Children's perspectives of well- being in English and New Zealand primary schools Anne Kellock Sheffield Hallam University [email protected] 3rd International

Children's perspectives of well-being in English and

New Zealand primary schools

Anne Kellock

Sheffield Hallam University

[email protected]

3rd International Conference of the International Society for Child Indicators University of York 27-29 July 2011

Introduction

• About the research • Methodological approach • Methods• Data themes• Stories of change• Making sense of it all• Model of understanding well-being


Clare (8): This is where we go to talk in the playground

About the research

• As part of a funded PhD research project• Background – primary school teacher, psychology and

counselling, interest in visual arts and well-being• Context - schools in UK and New Zealand, focus on 8-10

year old children to access their views on their own well-being


Methodological Approach

• Children as experts (Christensen and Prout, 2002)

• Children as researchers (Kellett, 2008)

• Visual communicating (Reavey and Johnson, 2008)

• Photography as accessible (Rose, 2007)

• Participatory Action Research (Kagan, Burton and Siddiquee, 2008, Reason, 1988)

• Indigenous Methodology (Tuhiwai Smith, 1999)

• Working with children (Banister and Booth, 2005; Mayall, 2000; Sixsmith, Duckett and Kagan, 2005)


Methods

• Tour of the School

• Photo Art• Feelings

Dictionaries• Facial Expression

Chart• Storyboards• Identity Work• Reflections

James (10) Feeling Dictionary



Data

• People (including friendship)• Place and environment• Being physically active• Being creative• Play• Learning• Autonomy and choice• Rules• Needs


Angel (10): My brother

Stories of Change...

• increased enhanced self-expression through visual communication

• enhanced visual literacy• calmer and more focused in small

group settings• increased empathetic skills• increased self-confidence• increased contributions in school• positive feelings from being heard• more confident to take on

challenges and appearing ‘happier’

Megan (8): Teddy is special to me.


Making sense of it all

• Children’s themes• Community Psychology• Sen’s Capability Approach

Community Psychology

• Understanding and helping people in their natural and social settings (Orford, 1992)

• Comprehending the “whole” child in context (Pooley et al, 2002:p.6)• Children can be understood as “… community beings …” or “… active social

agents …” (James and Prout, 1997:p.18) • Belonging to a community can provide a sense of emotional safety, sense of

belonging and identity, as well as offering boundaries (Pooley et al, 2002: pp.8) • Social connectedness as being “one of the most powerful determinants of our

well-being” (Putnam, 2000: pp.326) • Bronfenbrenner (1979) systems theory and Bird and Drewery (2000)

Interconnected Diagram

• In this study: key points – children as network members, learning environment, social skills development


Sen’s Capability Approach

• Sen (1999): Development as Freedom• Capabilities are a person’s ability to lead a life they have

reason to value (Robeyns, 2003 and Sen, 1999) • Functioning is the actual achievement stemming from

capability, thus the difference lies between the potential and the outcome (Walker and Unterhalter, 2007)

• Capabilities in this study: Being a learner, being physically active, being creative, being social

• Resources, positive functions and potential barriers


Model of understanding well-being3rd International Conference of the International Society for Child Indicators University of York 27-29 July 2011

Conclusions and questions

• Thank you.


References

• Banister, E. and Booth, G.J. (2005) Exploring innovative methodologies for child-centric consumer research Qualitative Market Research 8: 2 pp.157-175

• Bird, L. and Drewery, W. (2000) Human Development in Aotearoa: A Journey Through Life Auckland: McGraw-Hill Book Company New Zealand Limited

• Bronfenbrenner, U. (1989) Ecological systems theory Annual Child Development 6 pp. 187-249.• Christensen, P., and Prout, A. (2002) Working with ethical symmetry in social research with children Childhood 9: 4 pp.477-497.• James, A. and Prout, A. (Eds) (1997) Constructing and Reconstructing Childhood London: Falmer Press • Kagan, C., Burton, M. and Siddiquee, A. (2008) Action Research in C. Willig and W. Stainton-Rogers (Eds) The Sage Handbook of

Qualitative Research in Psychology London: Sage Publications Ltd pp.32-53• Kellett, M. (2008) Children as active researchers: a new research paradigm for the 21st century? ESRC National Centre for Research

Methods, Review Paper• Mayall, B. (2000) Conversations with Children: Working with Generational Issues in P. Christensen and A. James (Eds) Research with

Children: Perspectives and Practices Falmer Press: London• Orford, J. (1992) Community Psychology: Theory and Practice Chichester: John Wiley & Sons Ltd • Pooley, J.A., Pike, L.T., Drew, N.M. & Breen, L. (2002) Inferring Australian children’s sense of community: a critical exploration

Community, Work & Family 5: 1 pp.5-22. • Putnam, R.D. (2000) Bowling Alone New York: Simon and Schuster• Reavey, P. and Johnson, K. (2008) Visual Approaches: Using and Interpreting Images in C. Willig and W. Stainton-Rogers (Eds) The

Sage Handbook of Qualitative Research in Psychology London: Sage Publications Ltd. pp.296-314.• Robeyns, I. (2003) Sen’s Capability Approach and Gender Inequality: Selecting relevant capabilities Feminist Economics 9:2 pp.62-

91. • Rose, G. (2007) Visual Methodologies: An Introduction to the Interpretation of Visual Materials London: Sage Publications Ltd• Sen, A.K. (1999) Development as Freedom Oxford: Oxford University Press • Sixsmith, J., Duckett, P. and Kagan, C. (2004) “I leave me outside when I come in school and pick myself back up on the way home.”

Young people’s perspectives on healthy schools Open Space-Open People 2004 Conference: Edinburgh• Tuhiwai Smith, L. (1999) Decolonizing Methodologies: Research and Indigenous Peoples New York: Zen Books Ltd • Walker, M. and Unterhalter, E. (2007) The Capability Approach: Its Potential for Work in Education in M. Walker and E. Unterhalter

(Eds) Amartya Sen‟s Capability Approach and Social Justice in Education New York: Palgrave Macmillan pp.1-18.


Documents

Children's perspectives of well- being in English and New Zealand primary schools Anne Kellock Sheffield Hallam University [email protected] 3rd International