the MacArthur-Bates communicative development inventories and the methods based on early observation have been an important element for the analysis of the level of linguistic development of children. Therefore, the objective of this work has been to carry out a comparison between two different instruments on the same sample: on the one hand, the MacArthur-Bates Communication Skills Development Inventory, in its adaptations in Spanish and Basque, and, on the other hand, longitudinal observation through recordings of children in different contexts of spontaneous communication. Materials and methodThe participants were 8 Basque children with different L1 (Basque or Spanish) analyzed from 17 to 30months and from a small town in the Basque Country, Bermeo. Three recordings were made through non-participatory contextualized observation in those months in which the children were 17, 25 and 30months old. In addition, the annotations and transcripts were made through professional software: ELAN and CHAT. Likewise, at the time of the third recording, the families completed the CDI-2 in its adaptation to Spanish and Basque. ResultsThe results show the usefulness of parental reports to obtain information on the development of early communication skills. In any case, the need for larger explorations is considered necessary in order not to fall into the argument of the «overvaluation» of children's broadcasts. Likewise, it is interesting to note that children with L1 Basque and children with L1 Spanish present different results, in a similar way to what was observed in bilingual children of other languages, so it can be stated that children with the same age of early acquisition of two languages (Spanish and Basque) they can develop different patterns in their bilingualism depending on the degree of exposure to the language.

Measures of Effective Psychological Care Strategies Used with Looked-After Children and Youths

This paper provides a framework for ascertaining the effectiveness of psychological interventions when working with looked-after children in institutions of care. The paper is derived from a review of various studies in the area of psychological care for looked-after youths and children in different contexts around the globe. The review revealed that the effectiveness of psychological interventions may be ascertained by the presence of the following signs in looked-after youth and children: self-awareness, self-regulation, self-motivation and sense of mastery. Therefore, caregivers and institutions need to develop a framework for evaluating the effectiveness of their psychological intervention programmes. Although this paper is based on a review of literature, it contributes towards establishment of effective strategies for evaluating the effectiveness of their psychological intervention programmes given to youths and children in institutional contexts. Most importantly, such a study may identify bottlenecks that hinder optimum rehabilitation and development of youths in care. This will be achieved through finding out the extent to which the provision of psychosocial support services impacts on development of personal competencies, i.e. resilience which is key in maintaining a normal personality. A balanced personality is important because it will help the looked-after children to grow and develop normally a prerequisite for achieving full human functioning.

Ethics and research with young children‐new perspectivesEdited byChristopher M.Schulte

Ethics and research with young children‐new perspectivesEdited byChristopher M.Schulte

Afterword: The value of children in the Global South: Current contributions and future directions

This Afterword to the Current Sociology Monograph on ‘The Value Turn in Childhood Sociology’ reflects on how this issue adds fundamental insights to our understanding not only of children’s social positions, the roles they play and their life experiences from the perspectives of various stakeholders in a variety of Southern societies, but also of the heterogeneous, hybrid and complex trajectories of modernization in these societies. The articles contribute to existing scholarship in at least three ways. First, they illustrate the productivity of the value turn in childhood sociology by linking children’s social roles, experiences and positions in society with multi-level social mechanisms (inclusive of family, educational institutions, social groups and organizations, and the state) in culturally and socially contextualized analyses. Second, the value turn proposed in this monograph attempts a critical intervention to de-center the previous Western-centric knowledge production in childhood sociology. The articles have contributed towards this objective by foregrounding Southern empirical realities and spearheading grounded theorization based on Southern experiences. Finally, the articles showcase a plethora of research methods and techniques in a variety of research paradigms, including critical discourse analysis, in-depth interviews, ethnographic research, historical analysis and mixed-methods research, which yield rich, profound and nuanced findings about the valuation of children in different contexts. I conclude this closing article by deliberating on future directions for the research agenda on the value of children in sociology.

