The purpose of this graduate work is to seek knowledge about how children’s right to participation and influence is interpreted and understood in a specific context and also to examine how this right can be conditioned and shaped by the pedagogical practice of early childhood education. The focus of this study has been to examine the arguments and attitudes towards the right to participation and influence as a pedagogical practice as it is understood in early childhood education. Additionally, I have been interested in studying the affordances and restrictions that early childhood educators experience when dealing with children´s right to participation and influence. The platform used for data collection is Facebook and the informants recruited were active participants in forums regarding democracy in preschool education. In the second phase of the study I conducted online focus groups with these participants. For the analysis of the material I have adopted a poststructuralist perspective, starting from Jaques Derridas philosophical texts and use of deconstruction. The results show the complexity in early childhood education´s democratic mission. What becomes clear is the importance for the teachers to adopting an open, ethical and democratic approach in order to make children´s right to participation and genuine influence possible in the everyday reality of early childhood education.

Orphanage volunteering in the Global South has experienced worldwide criticism in recent years as children’s rights violations have surfaced. This thesis examines the discourse of two organizations (“Global Crossroad” and“uVolunteer) that still offer orphanage voluntourism and assesses in what ways they display neo-colonial characteristics on their websites. The theoretical framework entails Said’s Orientalism, development aid critiques, and colonial discourse theorizing to contextualize interpretations. With Fairclough’s CDA method, this thesis aims to highlight how orphanage voluntourism is portrayed and how it may influence addressees to engage in short-term help, contributing to perpetuating orphanage voluntourism and its negative effects as well as unequal power structures. The CDA findings indicate the discourse primarily benefits the organizations, which profit from the erection of neocolonial power structures and ideological “truths” about the Global South, which are not in the best interest of the children. Finally, this thesis discusses the social implications of this discourse promotion and ways to improve child protection.

In England around 68,000 children are currently looked after by the state. Sixty two per cent of this population are admitted to care or accommodation in response to abuse and neglect. As the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child acknowledges, the state has a unique responsibility for these children and is expected to ensure their safety, wellbeing and development. Underpinned by a rights-based framework the publications in the thesis make an original contribution to social work research, policy and practice, in respect of looked after children nationally and internationally. Three cohering theoretical strands - the new sociology of childhood, attachment theory and focal theory, and different methodological lenses, (from participatory research with young people to cross-national analysis of administrative data), are employed to advance understanding of the balance of protective, provisional and participatory rights ( 3 Ps ) for these children and young people. The work focuses upon their life pathways at two key stages in the lifespan: early infancy and adolescence into adulthood. Consistent with the theoretical underpinnings of the research, the methodological approach employed in two of the four core studies sought to promote children s active participation in the research process, and to give them a voice . The participatory peer methodology adopted moved beyond involving care experienced young people in interviewing their peers, to training and engaging them in several major aspects of the research cycle, including analysis of the data and the design and write up of the findings, to produce accessible peer research reports for young people. At the national level the work undertaken demonstrates how a needs-based discourse, and orientation towards considering looked after children as objects of concern, can mean that young children s protective rights may be prioritised in policy and practice, at the expense of their provisional and participatory rights. Children s participation rights are also constrained due to assumptions about the (in)capacities of younger children to express their wishes and feelings. In this context parents rights tend to be prioritised at the expense of the rights of the child. Whereas parents rights may take precedence when children are young, in adolescence the rights of parents are more peripheral. Cross-national comparisons reveal variations in how young people s provisional, participatory and protective rights are balanced as young people negotiate the transition from care to adulthood in western societies, as well as different drivers for reform. Empirical research on recent policy developments in England also illuminates the tensions and dilemmas professionals can face as they attempt to protect and provide for young people, whilst recognising their evolving capabilities and their right to autonomy and active participation in decision making processes. Finally, the studies highlight that young people with the most complex care histories may be denied the right to decide for themselves if they want to remain in foster or residential care into early adulthood.

