Voices Of Children Research Articles

The voices of children in family proceedings: instructing solicitors and meeting with judges

The voices of children in family proceedings: instructing solicitors and meeting with judges

The rapid development of a virtual Children’s Hearings System in Scotland: A realist-inspired synthesis assessing the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic on the participation and rights of children

Scotland’s Children’s Hearings System is a unique statutory system that makes decisions about the need for compulsory professional involvement in the lives of children who are maltreated, in conflict with the law or displaying alarming behaviours. It was designed to facilitate in-person, child-centred discussions about the measures needed to ensure the care and protection of children. The Covid-19 pandemic challenged the ability of the Hearings System to fulfil this role due to the physical closure of Hearings Centres and the need to rapidly develop a virtual system. In this paper we present a realist-influenced synthesis exploring how contextual factors such as public health guidelines, emergency legislation, technological challenges and wider structural inequalities interacted with the delivery of virtual hearings to affect the participation and rights of children during the pandemic. We also describe how learning from the experiences of the participants of hearings was critical to understanding how virtual technologies could be adapted to provide a more rights-respecting approach to participation. We conclude by arguing that there is a need to ensure that the voices of children, which are largely absent from discussions around the use of virtual technologies, are incorporated into decisions made about their continued use within Children’s Hearings.

Development and Validation of the Children’s Voice Questionnaire (CVQ)

This study developed and validated the children's voice questionnaire (CVQ), a new self-administered instrument for children, and evaluated its internal consistency and reliability. Observational, prospective, cross-sectional study. The initial preparation of the CVQ was conducted in four steps. First, individual interviews were conducted with dysphonic and non-dysphonic children and their parents, teachers, and speech pathologists. Second, the responses collected from the interviews were arranged into a comprehensive list of 175 items. Third, this list was reduced to a preliminary 21-item version of the questionnaire, which was tested as a pilot with 254 children. Fourth, a further reduction to 18 items was performed to construct the final version of the CVQ. The questionnaire was then administered to 342 children (73 dysphonic, 269 non-dysphonic) aged 6-18. Simultaneously, the parents of these children completed the pediatric voice handicap index (pVHI). Finally, after 2 weeks, 30 randomly selected children (nine dysphonic, 21 non-dysphonic) completed the CVQ again to evaluate test-retest reliability. High reliability was found for the CVQ (Cronbach's α=0.94). Test-retest revealed strong and statistically significant reliability (r=0.79, P<0.001). A highly significant group difference was found between the CVQ scores obtained for the dysphonic and non-dysphonic groups (t[78.25]=6.22, P<0.001). In addition, significant medium-to-strong positive correlations were found between the children's evaluations using the CVQ and their parents' evaluations using the pVHI (0.59<r<0.66, P<0.01). The newly developed CVQ is a valid and reliable instrument. Findings reveal general agreement between children and their parents, but also show that children's perspective on their dysphonia is not equivalent to the parent's perspective. This demonstrates that combining both perspectives provides a more holistic and complete overview of dysphonic children's voice-related quality of life. The self-administered CVQ reliably differentiates dysphonic from non-dysphonic children and may serve as a valuable tool for the initial or ongoing evaluation of children with voice disorders in clinical and research settings.

Cochlear implant pitch and lexical tone perception in quiet and noise using F0-rate coding

Fundamental frequency (F0) cues to voice/musical pitch can be coded by pulse-rate or amplitude modulation (AM) rate of electrical pulse-trains in cochlear implant (CI) systems. However, for most clinical strategies (e.g., ACE), temporal cues to F0 are often poorly coded, particularly for female and children's voices and/or in background noise. Strategies such as Optimized Pitch And Language (OPAL) and Fundamental Asynchronous Stimulus Timing (FAST) enhance temporal F0 cues. For OPAL, F0 is estimated and used to control the AM rate coded by electrical pulse-trains in channel containing harmonics of F0. Significant benefits of OPAL to pitch ranking, speech intonation, and Mandarin lexical tone recognition have been observed compared to ACE. For FAST, peak-timing information in channel envelopes is used to derive pulse-timing in each channel and therefore much lower stimulation rates are provided resulting in longer battery life. In bilateral CI systems, it provides better ITD sensitivity, lateralization, and spatial release from masking compared to ACE. Presented here are the results of two studies, the first explored pitch perception of harmonic tones presented in quiet and noise using experimental OPAL and FAST strategies, and the second examined Mandarin lexical tone perception in quiet and noise using ACE and OPAL in a clinical processor.