A Rapid Review of Non-death Bereavement Interventions for Children in Alternative Care

Every year many children enter the alternative care system due to the unsuitable circumstances in the care of their biological parents, leading to their statutory removal and placement in alternative care, including temporary safe care, foster care or child- and youth care centres. For a child, this is a significant life transition which is characterized by experiences of trauma, loss and grief. These children need therapeutic services (intervention) in order to address these experiences. Literature covers non-death experiences and bereavement intervention of children in different contexts, but only to a limited degree in terms of children in alternative care. This paper reviews past and current literature on what is known about non-death bereavement for children in alternative care by focusing on intervention approaches to address such loss. The study is a rapid review with qualitative data analysis. A total of 14 documents are reviewed. The review indicates that a standard intervention model to address loss and grief as experienced by children in the alternative care system has not yet been established. Although various treatment approaches, activities and models have been suggested, there is no indication of an empirically tested standardized intervention model in the present review.

Validation and Psychometric Properties of the Gameplay-Scale for Educative Video Games in Spanish Children

The knowledge of evaluation instruments to determine the level of gameplay of schoolchildren is very important at this time. A systematic review has been carried out in this study. The aim of this paper is to investigate the psychometric properties of a study of a sample of Spanish gamers. Two hundred and thirty-seven children (mean age: 11.2± 1.17 years, range: 10-12 years, 59.5% female) completed the Gameplay-Scale to discover their opinions after a game session with a serious educational game. The final scale consisted of three factors. The fit for factor 1 (usability) was 0.712, the fit for factor 2 was 0.702 (satisfaction), the fit for factor 3 was 0.886 (empathy) and the overall fit was 0.868. A positive and direct relationship could be observed between all the dimensions of the developed scale. The greatest correlation strength is shown between satisfaction and empathy (r = 0.800; p < 0.005), followed by satisfaction and usability (r = 0.180; p < 0.05) and the association between empathy and usability (r = 0.140; p < 0.05). In summary, the results of the present study support the use of the Gameplay-Scale as a valid and reliable measure of the game experience of youth populations. These results demonstrate strong psychometric properties so that the Gameplay-Scale appears to be a valid instrument for children in different contexts where an educational video game is used, analyzing its usability/“playability” in terms of learning to use it, game satisfaction, and empathy.

Free play, free choices? – Influence and construction of gender in preschools in different local contexts

ABSTRACTThe aim of this article is to acquire knowledge regarding children’s influence and the construction of gender during free play situations in preschools in different local contexts. Attention is focused on both children’s choices and pedagogical practices in which free play takes place. The research draws on ethnographic studies based on participant observation and group interviews of teachers and children in different contexts (high-income, immigrant, rural). Following deep immersion in the data, interpreted through the lens of Basil Bernstein’s conceptualisation of power and control, in combination with gender theories, the research finds that play choices are strongly affected by norms and by what is “on offer” in the different preschool contexts. The analysis shows two dominant patterns of play that are salient; gender-stereotyped choices primarily divided into “girl and boy groups”, and mixed choices with no clear gender-based division. The article argues that free play provides good opportunities to resolve the tensions between gender equality and steering of teachers, especially when clear pedagogical ideas guide the play offer in preschools. In such cases, gender equality and teacher influence can work in synergy in order to allow children’s influence on free play to emerge without contradicting gender equality ideas.

What’s in a Word? Naming Obligations

Although obligation is believed to be a central component of family relationships, empirical investigation of if, how, and to what extent connotations associated with terms commonly used to denote “family obligation” affect exchanges of family support remains limited. In this mixed-method study, we explored the effects of words commonly used to denote family obligations (i.e., obligation, responsibility, duty) on perceptions of parents’ and stepparents’ assistance to children in different contexts. Using factorial vignettes, we collected data from 664 individuals from the Midwestern United States. Perceptions about parental assistance to children differed significantly based on the word included in the vignettes. In general, respondents perceived parents’ and stepparents’ assistance to children as a choice more than as an obligation, responsibility, or duty. Perceptions did not differ by type of relationship (i.e., biological- or step-relationship) or gender. Findings have implications for research on beliefs about exchanges of intergenerational support.