The thesis deals with the essence of the children‘s rights notion and documents consolidating children‘s rights. Some aspects of children‘s rights regulation are defined and analysed in it.. The problems arising in the field of children‘s rights are reviewed in different literature sources and legal acts. Having gone deep into the essence of children‘s rights and contents, it was found out during the research that children were a complex part of human rights‘ system and they had other rights than adults. Nevertheless in practice we encounter quite a number of infringements with respect to children‘s rights. Children are the weakest element. Being physically immature and inexperienced they fully or partially depend on adults , however, in spite of this and referring to their age and maturity they should be presented the possibility of exercising the rights they are provided for by the family, community and state. Therefore further research should be aimed at these issues.

The thesis focuses on the issue of children rights and their application in the educational process. The lesson plans and worksheets can be used as teaching aids, especially in the 6th grade of elementary school. The theoretical part is devoted to some basic information about the Framework Educational Programme and the history of children rights not only in the world but also within the Czech Republic. In addition, some important declarations and conventions on children rights and children obligations have been included. The practical part is based on methodological analysis of some particular lessons and also contains some examples of pupils{\crq} worksheets and a follow-up examination of the lessons that have been carried out.

The aim of this study was to understand which factors that lay the foundation for social workers’ custody investigations and the judges’ decisions in custody disputes. Additionally, it was to examine the social workers’ and the judges’ views on children’s’ rights in this process. The study was based on qualitative research where six semi-structured interviews were conducted. Four social workers and two judges working with custody- investigations, and disputes were interviewed. The analysis consists of two key concepts: the concept of discretion and child sociology. The result shows that judges and social workers experience difficulties with interpreting the best interest of the child, that there are different perceptions about when lone and joint custody should be considered and how to best design the rights of access. A common consensus among the interviewees with regards to the best interest of the child, is that each situation requires an individual interpretation while considering necessary safety aspects. Social workers’ statements tend to dominate how the best interests of a child is defined in a judge’s decision. Both professions find ways to accommodate the best interests of the child, even though it does not always turn out ideal. There is a strong believe that the child’s voice is governing the decision, even though our study shows that it is not always considered in the custody investigations nor in court.

Made available in DSpace on 2016-04-27T14:31:17Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 Juliana Fonseca de Oliveira Neri.pdf: 1340907 bytes, checksum: 38fdf478b14e073a3b8eecfef5ba71c5 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2013-12-17 / Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior / The present research aims at studying and pointing towards the possibilities and limits of the school curriculum regarding the identification of domestic violence against children and adolescents (DVCA). The research takes place in the Elementary School in Osasco city, located in São Paulo state, Brazil. For this purpose, the study contextualizes the DVCA problematic within the critical perspective, presenting the conjuncture of Osasco city as well as the main programs which have being adopted in that city from 2011 to 2013. It presents the school curriculum commitment for tackling the DVCA issue, resuming the school social function. It uses focal groups, addressing the theme from different subjects present in school life in order to understand the representations and the factors which influence the school curriculum practices in approaching the issue. The study examines how the articulation of the school occurs with the System for Guaranteeing Children s Rights in the Eco-Political-Pedagogical Projects (EPPPs), the Annual Work Plans (AWPs) and the Annual Institutional Assessments of Education Units (EUs). The findings show possibilities in coping with DVCA through public policies and school actions. Furthermore, suggestions are made for strengthening the protection network of children s and adolescents rights, together with proposals for helping mobilizing different subjects. The conclusion highlights the relevance of considering the articulation and the collective and intersectoral action to deal with the DVCA issue in order to foster a gradual cultural change which regards the child as a subject of rights / Esta pesquisa procura estudar e apontar as possibilidades e os limites do currículo escolar em relação à identificação de situações de violência doméstica contra crianças e adolescentes (VDCA), e o faz no Ensino Fundamental I do município de Osasco. Para isso, contextualiza a problemática da VDCA na perspectiva crítica, apresenta a conjuntura do município de Osasco e os principais programas que vêm sendo adotados nessa cidade nos anos pesquisados: 2011 a 2013. Apresenta o compromisso do currículo escolar no enfrentamento da VDCA, retomando a função social da escola. Utiliza grupos focais abordando o tema a partir dos diferentes sujeitos presentes na vida escolar, de modo a compreender as representações e os fatores que influenciam as práticas curriculares da escola no enfrentamento da questão. Examina nos Projetos Eco-Político-Pedagógicos (PEPPs), nos Planos de Trabalho Anuais (PTAs) e nas Avaliações Institucionais Anuais das Unidades Educacionais (UEs) como tem se dado a articulação da escola com o Sistema de Garantia dos Direitos da Criança. Como resultado, apresenta possibilidades no enfrentamento da VDCA por meio das políticas públicas e de ações da escola, com sugestões para o fortalecimento da rede de proteção dos direitos das crianças e dos adolescentes e com propostas para ajudar na mobilização de diferentes sujeitos. A conclusão indica que se deve considerar a articulação e a atuação intersetorial e coletiva, no enfrentamento da questão da VDCA para promover uma gradativa mudança cultural que leve à consideração da criança como sujeito de direitos