Regulating Discourse: How Children With and Without SEND Internalize the Evaluative Framework of Adults

This study presents a Bakhtinian analysis of discourse among children with Special Educational Needs and Disorders (SEND) in two elementary classrooms, delving into the complicated interaction of voices and perspectives within their communication. The research investigates how the evaluation of peers provides a contextual backdrop for the voices of children with SEND. Conducted as a longitudinal investigation in an English primary school, data were collected over a three-month period to disclose communication dynamics. Notably, the discourse analysis reveals the use of “hybrid constructions” by students, wherein they skillfully blend adult values with their own viewpoints when discussing peers, thus navigating their positioning vis-à-vis institutional norms and their peers. The central question, “Who is taking the lead in the conversation?” undrapes a rich interchange of voices within each dialog excerpt. This interaction encompasses the speaker’s own voice and resonates with reflections of institutional discourse. Importantly, the analysis elucidates how diverse pedagogic discourses contribute to shaping social relationships between teachers and students, as well as amongst the students themselves. By capturing these multifaceted interactions, this study reveals a paramount conduit through which institutional values are communicated and internalized within the discourse of children with SEND. This focused exploration contributes to a nuanced understanding of how children assimilate external voices while communicating and how they forge connections with peers facing unique learning challenges.

A Review on Children's Literature in Afghanistan

Children's and adolescent literature have a long-life span in the history of mankind and is considered one of the major parts of the literature in every nation. Children's and teenagers' literature received worldwide attention from the 17th century AD. In the 18th century, scientists drew the attention of educators and people to children's literature by research publishing works. In our rich classical literature, there is not much research done on children's literature. However, various works have been done for children in recent years. The first children's magazine in Afghanistan was Siraj-ul-Atfal, which was published continuously with Siraj-ul-Akhbar. This magazine was mostly educational and entertaining, and most of its content was general information, scientific topics, religious and moral content in the form of poems and stories. After publishing the children literature in Siraj-ul-Akhbar, other publications also started about children's literature in Afghanistan, such as children’s friendship, youngs friendship, and children's voice. Some writers have also done research on children's literature in Afghanistan, such as Abdul Qayyum Qoyim, Mohammad Hossein Yamin, Paizi Hanafi, Habibullah Rafi, Dr Asadullah Khitfi, Seyyed Davoud Zahdi, Pouya Faryabi, Asif Behand, Raziq Varin, and Osman Najand.

9 “The Child's Voice”: Perceptions of Healthcare Systems for Children Aged 8-12 Referred for Neurobehavioural Concerns: A Focus Group Study

Abstract Background Providing children with a voice to tell their story and to fully participate in the plan of care has not been commonly reported in the literature. Paediatric health assessments traditionally rely on caregiver opinions and the interpretation of the child’s view rather than the child’s first voice perspective. Objectives This study focused on the experiences of children seeing a paediatrician primarily for neurobehavioural issues, such as autism and attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). The study was designed to provide children with the opportunity to share their thoughts directly rather than through a caregiver. Design/Methods This study, approved by the Horizon Health Network Research Ethics Board, used a qualitative design. 11 children between 8-12 years of age were recruited. These children were interviewed across three focus groups conducted using a semi-structured approach. The interview questions focused on emotions and opinions surrounding their care. Discussions were primarily led by the children. Focus groups were transcribed and analyzed using the six phases of inductive thematic analysis. Results Three overarching themes were identified: trust, boredom, and resolution (Figure 1). Trusting in their parent’s ability to communicate for them and regarding the doctor as an expert appeared as two subthemes. Children also reported feeling substantial levels of boredom at appointments, although “missing school” and “getting a treat” were reported as positives. Despite these feelings of boredom, many children expressed that the doctor provided them with a feeling of change or resolution, and that their visits were addressing their problems and needs.​ They also report disagreement may be perceived as being ungrateful for the help. Overall, children felt trust in their physician and parental intentions, along wit feeling positive about results. However, children’s views of their care are possibly influenced by the belief that decisions will be made for them, regardless of their voice. When children disagree with care, they may not voice this because of possibly perceived negative consequences. Conclusion Children must have a voice to ensure that we meet them ‘where they are’ as care providers and make goals and plans tailored to their needs, regardless of parent or physician bias or opinion. This is a cornerstone to upholding the Rights of the Child and ensuring patient-centred care. ​

Spatial–temporal enactments of home-schooling among low-income families of primary-aged children