Differentiating Autism from Typical Development: Preliminary Findings of Greek Versions of a Pragmatic Language and Social Communication Questionnaire

Objective: A social pragmatic communication disorder is one of the primary characteristics of children with autism. Although several measures of pragmatics and social communication exist, many are not comprehensive, do not examine the quality of interactions across contexts and interlocutors, and cannot be easily administered and interpreted. The aim of this article is to report on preliminary data collected using the Greek version of comprehensive social communication and pragmatic language questionnaires completed by parents and teachers interacting with young children in different contexts. Methods: A Greek translation of the social communication and pragmatic language questionnaires was administered to parents and teachers of 31 children diagnosed with autism and of 51 typically developing children aged 3.0–6.0 years. Analysis and Results: The performance on the Greek versions of the social communication and pragmatic language questionnaires of typically developing children was compared with the performance of the children with autism using a series of independent t tests. Descriptive statistics were used to summarize participant characteristics and performances on the measure. Preliminary results showed that significant differences with moderate effect sizes were found between groups on 63% of the 30 test items. Conclusions: The performance of children on questionnaires may lead to the development of easily administered and interpretable assessments for differentiating children with pragmatics and social communication impairments, such as children with autism, from typically developing children.

Co-designing with children a collaborative augmented reality book based on a primary school textbook

Abstract Augmented Reality (AR) 1 has been proven to support collaboration when used in different contexts. AR Books have been developed for children in different contexts including entertainment and education. However, the involvement of children in designing AR Books based on the actual school textbooks has not been covered previously. This paper presents co-design process of involving primary school children in the design and evaluation of an AR textbook for collaborative learning experience. Using cooperative inquiry techniques as an appropriate method of co-design with children, this paper proposes the key design features that can be integrated in the school textbook for a collaborative AR textbook.

Infâncias do Semiárido lançando olhares

Deflagrando alguns flashes, que laçam olhares para o universo infantil, este ensaio traz discussões, a partir de um panorama cultural, sócio-histórico e ambiental do lugar/tempo chamado, hoje, de Semiárido nordestino brasileiro. Essas discussões, por meio de problematizações, visam provocar reflexões sobre as construções de infâncias. Assim, o Semiárido nordestino e toda sua diversidade redescoberta, apesar das contradições e enormes ameaças ambientais, deve ser encarada também sob o ponto de vista da subjetividade. Seria possível, então, falar de uma subjetividade infantil do semiárido? De maneira mais específica, como pensar e abordar suas infâncias? Estas perguntas nortearam o ensaio, que se pautou em analisar literaturas de cordéis, registros fotográficos e conteúdos oriundos da interação direta com as crianças em contextos diversos. As idiossincrasias do semiárido, suas carências históricas e as inúmeras construções sociais desse lugar/tempo forjaram o humano também de maneira diversa, apesar de algumas possíveis apreensões comuns. As infâncias, que já somadas aos legados do mundo ocidental, acompanharam, fizeram parte, criaram e feneceram no próprio movimento do vir-a-ser do semiárido.

Escala de Valoración de la Enseñanza del Lenguaje Oral en contexto Escolar: adaptación para su uso en educación especial

The conceptual framework of our work underlines the importance of some language characteristics and communicative strategies used by adults when interacting with children in different contexts for the development of language competence. Children with intellectual disability (ID) need to develop skills to communicate with others, to learn and progress autonomously. This paper presents results of a pilot study in which an adaptation of the EVALOE (Assessment of Oral Language Teaching at School Scale) was carried out in order to be used in the context of special education. The process consisted, firstly, of the use of this validated scale for assessing a special class situation. Participants were two teachers and six 8 year-old children with ID. After that, adaptations were introduced in order to increase its usefulness. Finally, a new class situation with very similar characteristics and with the same participants was assessed with the adapted scale. Results show, firstly, that EVALOE is a useful instrument for assessing the oral language teaching in the school context. Secondly, it shows that the adapted version allows increase the assessed aspects and initiate a collaborative reflection with the special education teachers in order to introduce changes related with the context and communicative management, the instructional design, as well as communicative functions and strategies.

