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Analyzing Drawings to Explore children’s Concepts of an Ideal School: Implications for the Improvement of children’s Well-Being at School

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  • Kevin Simoes Loureiro

    (University of Luxembourg)

  • Alyssa Grecu

    (University of Luxembourg)

  • Frederick Moll

    (University of Luxembourg)

  • Andreas Hadjar

    (University of Luxembourg)

Abstract

Because not much is known about children’s subjective well-being (SWB) in educational spaces, our objective was to analyze children’s drawings of their ideal school environment, emphasizing the importance of obtaining the children’s perspective. To do so, we analyzed Luxembourgish primary school children’s drawings (n = 150; age 10) using visual grounded theory methodology. The results were centered on 10 main underlying themes that indicated children’s conceptualizations of their dream school in which particular attention was paid to the design of the school buildings, playgrounds, and classrooms. Children’s written inputs showed the boundaries of visual expression, as they mentioned different desires beyond those conveyed by the drawings. In addition to fancy aesthetics of the school environment, material conditions such as playground facilities were found to be a significant part of the children’s dream schools. Our analyses offer meaningful insights into children’s perceptions of an educational environment that fosters well-being, thereby functioning as a blueprint for adults’ efforts to improve schools in a more child-friendly manner.

Suggested Citation

  • Kevin Simoes Loureiro & Alyssa Grecu & Frederick Moll & Andreas Hadjar, 2020. "Analyzing Drawings to Explore children’s Concepts of an Ideal School: Implications for the Improvement of children’s Well-Being at School," Child Indicators Research, Springer;The International Society of Child Indicators (ISCI), vol. 13(4), pages 1387-1411, August.
    • Handle: RePEc:spr:chinre:v:13:y:2020:i:4:d:10.1007_s12187-019-09705-8
    DOI: 10.1007/s12187-019-09705-8
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Sabirah Adams & Shazly Savahl & Maria Florence & Kyle Jackson, 2019. "Considering the Natural Environment in the Creation of Child-Friendly Cities: Implications for Children’s Subjective Well-Being," Child Indicators Research, Springer;The International Society of Child Indicators (ISCI), vol. 12(2), pages 545-567, April.
    2. Lili Tian & Dushen Wang & E. Huebner, 2015. "Development and Validation of the Brief Adolescents’ Subjective Well-Being in School Scale (BASWBSS)," Social Indicators Research: An International and Interdisciplinary Journal for Quality-of-Life Measurement, Springer, vol. 120(2), pages 615-634, January.
    3. Tobia Fattore & Susann Fegter & Christine Hunner-Kreisel, 2019. "Children’s Understandings of Well-Being in Global and Local Contexts: Theoretical and Methodological Considerations for a Multinational Qualitative Study," Child Indicators Research, Springer;The International Society of Child Indicators (ISCI), vol. 12(2), pages 385-407, April.
    4. Johan Ormel & Siegwart Lindenberg & Nardi Steverink & Lois Verbrugge, 1999. "Subjective Well-Being and Social Production Functions," Social Indicators Research: An International and Interdisciplinary Journal for Quality-of-Life Measurement, Springer, vol. 46(1), pages 61-90, January.
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    Cited by:

    1. Mehmet Mart & Ahmet Simsar & Gulden Uyanik, 2022. "The Playground Perception of Syrian Refugee Children," Child Indicators Research, Springer;The International Society of Child Indicators (ISCI), vol. 15(1), pages 349-372, February.
    2. Hortensia Morón-Monge & Soraya Hamed & María del Carmen Morón Monge, 2021. "How Do Children Perceive the Biodiversity of Their nearby Environment: An Analysis of Drawings," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(6), pages 1-19, March.

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