ABSTRACT This paper focuses on spatial–temporal enactments of home-schooling among low-income families of primary-aged children in England. COVID-19 re-set boundaries and spaces of formal education for children across the globe, bringing it directly into homes and shifting the involvement of parents/carers in their children’s education. In England, “home-school” engagement was brought into sharp focus as “home” became a more visible quasi-public space through which multiple government COVID-19 policies were enacted. Despite emerging literature on home-schooling during the pandemic, voices of parents and children from low-income families have been little heard. Here we take a critical family approach and draw on interviews with low-income families to understand how education was negotiated, enacted and reconfigured within the home during the pandemic. Drawing on literatures relating to policy enactment, carescapes and home-school engagement, we offer unique insight into spatial and temporal constraints of the everyday and the necessary reconstitution of wholescale policy enactment among low-income families.

Child-Led Decision Making Process to Assorting Children Voice in Bandung District

The research will discuss child participation in the decision-making process, the leadership led by children is essential to be discussed because children often seen as a human who have not capacity to make decisions or always influenced by an adult. Through this research we will seen how children take the decisions using participation in decision-making (PDM) which are upward and downward information flow. The novelty of this research is how children are given the authority to take the decisions. This research are using qualitative research by having FGD with the child members in children's forum and secondary data from literature reviews. As a result of this research, children using upward information flow to compile children's voices and downward information flow as a part of the cognitive model in decision-making process. The participation of children will not be meaningful if an adult that accompany the children was not trained and professional adult as it was mentioned in this research on how adult able to hinder children voice because of her lack of capacity. In implementing meaningful participation in the decision-making process, it is important for children to have the right access of the right information.

Exploring host-children's engagement in tourism: Transcending the dichotomy of universalism and cultural relativism

Globally, considerable numbers of child workers are engaged in the tourism industry. Despite international efforts to eradicate all forms of child labour, the number of child labourers in the service industries has increased due to the ambiguity and challenges in defining child labourers in tourism, the dichotomic views on child labour, and the absence of children's voices in research. This paper explores host-children's perception of their engagement in tourism and proposes a transformative paradigm to transcend the dichotomy of universalism and cultural relativism. Employing photo-elicitation interviews with 82 Cambodian host-children, this paper identifies both favourable and unfavourable perceptions of host-children's engagement in tourism. Hence, it is argued that host-children's engagement in tourism should not be seen as black and white but as a complicated social phenomenon. Based on the findings and discussion, a conceptual framework is proposed to demonstrate how the transformative paradigm guides to address host-children's engagement in tourism.

Systems thinking in local government: intervention design and adaptation in a community-based study

BackgroundSystems thinking approaches are increasingly being used by communities to address complex chronic disease. This paper reports on the VicHealth Local Government Partnership (VLGP) which sought to co-create improvements in the health and well-being of children and young people by working with local government in Victoria, Australia.MethodsThe VLGP included a series of health promotion modules, aimed at creating policy, programme and practice changes across local government. One of these modules, Connecting the Dots – creating solutions for lasting change, aimed to build capacity for systems thinking in municipal public health and well-being planning across 13 councils. The approach was adapted and data were collected on the stimuli for, and results of, adaptation.ResultsThe council adapted the systems thinking approach to meet geographic characteristics, priority health issue/s and participant target group needs. Adaptions applied to workshop materials, training delivery, existing and new resources, and to align with other community-based approaches. Stimuli for adaptation included the COVID-19 pandemic, needs of children and young people, capacity of council to deliver the workshop series, and time available within the project or for the participant group.ConclusionsSystems thinking was used and adapted by councils to improve the health and well-being of children and young people and increase the voices of children and young people in decision-making. Flexible delivery is critical to ensure communities can adapt the approach to meet local needs.

Indoor soundscape in primary school classroomsa).

Soundscape research on indoor environments is emerging as a topic to be addressed for the design of supportive, healthier, and more comfortable spaces. Only a few studies so far addressed the context of educational buildings, mainly focusing on high schools and universities. This pilot study uses questionnaires based on pictorial scales to investigate the indoor soundscape of classrooms for primary school children (n = 130; 8-10 years old). Perceived loudness and the affective dimensions of pleasantness and arousal were explored. Besides the actual soundscape, the children's ideal soundscape was investigated as well. The results of the study indicate that the most frequent sounds in classrooms are generated by the students themselves (voices, movements) followed by the traffic. The urban context of the school modulates the children's perception when windows are open to ensure natural ventilation. Pleasantness is associated with students' age, perceived loudness, and frequency of children's voices in nearby classrooms. The frequency of hearing indoor sounds (children's voices) and sirens affects students' arousal. Our results indicate that children at school are mostly exposed to unpleasant sounds, whereas their preferred ones are music and nature-related ones. The findings have implications for the design of positive and inclusive learning environments.

