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Benefits and Limitations of Eliciting the Well-Being Views of Two-Four Year Olds Living in a Low-Income Area in England

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  • Martina Street

    (Manchester Metropolitan University)

Abstract

This paper reports findings from a small-scale qualitative study exploring the views of two - four year olds about their well-being. While interest in children’s views about their well-being has been increasing over the past couple of decades, the views of young children are under-researched, particularly those living in low-income areas. Deficit social constructions of young children and their capacities to ‘express’ (usually understood as ‘verbalise’) ‘reasoned’ (usually understood as ‘cognitive’) views have largely fuelled their exclusion. The study involved 18 young children living in one of England’s most economically disadvantaged areas. Data were generated with children by using the Mosaic Approach, comprising multiple creative methods. The findings suggest that young children conceptualise their well-being in the here-and-now; they enjoy opportunities to be social and to participate in activities and decisions that affect them. However, while it may be beneficial to young children’s sense of well-being to acknowledge their agency, and to treat their views with respect, it may be more beneficial to them to do so by also recognising their ‘mutuality of being’. In this sense, eliciting the views of young children about their well-being is not only under-researched, but under-socialised and de-historicised. The paper concludes by proposing an integrative approach to well-being, which neither privileges nor abstracts children from their social and material contexts.

Suggested Citation

  • Martina Street, 2021. "Benefits and Limitations of Eliciting the Well-Being Views of Two-Four Year Olds Living in a Low-Income Area in England," Child Indicators Research, Springer;The International Society of Child Indicators (ISCI), vol. 14(2), pages 661-680, April.
  • Handle: RePEc:spr:chinre:v:14:y:2021:i:2:d:10.1007_s12187-020-09773-1
    DOI: 10.1007/s12187-020-09773-1
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Ben-Arieh, Asher, 2012. "How do we measure and monitor the “state of our children”?," Children and Youth Services Review, Elsevier, vol. 34(3), pages 569-575.
    2. Ian Bache, 2019. "How Does Evidence Matter? Understanding ‘What Works’ for Wellbeing," Social Indicators Research: An International and Interdisciplinary Journal for Quality-of-Life Measurement, Springer, vol. 142(3), pages 1153-1173, April.
    3. Jennifer Fane & Colin MacDougall & Jessie Jovanovic & Gerry Redmond & Lisa Gibbs, 2020. "Preschool Aged Children’s Accounts of their Own Wellbeing: are Current Wellbeing Indicators Applicable to Young Children?," Child Indicators Research, Springer;The International Society of Child Indicators (ISCI), vol. 13(6), pages 1893-1920, December.
    4. Gina Crivello & Laura Camfield & Martin Woodhead, 2009. "How Can Children Tell Us About Their Wellbeing? Exploring the Potential of Participatory Research Approaches within Young Lives," Social Indicators Research: An International and Interdisciplinary Journal for Quality-of-Life Measurement, Springer, vol. 90(1), pages 51-72, January.
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