Daniela Sime

Ethical and methodological issues in engaging young people living in poverty with participatory research methods

This paper discusses the methodological and ethical issues arising from a project that focused on conducting a qualitative study using participatory techniques with children and young people living in disadvantage. The main aim of the study was to explore the impact of poverty on children and young peoples access to public and private services. The paper discusses the ethical implications of involving children and young people in the research process, in particular issues relating to access and recruitment, the role of young peoples advisory groups, use of visual data and collection of data in young peoples homes. It identifies some strategies for addressing the difficulties encountered in relation to each of these aspects and it considers the benefits of adopting participatory methods when conducting research with children and young people.

Formative assessment for all: a whole-school approach to pedagogic change

Scotlands Assessment is for Learning initiative (AifL) seeks to introduce a co-ordinated national system for assessment in schools. Formative assessment is a major plank in this. The initiative has moved beyond its pilot phase and it is intended that it will be adopted by all Scottish schools by 2007. This article draws upon the case-study of a primary school that has adopted a whole-school approach to enacting the formative assessment principles of AifL since 2004. It utilizes Margaret Archers social theory to analyse and explain the processes of change that have underpinned the development of formative assessment in the school. The article argues that meaningful change in schools can be stimulated by encouraging socio-cultural interaction among practitioners, via the impetus provided by a central initiative combined with the creation of spaces for dialogue and the extension of professional trust and autonomy.

Home abroad: Eastern European children’s family and peer relationships after migration

Despite a recent upsurge in migration research, the impact of family migration on children’s relationships has received relatively little attention. The existing literature is only beginning to give a voice to migrant children. This article aims to address this gap, as it draws on findings from a qualitative study conducted with 57 Eastern European children, newly arrived in Scotland. By exploring how children perceive old and new friendships after migration, as well as the changes that migration brings in family dynamics and roles, the article offers an understanding of children’s everyday practices that condition their social interactions after migration. It also reveals the centrality of children’s agency and the complex nature of the mechanisms which underpin children’s relationships after migration and emphasizes the multi-sited nature of migrant children’s lives.

'I think that Polish doctors are better': newly arrived migrant children and their parents׳ experiences and views of health services in Scotland.

Understanding users׳ perceptions and expectations of health care provision is key to informing practice, policy and health-related measures. In this paper, we present findings from a qualitative study conducted with recently migrated Eastern European children and their parents, reporting on their experiences of accessing health services post-migration. Unlike the case of adults, the experiences of newly migrated children have rarely been explored in relation to health services. We pay particular attention to three key areas: (1) migrant families׳ views of health service provision; (2) barriers to health service use; and (3) transnational use of health services. By using a social capital approach, we show how concerns about the Scottish health care practices enacted by migrant parents are adopted by children and are likely to impact on families׳ health beliefs and behaviours. The study highlights the important role of migrants׳ active participation as users of health services. We conclude that appropriate health services need to consider more carefully migrants׳ expectations and complex health care activities, in order to be fully inclusive and patient-centred.

‘You want the best for your kids’: improving educational outcomes for children living in poverty through parental engagement

Background: Existing evidence suggests a relationship between family social contexts, family relationships and interactions, children’s social and cognitive development and educational outcomes. Interventions that assist families in relation to parenting and supporting children’s development can have positive effects on both parents’ skills and the educational progress of their children. Purpose: This article reports on a study conducted in an area with high levels of social and economic deprivation in Scotland, which aimed to investigate the nature and effectiveness of the services in place to support poor families. The project focused on capturing the experiences of parents and what they perceived as effective support from the nursery and school staff in terms of getting them more involved in their children’s learning. Sample: There was a particular focus on the four-to-seven-year age group, thus covering the crucial transition from pre-school (or non-school) provision to primary school. A sample of three Early Education & Childcare Centres (EECCs) and three schools were selected. The schools and EECCs were all from areas of high social deprivation and had a high proportion of children on free school meals. Design and methods: The study was qualitative in design and included in-depth semi-structured interviews with 19 service managers and practitioners, six focus groups with parents and six activity groups with children. Data were analysed using both pre-determined and emerging codes. Results: While all parents recognised the value of education for their children’s social mobility and opportunities and were keen to engage in activities, they remained aware of the limited resources they could draw upon, mainly in terms of their restricted academic competencies, specialist knowledge and qualifications. The desire to help their children overcome their families’ economic circumstances was also hampered by the absence of strong social and kinship networks that they could draw upon. Conclusions: We draw on concepts of social and cultural capital to examine parents’ positioning in relation to their children’s education. The conclusion highlights parents’ strategic orientation to school/nurseries, often seen as a resource of cultural capital, and calls for a more positive discourse of parental engagement in relation to disadvantaged groups.

'It's good enough that our children are accepted' : Roma mothers' views of children's education post migration

Abstract The discrimination of Roma groups across Europe has been highlighted by several international organisations. For many, poverty, racism and their children’s systematic exclusion from education are ‘push’ factors when deciding to migrate. This study explores Roma mothers’ views of their children’s education post migration and their attitudes to education more broadly, by adopting an intersectional framework and examining issues of difference and belonging as experienced by Roma mothers and their children. While Roma mothers recognised the value of education for social mobility, they remained aware of the limited resources they could draw upon, in the absence of desirable economic and cultural capitals, and as a result of their ethnicity, social class, gender and ‘undesirable migrant’ status. There was a perceived hopelessness in relation to the chances that Roma children have to overcome their marginalisation through schooling, pointing to the need for dedicated policy interventions when working with Roma families.

Belonging and ontological security among Eastern European migrant parents and their children

Research has given increasing recognition to the important role that children play in family decisions to migrate and the significant impact of migration on family relationships. At the same time, the role of emotional labour involved in feeling ‘at home’ and the sense of ontological security and everyday be-longing that families develop post-migration can benefit from further exploration. Drawing on data collected with Eastern European migrant families in Scotland, this article explores intergenerational understandings of (in)securities by comparing parents’ and children’s views on their lives post-migra-tion. It shows that, while adults constructed family security around notions of stable employment and potential for a better future, children reflected more on the emotional and ontological insecurities which families experienced. Family relationships are often destabilised by migration, which can lead to long-term or permanent insecurities such as family disintegration and the loss of a sense of recognition and be-longing. The article reflects on the ways in which insecurities of the past are transformed, but are un-likely to be resolved, by migration to a new country. It does this by grounding the analysis in young people’s own understandings of security and by examining how their narratives challenge idealised adult expectations of family security and stability post-migration. It also shows that young people’s involvement in migration research brings an important perspective to the family dynamics post-migration, challenging adult-centred constructs.