Made available in DSpace on 2016-04-27T14:30:37Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 MARIA ODETE VIEIRA TENREIRO.pdf: 1684015 bytes, checksum: fc8d4d8ff33da890dd2c49c5add4989c (MD5) Previous issue date: 2011-04-29 / Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior / This work is dedicated to uncovering the impact of the educational policy of expansion of elementary schooling in the city of Ponta Grossa, Paraná, Brazil. The survey was conducted in 2009 in eight city schools. The chosen methodology was qualitative in approach and in terms of data organization we were inspired by the methodological procedure of Collective Subject Discourse (CSD), which made it possible to gather together individual thoughts of a similar nature into collective thought. In terms of data collection, semi-structured interviews were conducted in each of the selected schools with the school director, school manager and two classroom teachers who worked in the first year, totalling 30 individuals. The aims of this study are: to discuss the referrals that the Ponta Grossa Department of Education defined to organize the times and teaching spaces for the first year of elementary school (nine year-old students); and to understand the impact on elementary schooling of the policy of inclusion for six year-old children in public municipal schools. Chapter 1 outlines the existing work found on the subject that is recorded in the CAPES (Coordination of Improvement of Higher Education Personnel) database as well as pointing out the relevance of this research. Chapter 2 gives a brief history of the 1934 Constitution until the Constitutional Amendment 059/2009. Chapter 3 discusses the foundations of theoretical and methodological research, the paths followed in the search for empirical data, and the personal characteristics and professional training of those participating in the survey. Chapter 4 contains the core of the study and therefore includes the voices of the participants and an analysis of their discourses drawn from a reading of the didactic material. This provides not only the voices of the participants but also an interpretation of their discourses. Finally, the research shows that including children in school at the age of nine requires a political, administrative and pedagogical approach and the absence of these three factors makes it difficult to establish a policy. By ensuring that all children from the age of six have access to compulsory education is undoubtedly an opportunity to safeguard a right of citizenship. The survey also shows that the cut-off age for enrollment of children in the first year of elementary school inhibits the possibility of some children entering school. Among other results, we highlight: the need for a better physical structure to receive the children; pedagogical clarity regarding the work in year 1, the interplay between issues of early childhood education and elementary schooling; investment in training for teachers and all who work in schools, and fewer children in classrooms / O trabalho está voltado para desvelar os impactos pedagógicos da política de ampliação do Ensino Fundamental no município de Ponta Grossa Paraná. A pesquisa foi realizada no ano de 2009, em oito escolas municipais. A opção metodológica foi a da abordagem qualitativa, e para a organização dos dados, inspiramo-nos no procedimento metodológico do Discurso do Sujeito Coletivo (DSC), que possibilitou reunir os pensamentos individuais semelhantes em um pensamento coletivo. Para a coleta dos dados, foram realizadas entrevistas semiestruturadas com a diretora da escola, pedagoga e duas professoras que atuavam em cada uma das escolas na turma do 1º ano, totalizando 30 sujeitos. O trabalho teve como objetivos: discutir os encaminhamentos que a Secretaria Municipal de Educação da cidade de Ponta Grossa definiu para organizar os tempos e espaços pedagógicos do 1º ano do Ensino Fundamental de nove anos e compreender os impactos no Ensino Fundamental da política de inclusão das crianças de seis anos nas escolas da rede pública municipal de ensino. No primeiro capítulo, estão explicitados os trabalhos encontrados sobre a temática, que estavam registrados no banco de dados da CAPES, além de apontar a relevância da presente pesquisa. O segundo capítulo traça uma trajetória histórica da Constituição de 1934 até a Emenda Constitucional 059/2009. Os fundamentos teóricos e metodológicos da pesquisa, os caminhos trilhados para a busca dos dados empíricos, quem foram os sujeitos bem como suas características pessoais, profissionais e de formação estão organizados no terceiro capítulo. O quarto capítulo constitui-se como o âmago do estudo, contempla os discursos dos sujeitos, elaborados a partir dos eixos de análise construídos com base na leitura do material empírico. Neles estão contidas as vozes dos sujeitos, bem como a interpretação desses discursos. Por fim, a pesquisa revela que incluir as crianças na escola de nove anos exige um tratamento político, administrativo e pedagógico e que, na ausência desses três fatores, é difícil implantar uma política. Garantir a todas as crianças de seis anos o acesso à educação obrigatória é, sem dúvida, a oportunidade de resgatar um direito de cidadania. A pesquisa também evidenciou que o corte etário para a matrícula da criança no primeiro ano do Ensino Fundamental inibe a possibilidade de ingresso da criança na escola. Entre outros resultados, destacam-se: a necessidade de melhor adequação na estrutura física para receber as crianças; clareza pedagógica para o trabalho no 1º ano; entrosamento entre as questões da Educação Infantil e do Ensino Fundamental; investimentos pontual na formação dos professores e de todos os que trabalham na escola, além de menor número de crianças nas salas de aula

