Abstract
Introduction. The studies on children’s rights actualize the unity of the external and internal. The external means social environment which interacts with the subject. The internal implies the subject’s inner reality, ensuring his/her self-realization, autonomy, and freedom. The paper (a) describes the interrelationship between the problems in studying children’s rights and the issues of child welfare and education in the field of human/children’s rights, (b) concentrates on methods for studying notions about children’s rights, (c) considers the principles of children’s participation in the study of their rights, (d) presents diagnostic tools, and (e) provides the results of an empirical study on notions about children’s rights among adolescents aged 10–15 years.
Methods. The study employed the Rapid Survey on Notions About Children’s Rights which followed the principles and logic of (a) the Flash Eurobarometer: The Rights of the Child and (b) the Children‘s Report on Child Rights by UNICEF.
Results. The study revealed characteristics and age differences in notions about children’s rights among adolescents. Adolescents aged 14–15 years were characterized by (a) greater awareness of the rights of the child, (b) comprehension of their importance and impossibility of restriction, and (c) preference of sources of information on children’s rights.
Discussion. The present study is the first on age differences in notions about children’s rights, which introduces a new diagnostic tool—namely, the Rapid Survey on Notions About Children’s Rights. The results of the empirical study on notions about children’s rights among adolescents can be readily used in developing programs of adolescents’ psychological education in the field of children’s rights. The findings have great potential in educational psychologists’ professional activities.
Highlights
- Adolescents’ notions about children’s rights reflect their generalized social experience concerning (a) the importance of the rights of the child, (b) activities of the states in protecting children’s rights, and (c) special education and information on the rights of the child in mass media.
- Age tendencies revealing the components of adolescents’ social experience determine age differences in notions about children’s rights among adolescents aged 10-11, 12-13, and 14–15 years.
- Adolescents’ notions about children’s rights can be useful for developing programs of psychological education of children and adolescents in the field of children’s rights.
References
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Children and Participation: Research, monitoring and evaluation with children and young people. In: Kirby P. Involving Young Researchers: How to Enable Young People to Design and Conduct Research. UK, Joseph Rowntree Foundation, 1999. 48 p.
Pervin L., John O. Psikhologiya lichnosti: Teoriya i issledovaniya [Personality psychology: theory and research]. Moscow, Aspekt Press Publ., 2001. 607 p.
Chernaya A. V., Grishina L. N. Prava rebenka v predstavleniyakh podrostkov: opyt psikhologicheskogo issledovaniya i proektirovaniya prosvetitel'skikh programm [Adolescents’ notions about children’s rights: The experience of psychological research and developing educational programs]. Sbornik nauchnykh trudov po materialam IV-i ezhegodnoi nauchno-prakticheskoi konferentsii prepodavatelei, studentov i molodykh uchenykh Severo-Kavkazskogo federal'nogo universiteta “Psikhologicheskaya bezopasnost' lichnosti v polikul'turnoi srede zhiznedeyatel'nosti” [Proc. The 4th Annual Theoretical and Practical Conference of Teachers, Students and Young Scientists of North-Caucasus Federal University “Psychological safety of the individual in a multicultural environment”]. Stavropol, North-Caucasus Federal University Publ., 2016, pp. 86–95.
Daiute C. The rights of children, the rights of nations: Developmental theory and the politics of children’s rights. Journal of Social Issues, 2008, V. 64, no. 4, pp. 701–723. DOI: 10.1111/j.1540-4560.2008.00585.x
Tarulli D., Skott-Myhre H. The immanent rights of the multitude: An ontological framework for conceptualizing the issue of child and youth rights. International Journal of Children’s Rights, 2006, V. 14, no. 2, pp. 187–201.
Krappmann L. The weight of the child’s view (Article 12 of the Convention on the Rights of the Child). International Journal of Children’s Rights, 2010, V. 18, no. 4, pp. 501–513. DOI: 10.1163/157181810X528021
Liebel M., Hanson K., Saadi I., Vandenhole W. Children’s rights from below: Cross-cultural perspectives. Basingstoke, Palgrave Macmillan, 2012. 272 p. DOI: 10.1057/9780230361843
Ben-Arieh A., Frønes I. Taxonomy for child well-being indicators: A framework for the analysis of the well-being of children. Childhood, 2011, V. 18, no. 4, pp. 460–476. DOI: 10.1177/0907568211398159
Woodhead M. Child development and the development of childhood. In: Qvortrup J. et al. (eds.) The Palgrave handbook of childhood studies. Basingstoke, Palgrave, 2009, pp. 46–61.
James A., Prout A. A new paradigm for the sociology of childhood? Provenance, promise and problems. Constructing and reconstructing childhood: contemporary issues in the sociological study of childhood. London, Falmer Press, 1997, pp. 7–33.
Peleg N. Reconceptualising the child’s right to development: Children and the capability approach. International Journal of Children’s Rights, 2013, V. 12. Available at: https://ssrn.com/abstract=3033458 (Accessed 16 May 2018).
Chernaya A. V. Children’s well-being concept in child development studies. In: Chernaya A. V. (ed.) Lichnost' v kul'ture i obrazovanii: psikhologicheskoe soprovozhdenie, razvitie, sotsializatsiya: sbornik nauchnykh statei [Personality in culture and education: Psychological support, development, and socialization]. Rostov-on-Don, SFU Publ., 2014, pp. 80–84.
