A Street Child’s Perspective: A Grounded Theory Study of How Street Children Experience and Cope with Grief

Abstract

The research project entitled – “A Street Child’s Perspective: A Grounded Theory Study of How Street Child Experience and Cope with Grief,” seeks to understand and explain how street children experience and cope with grief. Grief is multi-faceted and highly subjective. However, most street children, sharing the same contexts and backgrounds show some commonality in their experiences and coping styles. The paper attempts to understand grief as it is subjectively experienced by street children. The research employed qualitative techniques – In-Depth Interviewing, Focus Group Discussions (FGDs) and field notes. The researcher contacted an NGO and through them, gained access to street shelters. The sample comprised of 18 street children - 9 boys; 9 girls, selected through purposive and snowball sampling. After the data was collected using the aforementioned methods, Constructivist Grounded Theory was subsequently used to analyze the data. The results emphasize how similar backgrounds – familial, educational, religious – and shared experiences have influenced expressions of grief and coping styles. Most street children come from broken families and are migrants; they lack enhanced level of literacy; and religion defines their existence – all these factors coalesce to shape their perspective on grief. Street children experience grief collectively, rather than as separate individuals. Their coping styles reflect underlying common patterns that help them connect with one another and experience grief together.

Pembinaan Anak Jalanan pada Dinas Sosial Kabupaten Jayawijaya

“…Mereka merupakan buruh dan anak jalanan; 2) mereka yang baik sendiri maupun bersama orang tuanya mengemis dan sebagian dari mereka, pada usia yang masih sangat muda, disalahgunakan sebagai alat untuk berduit. Semua anak-anak ini memiliki ciri-ciri umum berikut meskipun mereka berbeda dalam beberapa hal: Mereka menghabiskan sebagian besar waktunya di jalanan (Zarazedah, 2013;Ray, 2017;Bajari & Kuswarno, 2020).…”

Adequacy of sample size in a qualitative case study and the dilemma of data saturation: A narrative review

“…Qualitative case study approach generally calls for the use of multiple sources of data [15]. Triangulation is a process of using two or more methods to study the same phenomenon [47]. Member checking is a data collection method that establishes a back and forth conversation between the researcher and her participants around every stage of the process of data collection as a means of achieving data saturation, by giving participants the ability to read the researcher's interpretations and provide any corrections or additional information [13] and [51].…”