Syftet med denna studie är att få kunskap om hur elever med läs- och skrivsvårigheter/dyslexi upplever skolans stöd i läsning och skrivning. Sex ungdomar mellan 12 och 20 år har intervjuats. Utsagorna har analyserats tematiskt med en fenomenologisk ansats. Resultatet visar att eleverna vill att lärarna ska lyssna och beakta deras åsikter gällande vilket stöd som de behöver, samt var, hur och när detta ska ges. Eleverna upplever skilda svårigheter i läsning och skrivning, vilket även kan resultera i problem gällande de teoretiska ämnena. Praktiska ämnen beskrivs däremot vara lätta och roliga. Att ha tillgång till läroböcker uppges vara viktig, eftersom dessa beskriver och konkretiserar ämnets innehåll. Vidare upplevs datorn kunna ge stöd för skrivandet. Att undervisningen anpassas inom den vanliga klassen föredras av eleverna, men samtidigt kan det även upplevas positivt att ha tillgång till stöd utanför klassrummet. Att ha kamrater, både bland de som befinner sig i liknande svårigheter och andra, beskrivs också vara viktigt. Sociala relationer och lärarnas kompetens bidrar till stor del gällande inställningen till skolan i allmänhet.  Om skolan anpassar organisationen och utvecklar undervisningen, ökar möjligheten till att kunna beakta varje elevs vilja. Det är också viktigt att olika etiska aspekter lyfts fram och diskuteras i skolan, exempelvis gällande lärarnas förhållningssätt gentemot eleverna. Elevernas röster kan ge oss viktig vägledning i arbetet mot en inkluderande skola, om vi bara tar oss tid att lyssna. / Delaktighet, socialt klimat och lärande (VR 2008-4733)

The aim of this study was to analyse how Swedish courts reason about the child's best in custody and access disputes. We have assumed different themes to analyse our empirical data, these themes were the child's best interests, perspective on the child's best interests, child's perspective, children as subjects or objects and finally the right of the child or the child's best interests. Our empirical data have consisted of 15 City Court and Court of Appeal judgments of the Swedish courts handed down in 2015. The study had a qualitative disposition and the selection was made strategically to make sure the empirical data would be relevant to our issues. We have used a discourse analysis where the intention was to study how the court reason about the child’s interests and what statements that gets preference and what gets excluded in the assessment. Our theoretical starting point was extracted from Foucault’s theory about power and his discourse concept. We have used the concept of his theory in our analysis, but also extracted the theoretical concepts from previous research. The result shows that the Court's assessment of what is in the child’s best interest is based primarily on a professional and adult perspective on the child's situation. The individual child's perspective was excluded and the Court was principally talking about children's needs and interests in general. The result also showed that children were seen as objects and not as participants in the majority of the cases.