Prácticas de Crianza Positiva: Entrenamiento a padres para reducir Bullying

The study aimed at assessing the effectiveness of a positive child rearing program with parents for reducing bullying and incrementing pro-social behavior of their children. Participants were eight couples and two single parents of 10 children identified as bullies. Half of the parents were assigned to a control group and the other half were trained to identify aggressive and pro-social behaviors of their children, as well as their antecedents and consequences. During eight weekly sessions parents were trained to set limits, reinforce both pro-social behavior and alternative responses to the aggressive ones, to correct, slightly disapprove, punish and extinguish aggressive behavior. Frequency of emission of specific pro-social behaviors (doing homework, helping in domestic chores and picking up toys) and of physical and verbal aggression was registered by parents and teachers during three weeks of base line and during eight weeks of treatment. Results showed a significant reduction of aggressive behavior and an increase of pro-social behavior compared both to base line and to the frequency of the same behaviors by children of the control group. Notably, behavior also changed at school. Results are discussed regarding the usefulness of interventions with parents in reducing bullying behavior by their children in different contexts

Discursive practices in family dinner talk and classroom discourse: A contextual comparison

Abstract The present study investigates the interplay of communication, socialization practices and educational opportunities by reconstructing the discursive practices of the same children in different contexts: family dinner talk and classroom interaction. From a rich corpus of naturally occurring interactions of eleven children before and after school enrollment, two cases are selected for presentation. The microanalytic reconstruction demonstrates how discursive practices are socio-culturally situated and differ in terms of communicative genres, topics and communicative demands, both between families and contexts. When the teacher does not make communicative investments to bridge divergences in teacher-student interactions, children lack the external resources necessary for utilizing discourse as a means of learning, both from a microgenetic and ontogenetic perspective.

Assessing Speech Acts of Curses and Prayers in Persian

Speech acts are of great importance primarily within the bounds of semantics and should be on the basis of mutually shared background information between hearer and speaker. Curses and prayers are commonly used in everyday language. Whenever someone does a favour to us, we may say a prayer to God for him/her. We may curse at someone for making us angry or sad. By and large, we express our inner feelings and attitudes towards the hearer through saying prayers or curses; therefore, they are involved in expressive speech acts. The present article delivers a special classification of prayers and curses which are as follows: a) prayers and curses which are closely associated with our culture, tradition and religion; b) prayers and curses which have been progressed and produced gradually and no specific cultural root can be traced for them. This type of speech acts is itself classified into two categories: the first one is composed of prayers and curses which are frequently used by children in different contexts and the second category comprises those prayers and curses which English speakers have in common with Persian speakers.

Divergent Discourses, Children and Forced Migration

Experiences of refugee, internally displaced and migrant children in different contexts (such as post-conflict and resettlement) are often considered separately, yet closer analysis points to the existence of commonalities across transnational locations and a need to articulate the ways in which global systems, state policies and migration processes impact on the lives of these children. Current discourses, policies and practices towards forced-migrant children show that there are divergent and at times conflicting constructions of childhood and migration, and implicitly reveal the positions that these children occupy in relation to the nation-state system. In this article we focus on the existence of common divergent discourses that emerge from contexts in the global North and South, including Rwanda, Uganda, Ireland and the United Kingdom, where we have carried out research with children forced to move. Our overall aim is to re-politicise the position of child and youth forced migration through an analysis of three sets of divergent or ambivalent discourses: a) forced-migrant children as product of and threat to the nation-state; b) ‘visible’ and ‘invisible’ children; and c) the ‘psychological’ and the ‘political’ child.

An Investigation of Control Among Parents of Selectively Mute, Anxious, and Non-Anxious Children

The authors examined parent–child interactions among three groups: selectively mute, anxious, and non-anxious children in different contexts. The relation between parental control (granting autonomy and high power remarks), child factors (i.e., age, anxiety, verbal participation), and parent anxiety was investigated. Parental control varied by context but parents of children with SM were more controlling than parents in the comparison groups in all contexts. Regression analyses indicated that child and parent anxiety predicted parental control, with increased anxiety associated with increased control. Older child age predicted less parent control. Group categorization moderated the relation between age and high power remarks, such that age was not a significant predictor for children with SM. Finally child-initiated speaking predicted high power remarks over and above other variables. These results support previous theories that parents take over for their children when they fail to meet performance demands, especially when the child or parent is anxious.