Hidden in Plain Sight: Child-authored Material in Australian Museums and Archives

Abstract: Since the history of children and youth gained momentum in the 1970s, historians have expressed frustration over the difficulties of locating children's voices in archives. While the availability of child-authored material presents a major challenge for many children's historians, not all are destined to work with lost or fragmentary evidence. By examining holdings of child art and writing in Australian collections, this article resists the assumption—common in the historiography of children and youth—that only fragments of child-authored material have survived in archives. In Australia, children's documentary records are far more voluminous than many scholars have previously acknowledged, comprising a surprisingly large array of children's art, writing, audiovisual and material culture.

MENCIPTAKAN GEREJA RAMAH ANAK DI SEKOLAH MINGGU GEREJA BETHEL INDONESIA TABGHA TANJUNG PIAYU - BATAM

Knowing a child-friendly Church, we believe that children are an important blessing and determine the life of the church now and in the future. When we want to prepare followers of Christ who grow and know love and witness for Christ, then this movement can be determined from the lives of children.Living the ministry of the children we serve are not just there and there is no time, but socializing about something that is considered necessary and even very important when serving them. HE conveyed the partiality of the Lord Jesus to children, But Jesus said: “Let the children be, don't hinder them from coming to Me; for people like these belong to the kingdom of heaven.”The question after that is, have we provided the right and adequate and ideal things for the ministry of these children, how much is the church's involvement in seeking child-friendly services in their environment. Let's work together in terms of creating a child-friendly culture throughout the church environment while serving them and the real application and taste contained in HIS word. Children's voices that cannot be seen and heard in writing or verbally with requests, but can be given a large enough space provided by the church for their ministry.In the era of digitalization of information technology in modern times there are many advantages and additional advantages of this technology in the growth and development of children that can be used, but there are certain sides that occur vulnerabilities to these problems that need to be watched out for arising.

South African courts' differing approaches to determining children's views in family law matters

The United Nations (UN) Convention on the Rights of the Child, 1989 (CRC), the African Charter on the Rights and Welfare of the Child, 1990 (ACRWC) and sections 6(5), 10, and 31(1)(a) of the Children's Act 38 of 2005 (Children's Act) place an obligation on South African courts to determine children's views in their parents' family law matters. This article analyses thirteen judgments stretching from 2003 - 2020 and one 2018 psychological study in relation to parenting plans to ascertain how South African courts determine children's views and wishes in practice. The judgments selected relate to divorces and disputes regarding children's primary residence and care and contact (custody and access disputes), disputes where a parent intends emigrating with children, and matters were a parent abducted a child. The judgments indicate courts have diverging approaches to determining children's views and wishes in family law matters. The 2018 psychological study found legal practitioners unfortunately fail to take into account children's inputs for purposes of drafting their parents' parenting plans. In light of courts' diverging approaches to determining a child's voice in their parents' litigious matters, as well as the current complete lack of guidelines in this regard, there is a need to amend the Children's Act to assist courts with particular regulations or guidelines in this regard. If courts are equipped with guidelines to direct their determination of children's views and wishes in family law matters, this will result in a more certain, and more congruent approach and most importantly, it will assist courts to pay heed to their duty to properly hear the voice of the child.

The Acoustic and Perceptual Correlates of Gender in Children's Voices.

This study investigates the perceptual and acoustic correlates of gender in prepubertal voices. The study is part of a longitudinal project analyzing recordings of circa 60 German primary school children from the first to fourth grades (6- to 10-year-olds). Spontaneous and content-controlled audio recordings were made of 62 first-grade children (29 girls, 33 boys; age: 6- to 7-year-olds) from two German primary schools. Information on gender conformity was also recorded. A total of 167 listeners judged the gender of the voices on a 7-point scale. The results of the listening experiments and gender conformity ratings were related to a range of typical acoustic parameters. Measures of self-reported gender conformity differ significantly between the boys and the girls. Sixteen of the 62 children show unambiguous gender attributions in the listening experiment. A hierarchical cluster analysis including gender perception, gender conformity, and acoustic parameters shows four different types of speakers. Two multiple regression models revealed a significant main effect of fundamental frequency on the gender perception ratings of the listening experiment across and within gender. Significant correlations were found between the center of gravity and skewness of the sibilants and gender conformity, especially for the male speakers. Fundamental frequency plays an important role in influencing perceptual judgments, whereas sibilant spectra are correlated with gender conformity. In further listening experiments, we will examine in more detail the role of individual acoustic parameters and analyze how the vocal expression of gender and gender conformity in individual children develops before reaching puberty.