Vygotskii L. S. Sobranie sochinenii v 6 t. T. 2: Problemy obshchei psikhologii [Collected works in 6 volumes: V. 2. Problems of general psychology]. Moscow, Pedagogika Publ., 1982. 504 p.
Mcloughlin C. S., Hart St. N. Children’s rights and school psychology: An introduction to the multiple journal series honoring the 25th anniversary of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child. School Psychology International, 2014, V. 35, no. 1, pp. 3–5. DOI: 10.1177/0143034313508876
Kosher H. & Ben-Arieh A. What children think about their rights and their well-being: A cross-national comparison. American Journal of Orthopsychiatry, 2017, V. 87 (3), pp. 256–273. DOI: 10.1037/ort0000222
Expert meeting human rights education and fundamental rights awareness for psychologists. Venice, 9–11 October 2016. 22 p. Available at: http://human-rights.efpa.eu/information/ (Accessed 17 May 2018).
Munford R., Sanders J. Interviewing children and their parents. In: M. Tolich (ed.) Research ethics in aotearoa New Zealand: Concepts, practice, critique. New Zealand, Pearson Education New Zealand, 2001, pp. 99–111.
Nastasi B. K. Empowering child voices through research. In: C. Johnson, H. Friedman, J. Diaz, Z. Franco, and B. Nastasi (eds.) The Praeger handbook of social justice and psychology: V. 3. Youth and disciplines in psychology. Santa Barbara, CA, ABC-CLIO, Praeger, 2014, pp. 75–90.
Вacke-Нansen E. Between participation and protection: Involving children in child protection research. In: H. Fossheim (ed.) Cross-cultural child research: ethical issues. The Norwegian National Research Ethics Committees, 2013, pp. 97–128.
Nastasi B. K. Cultural competence for global research and development: Implications for school and educational psychology. International Journal of School & Educational Psychology, 2017, V. 5, no. 3, pp. 207–210. DOI: 10.1080/21683603.2016.1276817
Peterson-Badali M., Ruck M. D. Studying children’s perspectives on self-determination and nurturance rights: issues and challenges. Journal of Social Issues, 2008, V. 64, no. 4, pp. 749–769. DOI: 10.1111/j.1540-4560.2008.00587.x
Percy-Smith B., Thomas N. (eds.) A handbook of children and young people’s participation: Perspectives from theory and practice. Abingdon & New York, Routledge, 2010. 382 p.
The National Quality Framework for Early Childhood Education: Research Digest: Standard 1 Rights of the Child. Centre for Early Childhood Development & Education, 2011. 11 p. Available at: http://siolta.ie/media/pdfs/Research%20Digest%20-%20Rights%20of%20the%20child.pdf (Accessed 22 May 2018).
Te One S. Supporting children’s participation rights: curriculum and research approaches. In: D. Harcourt, B. Perry, T. Waller (eds.) Researching young children’s perspectives: Debating the ethics and dilemmas of educational research with children. NY, Routledge, 2011, pp. 80–85.
Analytical report Flash EB № 235 – The Rights of the Child. European Commission, 2008. 77 p. Available at: https://resourcecentre.savethechildren.net/sites/default/files/documents/3596.pdf (Accessed 22 May 2018).
Analytical report Flash EB № 273 – The Rights of the Child. European Commission, 2009. 76 p. Available at: https://resourcecentre.savethechildren.net/sites/default/files/documents/3597.pdf (Accessed 22 May 2018).
Children’s rights, as they see them. In: Corp. author(s). Directorate-General for Justice (European Commission). Luxembourg, Publications Office of the European Union, 2011. 32 p. DOI: 10.2758/58790
Children’s Report on Child Rights and Children’s Issues. Presented to the United Nations Committee on the Rights of the Child. UNICEF Office for Thailand, 2003. 51 p. Available at: https://www.unicef.org/thailand/Child_Rights-eng_full.pdf (Accessed 22 May 2018).
Bihar children reports on their rights: An alternative report prepared by the children of Bihar on the actual rights granted to them with respect to the rights guaranteed for in UNCRC. Bodhgaya, Gaya, Bihar, Gandhi Peace Foundation Centre, 2008–2009. 15 p.
Children and Participation: Research, monitoring and evaluation with children and young people. In: Kirby P. Involving Young Researchers: How to Enable Young People to Design and Conduct Research. UK, Joseph Rowntree Foundation, 1999. 48 p.
Pervin L., John O. Psikhologiya lichnosti: Teoriya i issledovaniya [Personality psychology: theory and research]. Moscow, Aspekt Press Publ., 2001. 607 p.
Chernaya A. V., Grishina L. N. Prava rebenka v predstavleniyakh podrostkov: opyt psikhologicheskogo issledovaniya i proektirovaniya prosvetitel'skikh programm [Adolescents’ notions about children’s rights: The experience of psychological research and developing educational programs]. Sbornik nauchnykh trudov po materialam IV-i ezhegodnoi nauchno-prakticheskoi konferentsii prepodavatelei, studentov i molodykh uchenykh Severo-Kavkazskogo federal'nogo universiteta “Psikhologicheskaya bezopasnost' lichnosti v polikul'turnoi srede zhiznedeyatel'nosti” [Proc. The 4th Annual Theoretical and Practical Conference of Teachers, Students and Young Scientists of North-Caucasus Federal University “Psychological safety of the individual in a multicultural environment”]. Stavropol, North-Caucasus Federal University Publ., 2016, pp. 86–95.