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This paper documents co‐participatory research with children in six primary schools in Ireland during the COVID‐19 pandemic. It explores the use of what we term digital dialogues with diverse groups of children aged 9–10 years as members of Child Research Advisory Groups. The paper conceptualises the digital dialogues as sites of resistance as well as constraint, empowering children to articulate their voices in relation to schooling and the pandemic, whilst mediated by power dynamics—between adults and children, and between children, in the articulation of those voices. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study was aimed at comparing different formats of illustrations for children's books created by modern Chinese and Ukrainian artists. At the same time, it was not focused just on determining the leading format, but on identifying the attractiveness factors of each format. To this end, the study investigated children's illustration preferences drawing from the following three age groups: 5–6 years old (preschoolers), 7–8 years old (second‐graders), and 9–10 years old (fourth‐graders). According to the survey, children were most concerned with illustration colourfulness (this is true for paper and pop‐up books) and viewing convenience. There were no statistically significant differences found between Chinese and Ukrainian books in terms of these parameters. At the same time, Chinese e‐books appeared to outperform the Ukrainian texts in terms of feature management and illustration colourfulness. Publishers and artists of children's books can use these data for effective creative activity and making constructive decisions. At the same time, these findings may be of interest to parents, informing or guiding book selection for children. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The whole of society has been passing through difficult times due to the effects of COVID‐19. Such a lengthy period has greatly impacted lifestyles and living standards. Accordingly, this paper aimed to examine the role of Jordanian children in purchasing decision‐making within the framework of parental mediation during COVID‐19. A quantitative methodology was applied, and a questionnaire targeted 287 children aged 8–12. Findings demonstrated a correlation between the influence of COVID‐19. They changed the purchasing behaviour of children, as their daily habits have changed to increased periods of stay at home, leading to a long preoccupation with watching the Internet/commercials. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper examines the reflections of a cohort of Australian children who lived through the 2020–21 COVID‐19 pandemic and experienced being in 'lockdown'; a state of largely being confined to the home for long periods daily. We report how children reflect on their experiences and illustrate how reflections draw on similar topics focused on localised child concerns regarding health, education, family, digital engagement, mealtimes and food. Further, we argue for the importance of including children's own voices of lived experience in reports regarding life during the pandemic since these perspectives may differ from those reported by adults on children's behalf. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper adopts hierarchical regression and ANOVA techniques to analyse the data from 'Child Well‐being Study in Greater Taipei' in view of examining the association between the practice of family routines and different work schedules for parents with children in primary school. The findings conclude that family routines are relatively unstable when parents work atypical hours, with this association more significant for mothers than for fathers. Moreover, the practice of family routines becomes more unstable when the number of parents working atypical hours increases, while there is no significant change when more parents take jobs with flexible working hours. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

There are few published articles on conducting large-scale surveys in secondary schools, and this paper seeks to fill this gap. Drawing on the experiences of the Youth On Religion project, it discusses the politics of gaining access to these schools and the considerations leading to the adoption and administration of an online survey. It is concluded that successful research in schools has to be planned carefully in collaboration with key members of staff, and justified as an educational activity. Providing speedy feedback was helpful to ensure schools benefited from the research and to keep them engaged with the project. © 2011 The Author(s). Children & Society © 2011 National Children's Bureau and Blackwell Publishing Limited [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper first considers the impacts on children who have experienced domestic and family violence and consequential homelessness. This is followed by an account of an Australian qualitative research project, Safe from the Start, which was designed to identify and form a register of intervention activities and therapeutic play for affected young children aged up to six. The key finding of this innovative applied research, substantiated by the participatory evaluation, is that effective early intervention with such children can be conducted by non-specialised workers and parents, given the right training and tools. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Assent guidelines currently fail to include an assessment of a child's decision‐making ability, experience and interest. This paper summarises a two‐stage study, conducted in the United Kingdom, exploring perspectives on children's decision‐making power and ability within their family, as an indicator for overall decision‐making readiness. Children desired to make some decisions but knew their parents held ultimate authority. Parents believed their children could make some decisions and actively trained them through involvement in daily decisions. Researchers should strive to include children in enrolment decisions to some degree, based on a consideration of their expectations for involvement informed by their daily family context. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper reports findings about parents' experiences of caring for young people with Autistic Spectrum Conditions (ASCs) moving into adulthood. In‐depth interviews were conducted with 38 parents of young people (15–21 years) with ASCs. Data were analysed thematically. In the perceived absence of service support, parents' acted as ‘care‐coordinators’ and ‘life‐supporters’ for their child as they moved into adulthood. These roles came with little choice, emotional demands and personal restrictions. Being supported was important for parents, but preferences differed regarding what this should look like. Implications for policy are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Schools have been identified as playing a key role in supporting the children of prisoners. This paper reports on a study, which explored the support provision offered in schools to children who experience parental imprisonment. By interviewing school representatives, stakeholders, parents and children, we illustrate the support available in schools, the issues that arise and ways in which support provision can be strengthened. Our findings indicate that children of prisoners often constitute a 'forgotten' group in schools, and we suggest that an awareness of these children and the challenges they face needs to be raised amongst education practitioners and policy-makers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Choice is often presented as a defining feature of play and it has been argued that a perception of choice contributes to the developmental potential of play. This paper investigates children's self-recorded levels of choice during play across three contexts-the home, the school playground and the out-of-school club. Children recorded their play activities across contexts using a structured diary technique. Findings based on 401 reported play episodes indicated that choice varied across contexts, according to the number of children involved and whether or not an adult was present. The findings are discussed in relation to theory, policy and professional practice. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper describes an exploratory evaluation of the Peers Early Education Partnership 'Room to Play', an innovative and experimental 'drop-in' service seeking to attract and engage 'hard-to-reach' families in one of the most deprived areas of a Midlands city. Located in a shop unit of a busy community shopping centre, it offers play and learning activities for children, and provides opportunities for parents to talk to practitioners in a neutral and supportive environment. Through a mixed methods design, the authors attempted to document the core components of a potential transferable model of intervention, within challenging research constraints. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper examines differences in life satisfaction among children in different family structures in 36 western, industrialised countries ( n = 184 496). Children living with both biological parents reported higher levels of life satisfaction than children living with a single parent or parent-step-parent. Children in joint physical custody reported significantly higher levels of life satisfaction than their counterparts in other types of non-intact families. Controlling perceived family affluence, the difference between joint physical custody families and single mother or mother-stepfather families became non-significant. Difficulties in communicating with parents were strongly associated with less life satisfaction but did not mediate the relation between family structure and life satisfaction. Children in the Nordic countries characterised by strong welfare systems reported significantly higher levels of life satisfaction in all living arrangements except in single father households. Differences in economic inequality between countries moderated the association between certain family structures, perceived family affluence and life satisfaction. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Studies eliciting the views of children on ageing are rare, particularly those that focus on imagining a future self as an ‘old’ person and how this might be linked to current attitudes to older people. To address this gap, 2,365 children participated in an online survey which included questions on ageing. Findings suggest that children who hold negative views about old people visualise poorer outcomes for themselves at age 70. Implications of the findings are discussed in the context of an ageing population and the need to develop strategies to prevent the formation of prejudices against older people from an early age. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper reports a school-based questionnaire survey conducted among 2420 children aged nine to 16 years. It examines the extent of stranger abuse, its nature and the characteristics of victims. The research contains complex messages in terms of the 'seriousness' of stranger abuse and identifies a number of challenges to understanding this phenomenon. It highlights the need for much more sophistication in debates over, and policy and practice responses to, stranger abuse. Copyright © 2002 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The purpose was to investigate the association between disability, and psychosomatic problems among adolescents at compulsory regular school also taking into account parental and student achievement expectations and student self‐efficacy. We analysed cross‐sectional questionnaire data collected in 2010, from 2004 Swedish adolescents. The results showed that the degree of psychosomatic problems and self‐efficacy varied with regard to whether the adolescent reported having a disability or not. The distribution of parents' and adolescents' own achievement expectations did not differ significantly with regard to having a disability. Neither achievement expectations nor self‐efficacy did moderate the association between disability and psychosomatic problems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The study examined adolescents' social involvement and volunteerism in their student councils and becoming civically engaged adults. Two‐hundred and two middle‐ and high‐school students active in their councils were asked about their involvement in the student council's activities and their perception of the student council as a framework for volunteerism and social involvement. Findings revealed that middle‐ and high‐school active members had been active already in elementary school and were involved in additional school/community volunteerism projects, and their parents were civically engaged adults. To conclude, the student council is an educational platform that promotes students to develop as socially involved adult citizens. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article explores child well‐being in Danish early childhood education and care (ECEC) during the time of COVID‐19. A phased reopening of Denmark occurred in spring 2020 under strict health guidelines. Two ECEC institutions were followed first‐hand to observe the impact of the pandemic on pedagogy and child well‐being. Observations and interviews were conducted with follow‐up interviews and an online survey a year later. The findings suggest that the pandemic caused pedagogues to work in a more child‐sensitive way with elevated staff/child ratios and children in small, fixed groups; however, child well‐being was not negatively affected, despite the acute situation [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

One of the under‐represented groups in participatory urban research is very young children (0–3 years old). Very young children from disadvantaged neighbourhoods, particularly in global cities, such as Istanbul, often have to negotiate unfriendly urban spaces in their daily routines. These routines consist of intertwined events of caregivers and children, as care duties of caregivers frame their joint daily lives. Based on questionnaires and participatory mapping with full‐time mothers from Istanbul, we argue that a compact design of neighbourhoods, which merges public spaces relevant to families with young children in combined destinations, is critical towards creating inclusive urban environments. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The purpose of the present study was to contribute to the international scientific literature that highlights the benefits of children walking to school without adult supervision, and its influence on aspects such as mobility autonomy and health (among others). The study included 215 children from a public school in the municipality of Bilbao, Spain in the 3rd, 4th, 5th and 6th grades of Primary Education. The questionnaire consisted of different validated scales on independence of mobility, self‐esteem and happiness. Our findings suggest that students who participate in the 'friendly paths' project have greater independent mobility in comparison with those who do not, whilst it is noteworthy that this type of project primarily affects the closer spaces or school journeys. Moreover, our findings indicate that variables such as gender and age are determining factors in the independence of mobility, with older children showing greater autonomy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The continued problem of bullying merits prevention. The resilience programme studied in this research teaches victimisation avoidance skills. The purpose of this study was to determine the effects of a resilience programme on social skills, victimisation, and bullying among eight to thirteen‐year‐old students. This quantitative, quasi‐experimental design sampled students' self‐reported social skills (n = 72), bullying (n = 67), and victimisation (n = 67) in two, Northeastern U.S. schools. Paired samples t‐test analyses showed that the programme had positive effects on social skills, no effects on bullying, and negative effects on victimisation. Recommendations were made regarding bullying prevention and future research. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This research investigates how children from an affluent city in the UK exercise agency to construct their economic worlds. A survey (n = 484) showed that children (ages 10 to 14 years) conduct a range of monetary and non‐monetary activities. A second study (n = 83) with diaries, self‐documentation, and parental questionnaires, showed that children's economic activity involves individual and social motivations, occurs in formal and informal contexts, and is often self‐regulated. Parents acknowledge children's monetary activities and neglect non‐monetary activities. The results suggest that children's agency unfolds in diverse economic activities shaped by contextual factors and interactions with peers and parents, thereby supporting a relational view of children's agency. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Concern that the teenage pregnancy rate in an urban community in Southwest Nigeria has doubled within the last decade prompted an intergenerational survey of a sample of 277 respondents (163 pregnant teenagers, 91 teen parents and 23 adult parents who were once teen parents) selected through snowballing and then interviewed in four group discussions in Ogbomosho, Nigeria. Findings revealed that 43.5 per cent of the female and 48.5 per cent of the male teenagers informed their parents first when they became pregnant or made someone pregnant respectively. They also showed that lack of knowledge about puberty (21.3%) was a major factor that influenced teenage pregnancy. The majority (53.4%) of the respondents believed that their parents perceived teenage pregnancy as God's blessing, while it was perceived as sign of poverty by their school teachers (36.5%). Blame for unwanted pregnancy was put on the girls by 49.5 per cent of the respondents. Focused educational enlightenment for teenagers on sexual reproductive health is needed for reshaping teenagers' risky behaviours. This is in line with 25.6 per cent of the respondents who felt that community youth forum on sex education could reduce teenage pregnancy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The aim of the present study was to investigate to what degree teenagers agree with bullying explanation statements that could be categorised as the odd victim explanation, bully's social positioning explanation, or the distressed bully explanation. A second aim was to investigate how these types of bullying explanations might be associated with gender and self-reported prior bullying roles. Three hundred and fifty teenagers, attending three upper secondary schools in a medium-sized Swedish town, completed a questionnaire. Although the teenagers were prone to agree with all three types of bullying explanations, they were more inclined to think that bullying occurs because the bully wants power or status. Girls were more inclined than boys to think that bullying takes place because the bullies have their own problems. The more the teenagers thought that bullying occurs because the victims are odd, different or deviant, the more they have been involved in bullying situations as bullies or reinforcers. The more the teenagers thought that bullying occurs because the bully has psychosocial problems, the more they have been involved as defenders and the less as bullies or reinforcers in bullying situations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The views of children diagnosed with ADHD have, until recently, largely been neglected in research, policy and practice. This article focuses on qualitative research which explored children's lived experience, drawing attention to the ways that they actively 'take' responsibility for managing their physical, psychological and emotional well-being within the constraints of a medical diagnosis. The neglect of a tradition which asks children about their own experiences of ADHD is crucially bound up with children's low social and political status in UK society and notions of competency and responsibility in relation to ADHD. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The present study aims at exploring which factors predict the willingness of adolescents to disclose personal information in response to online marketing requests. Our analyses show that especially privacy concerns and perceived benefits explain a considerable portion of variance in both willingness to disclose profile data (e.g. age, hobbies, favourite products) and contact data (e.g. phone number, e-mail address, home address). An interesting interrelationship was found between profile data and contact data disclosure. Contrary to our expectations, parental mediation strategies were only a weak predictor of teenagers' willingness to disclose contact information. Policy implications that emerge from the central findings of this study are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Despite the shift in emphasis from institutional to foster family care, in the south of Italy children in need are mainly looked after by residential services. These are required to provide family-style care and to place children on a short-term basis. Using data from research on a 100% sample of day units, residential services and children in care in the Calabria region, this article investigates the functioning of the system of care for vulnerable children at the sub-national level, describes looked-after children's characteristics and life conditions and questions the extent to which a real deinstitutionalisation process has occurred in this area. Finally, some deinstitutionalisation recommendations are given. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Prevalence studies of emotional health and well-being (EHWB) of young people indicate that that there is cause for concern. Very few studies have examined EHWB from the perspective of young people. This study examined the views of young people about their EHWB in the context of secondary education in the UK. Eight focus groups were conducted in five secondary schools with pupils in year 10 (aged 13-14). The findings suggested that whilst pupils thought some aspects of EHWB are well provided for in the school curriculum, there were problems with coherence of EHWB policy. Mental health topics were thought to be neglected in the EHWB curriculum especially in relation to self-harm. Three problems regarding talking about EHWB were identified. Firstly, the quality of EHWB lessons depended on the enthusiasm and creativity of the teacher taking the lesson. Secondly, pupils were concerned about confidentiality. Thirdly, many pupils preferred to talk to friends about EHWB issues. The findings of the study suggest a need for greater involvement of young people in the planning, implementation and evaluation of the EHWB curriculum. