Open AccessPromoting children’s well-being at school and at home: Methodological considerations
Author(s) -
Jaana Poikolainen
Publication year - 2013
Publication title -
barn
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
eISSN - 2535-5449
pISSN - 0800-1669
DOI - 10.5324/barn.v31i4.3749
Subject(s) - viewpoints , feeling , focus group , psychology , perspective (graphical) , developmental psychology , pedagogy , medical education , medicine , sociology , social psychology , art , artificial intelligence , anthropology , computer science , visual arts
This study conducted research on children’s well-being from their perspective, respecting theirsubjective experiences and viewpoints. The aim of the article is twofold: to discuss about how toresearch children’s well-being and describe their well-being at home and school. In 2011, the data wasgathered in two phases in the Finnish comprehensive schools of Päijät-Häme region. First, informationabout the children’s knowledge of well-being was collected using interviews and workshops. Second,this data was used to develop an e-questionnaire, which was delivered to all the second to sixth graders(8–12 years old) in the region’s schools (N=3731). In this article the focus is in the questionnaire, thedata was analyzed using mainly descriptive methods. The analysis revealed that the adults in theschools, teachers and support personnel, as well as parents, are needed to foster the children’s wellbeing. These contexts should be researched simultaneously, not as separate domains. The positiveattitudes of school personnel towards pupils, and parents’ positive, authoritative childrearing practicescontribute to the children’s feeling of well-being.