Ethnography in Early Childhood Education and Care

Childhood research is increasingly being conducted from different disciplines, and research methods for showing the child's world are also increasing and evolving. This article examines the challenges and opportunities of childhood research in an early childhood education and care (ECEC) environment from an ethnographic approach. The purpose of the article is to create a vision of what ECEC ethnography is, which can be used to make visible the culture of an under-school-age child, his or her experience, feelings, voice, and actions. A key challenge in ECEC ethnography is that the researcher is a representative of adult culture, emphasizing the need for reflexivity. We highlight five key themes for the researcher: the acquisition of material, the degree of researcher participation, taking on the role of a researcher, reaching the child's voice, and describing the results in a child-centered and ethically sustainable way. Respect for the child and earning the child's trust are essential. When successful, ECEC ethnography provides knowledge and understanding of childhood in a way that can contribute to supporting children's development and overall well-being.

Can child-friendly tools support young, autistic children to better communicate about their well-being to help inform school provision?

ABSTRACT Pupils' wellbeing in school can impact their learning, yet research into this topic is often from adults' perspectives. From a constructivist approach (where knowledge is shaped by human experience), the lack of child view on their well-being in schools is a significant gap in the literature, particularly from underrepresented groups including autistic pupils. This article is a small-scale case study with three child participants aged 7–8 years. To capture child voice, research tools were created by the participants followed by discussions to understand the student's intention. Two key themes emerged as important to well-being: social inclusion and school environment. This study demonstrates how child-created tools can be implemented in practice to truly ‘hear’ the voices of underrepresented groups. By empowering child voice in educational research, actions/implications for schools and their staff originate from the very individuals most affected, thus enabling child and school priorities to be better met.

Quality of life in the voice of children who depend on health technologies: Mixed methods study

ObjectiveTo examine the quality of life of children who depend on health technologies as expressed in their own words. MethodsA parallel and convergent mixed methods design was employed with 30 aged five to 12 year old children who depend on health technologies. Data collection was done through a characterization form, Pediatric Quality of Life Inventory 4.0 questionnaire with the total sample in quantitative phase; semi-structured interviews with a subset of nine participants in qualitative phase. Quantitative and qualitative data were analyzed using descriptive statistics and deductive thematic content analyses, respectively. ResultsFindings from PedsQL 4.0 showed that quality of life for children who depend on health technologies is average. However, data integration through mixed methods showed that this average goes beyond quantitative data through hearing the children's own voices. The results from data integration pointed out that children recognize their limitations and adapt to them; what most affects their quality of life is the emotional domain; children reported suffering prejudice due to their physical limitations; and that the school positively impacts their quality of life. ConclusionsData integration highlighted that children acknowledge their limitations and pain generated by these devices. Concerns about the future and the ability to do things that other children the same age can do was the most impactful aspect on their quality of life. Implications for practiceNursing care plans should consider that what affects most children who depend on health technologies' quality of life is anxiety for the future of being incapacitated or dependent.

Special education documents and young children's right to be heard

AbstractThe aim of this article was to explore whether and how special education documents incorporate efforts to hear young children. The study is based on an in‐depth analysis of expert assessments and individual education plans (IEP) pertaining to 17 children enrolled in early education and care (ECEC) institutions in Norway. The documents are scrutinized for explicit attempts to hear young children, as well as in‐depth analysis of descriptions of children to see if the text convey efforts to include their perspectives. The findings reveal a clear absence of explicit attempts to listen to children during the assessment process. However, the assessments include information obtained from parents and ECEC regarding children's preferences and interests, suggesting an attempt to represent children's voices by proxy. Although the documents contain various descriptions of children's verbal and non‐verbal expressions, these descriptions primarily serve as illustrations of their challenges. The assessments portray children as individuals with difficulties, positioning them as mere ‘cases’. At the same time, recommendations and plans for support emphasize listening to children's voices. The findings of this study suggest a need to redefine special education documents in order to listen to children's views and to incorporate alternative understandings into the assessment process.