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This interpretative study aims to offer metaphors that describe family meanings from the adolescent's perspective by encouraging them to give a metaphor with their own explanation on a self-administering essay form. This study has three objectives: to explore the family meanings as a metaphor from the Hong Kong adolescent's perspective; to reveal any common and unique features of these metaphors; and to search for the possibilities of collecting metaphors from adolescents as a pre-counselling assessment tool. The 12 participants for this study were referred to me for family counselling because of poor self-esteem, loss of life goals or ineffective relationships with their parents. Based on the 12 metaphors, the following five themes can be discerned: (i) gender role in a family, (ii) Chinese culture in a family, (iii) heat in a family, (iv) security in a family and (v) the family as honey and a loan company. Based on the above five themes, there are some common metaphors (e.g. a warm place, honey, a shelter, a boat shelter, a chick and a hen, a volcano, a fire, an oven and a loan company), trans-cultural and unique metaphors (e.g. a wet market and 'Kung Fu' experts), and those that are culturally specified. Both strengths and limitations of collecting and analysing metaphors were discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Based on 65 interviews with professionals and parents conducted during 2007-2008, this 16-month, mainly qualitative evaluation of Parentline Plus' Time to Talk Community Programme (a preventative initiative within England's teenage pregnancy strategy) found that a community development approach and an ethos of partnership with parents and professionals facilitated engagement. Respectful and realistic implementation involved skilled workers building relationships of trust. By consulting with other professionals and parents it was possible to establish local need and to build on existing provision. Initially, insufficient prior local consultation and negotiation created perceptions of an imposed initiative, led by outsiders, resulting in wary local parents and professionals. The engagement and evaluation processes are considered in relation to the short-term nature of the initiative and potential conflicts between responding flexibly to the needs of parents and delivering targeted programmes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article describes challenges met implementing an early intervention programme for Aboriginal parents and their children in the NT (Northern Territory) of Australia in the context of efforts to remediate Aboriginal disadvantage. The intervention is an adaptation of an 8- to 10-week, manualised parenting programme designed for four- to six-year-old children with behavioural difficulties. It was implemented for both Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal children in urban Darwin and for Aboriginal children in three communities of the Tiwi Islands, near Darwin. Measured outcomes of the programme were positive overall with different outcomes by gender and Indigenous status. There were marked differences in retention of families from different socio-cultural backgrounds in the programme, with a significant loss of participants from referral through commencement to six-month follow-up. This drop-out was most marked for urban Aboriginal participants, despite highly flexible strategies of engagement and cultural adaptation of the approach pursued in each setting. The research provides lessons for the contextualisation of preventive interventions in diverse community settings and shows that systematic attention to cultural 'fit' of the intervention logic and cultural competence in engagement of disadvantaged families with multiple problems are fundamental to sustainability. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article describes a qualitative study exploring the effects of community-based human rights and pro-equality education on Bolivian adolescent boys. By privileging the boys' own voices, the study examines how the boys' sense of solidarity toward others, derived from the citizenship duties and collegiality emphasised in non-governmental workshops, impacted their commitment to gender equality. Research implications include the importance of educating young males on females' rights and listening to the boys' views on the resulting progress and remaining challenges regarding the attainment of sustainable gender equality in social spheres and public policies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

While studies have shown that adults use smoking to deal with stress, little research has been carried out with children to explore their perceptions of smoking as a coping strategy. Qualitative questionnaire and interview data were generated with children aged 9-11 years. Participants perceived that adults smoked to relieve boredom and stress, and suggested that children might smoke for the same reasons. Children were more likely to know that adults smoked to deal with stress if they lived in a deprived area. Girls were more likely to believe that some children need to smoke as a coping strategy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A multiple choice questionnaire on AIDS is described for use with secondary school students. In its use an attempt is made to allow students to explore their views on AIDS and related issues whilst, hopefully, adding to their knowledge. Analysis of completed questionnaires enables some evaluation of the students' current level of awareness. The results of a preliminary study are described and discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]