Theories of action in the field of child participation: In search of explicit frameworks

Stoecklin, Daniel

doi:10.1177/0907568212466901

Cited by 70 publications

(55 citation statements)

References 16 publications

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“…Theorists of human agency posit that individuals' are endowed with the capacity to shape their own lives (Prout and James 1990;Stoecklin 2013), to exercise control over their lives (Bandura 2001), and to bring about change (Sen 1999). Constitutive elements of agency include individuals' beliefs about their ability to control events (perceived control), their sense of selfefficacy (the conviction that they can master events and achieve success), and conscious goal setting as well as commitment to these goals (e.g., Bandura 2006).…”

Section: Theoretical Background and Hypothesesmentioning

confidence: 99%

Can children break the cycle of disadvantage? Structure and agency in the transmission of education across generations

Burger

Walk

2016

Soc Psychol Educ

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Research has shown that parents tend to pass educational advantage or disadvantage on to their children. However, little is known about the extent to which the intergenerational transmission of education involves children's agency. In this study we drew from two traditions in sociological and social psychological theorizing -the theory of cultural and social reproduction and the theory of human agency -to examine whether agency influences children's educational performance, and if so, whether this influence can be observed among children across social classes. We used data from the Spanish sample of the Program for International Student Assessment (N = 25,003 15-year-olds). Results indicate that the level of child agency was weakly positively related to social class, that child agency impacted on a child's educational performance, and that the positive effect of agency on educational performance did not vary by social class. This suggests that strategies to enhance disadvantaged children's agency may prove useful in reducing social gradients in educational performance. More generally, our findings may ignite a debate about the role that social structure and human agency play in shaping social inequality and mobility.

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Section: Theoretical Background and Hypothesesmentioning

confidence: 99%

Can children break the cycle of disadvantage? Structure and agency in the transmission of education across generations

Burger

Walk

2016

Soc Psychol Educ

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“…Johansson (2003 argues that preschool teachers are willing to give empowerment to children as long as it does not threaten the boundaries of adult norms for interaction and behaviour. The children tend to act as agents of adult norms of behaviour, which restricts the children's space, both socially and physically (Bronfenbrenner, 1999;Stoecklin, 2012). Even so, within these boundaries and frames, children can experience a sense of being empowered in that they are involved in decisions, aware of their possibilities, and see themselves as having some kind of control over their activities (Zimmerman, 1995).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 98%

“…During the last decade, the right of children to exert influence over their living situation has been discussed within research, policy-making, and in education (Reynaert, Bouverne-de Bie, & Vandevelde, 2009;Stoecklin, 2012). To understand children's experiences, they need to be made active participants in the research process and have their experiences listened to.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Making oneself heard – children's experiences of empowerment in Swedish preschools

Almqvist

2014

Early Child Development and Care

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Children's experiences of empowerment in relation to preschool peers and in childadult interactions were studied, involving 25 four-to six-year-olds from four Swedish preschools. Group interviews using puppets comprised pre-constructed scenarios to examine preschools' activities. Children took photos of indoor and outdoor preschool environments, followed by a photo-elicitation interview. Data were analysed by content analysis. Results showed that authority was expressed in relation to teachers and parents. Children negotiated about handling situations and described relations with teachers as uncomplicated; the contrary was the case with peers. Structure meant that children could choose between courses of action within set frames, describing empowerment as decision-making within limitations. Results indicated the importance of preschool teachers stimulating children to reflect on their own ability by discussing issues concerning children's sense of empowerment, using methods similar to the ones in this study.

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“…Stoeklin (2013) argues that, however children's rights are conceived, the child remains an actor with limited agency. He points out that in order for a child to be eligible for Article 12 of the CRC, under which children have the right to express their views and have them taken seriously, a child has to be seen as competent, but such competence is something that is socially defined and recognised.…”

Section: Being Named As a Childmentioning

confidence: 99%

Young children, gender and the heterosexual matrix

Paechter

2015

Discourse: Studies in the Cultural Politics of Education

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In this paper I consider the adult focus of current mainstream gender theory. I relate this to how the concept of the heterosexual matrix originates in a social contract which excludes children from civil society. I argue that this exclusion is problematic both for theoretical reasons and from the perspective of children themselves. I start by discussing the nature of the heterosexual matrix and its foundations. I consider the implications for participation which arise from being named as a child, how that affects children's attempts to claim participation in civil society, and how this is related to children's naming of themselves as gendered. I then briefly consider the possibility that, because of their exclusion, children might also be considered to be exempt from the heterosexual matrix. However, I argue, there is considerable evidence that children are actively sexual beings who also work hard to claim inclusion in local practices of heterosexuality. I end by suggesting that there are three key reasons for this: that the discourses of normative sexuality provide children with a language to express sexual feelings; that self-insertion in the heterosexual matrix is a way for children to claim rights to participation; and that taking up heterosexual formations is a means whereby children can experience the power of naming themselves as part of the social world.

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Theories of action in the field of child participation: In search of explicit frameworks

Cited by 70 publications

References 16 publications

Can children break the cycle of disadvantage? Structure and agency in the transmission of education across generations

Can children break the cycle of disadvantage? Structure and agency in the transmission of education across generations

Making oneself heard – children's experiences of empowerment in Swedish preschools

Young children, gender and the heterosexual matrix

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