Dissertations / Theses on the topic 'Childhood friendships'

Social distancing has become a new social norm, and with it, digital technology takes a more prominent role in socialization as people try to stay home. People are connecting and interacting with each other using different digital technologies and social media platforms. This study investigates how digital technologies help to maintain long-distance childhood friendships. Specific research questions included determining the most popular forms of digital technology used to maintain long-distance childhood friendships of the male population of Southeast Asia, and how significant are these digitally-based long-distance childhood friendships in people who keep in touch with childhood friends, and do people use any other forms of contact to keep in touch with childhood friends other than digital? An online survey was used, with some open-ended follow-up questions sent by e-mail. Moreover, friends are living in different time zones. The Survey found that all friends using digital technology with an Internet connection. The results indicated that people are busy with family and work, and it can be hard to find the time to keep in touch with childhood friends. However, even people are busy and in different time zones, they still maintain friendships using different forms of digital communication. On the other hand, it is very hard to use other forms of contact to keep in touch with childhood friends other than digital. The study findings may contribute to better design of social media and other platforms which are used to support long-distance relationships of adults with their friends from childhood.

This thesis explores young children's constructions of social identities and the implications these may have in young children's everyday lives at nursery. One of the unique elements of this thesis is the multiple and intersectional approach that it adopts while exploring very young children‘s social identities and peer relations. It also explores the links between children's experiences and views with educators' social justice and equity pedagogies. Recent attention has been given to the importance of early childhood and young children's rights and participation in theory, research and policy. In the field of social identities, there has been a growing need for further research to explore the contextual, fluid, complex and intersected nature of young children's social identities, moving away from 'static' and 'fixed' notions of identity. Particular gaps have also been identified in relation to exploring age as part of social identity, to exploring cultural aspects of ethnicity and lastly to exploring multiple understandings of parts of social identities (e.g. multiple 'masculinities' and 'femininities') in early childhood. There has also been a need for further research to explore how young children‘s intersected social identities may impact on pedagogies. This thesis, therefore, seeks to explore the above, basing the analysis on a one year ethnographic and participatory approach which was conducted in two nursery settings in Scotland, one predominantly white and one multi-ethnic. It draws on a plethora of rich and in-depth conversations and experiences with young children, educators and parents/caregivers to suggest the complex, dynamic, context-specific, fluid but also 'experientially fixed' and intersected nature of children's social identities and relationships, and to acknowledge the challenges that are raised both for early childhood practice and policy. It suggests that children construct multiple and complex social identities which are both fluid and experientially 'fixed', engage in dynamic social relationships and express complex and multiple implicit/explicit discriminatory attitudes, which educators are unaware of or choose to disregard. In most cases, age and gender were part of an overt and explicit identification, and were explicitly and overtly discussed as factors of exclusion by both educators and children. In contrast, ethnicity involved a much more complex process. Although ethnicity was often part of an 'ethnic habitus', variations occurred in relation to the extent to which children developed a strong, explicit and overt ethnic identification. Ethnicity was also considered a rather 'taboo' subject of reference regarding exclusion. Moreover, this thesis suggests that discourses of ‗sameness‘, ‗normalities‘ and difference linked to constructions of social identity were salient in children's lives. Common social identities often promoted positive feelings of belonging and reinforced positive feelings of group membership and self identities between children. Strong and positive feelings of self and group identity and difference, or else ‗the other‘, although not exclusively, were very much considered the basis for exclusion and discrimination. However, complexities arose when the concept of the ‗other‘ changed, depending on the context. Difference was seen more positively by children when it constituted part of what was considered 'norm' or dominant. Traditional developmental approaches and children‘s rights-based approaches seem to influence educators‘ practice; however, irrespectively of the educational approach, educators tend to disregard implicit/explicit discrimination that is evident in children's lives. 'Too young to notice' and 'no problem here' attitudes seem to dominate educators‘ practice and raise limitations in dealing adequately with social justice and equity issues. Firstly, this thesis suggests the need to move away from 'dualistic' and oppositional dichotomies that seem to have dominated contemporary research and theory, both in relation to theorising children‘s social identities (e.g. 'fixed'/fluid) and theorisations of childhood (e.g. agents and mature / interdependent and immature). Secondly, there is a need for early childhood pedagogies, practices and policy to 'listen' more actively and closely to young children and to engage with the complex and dynamic nature of their social relationships. It is thus suggested that current early childhood practice should actively promote children-rights based approaches. At the same time, this thesis considers whether we should be moving towards a children‘s human rights-based approach, which promotes children‘s rights and goes beyond children's participatory rights, engaging more actively with issues around fairness, unfairness and respect. This thesis also argues for proactive, anti-discriminatory, reflexive and interventionist social justice and equity approaches in early childhood. Thirdly, there is a general challenge both in policy and practice regarding balancing between universalism (collective identities) and specificity (diversity).

Shyness has been construed as a form of social withdrawal motivated by social evaluative concerns. Research demonstrates that social difficulties related to withdrawal and inhibition may result in adjustment problems of an internalising nature, such as low self-esteem and loneliness. Special significance has, however, been ascribed to preadolescent friendships as a means of validating self-worth, buffering against loneliness, and providing a climate in which the skills of cooperation and negotiation can develop. Thus, the literature suggests that a predisposition to shyness may render a child "at risk" of becoming locked within a self-perpetuating cycle of negative peer experiences, self-perceptions of social incompetence and heightened feelings of loneliness, with clinical implications for later life; but that the outcome may vary as a function of a best friendship. This study involves an investigation of shyness, adjustment and aspects of a best friendship among a group of 8.5-10.5 year-old children (N=50), who had been preselected for shyness (or as nonshy controls) at 4-4.5 years. In addition to a high level of consistency in shyness, age-specific findings emerged which suggest that during middle childhood marked and meaningful changes are occurring in the significance of shy behaviour and a good quality friendship, to children's adjustment. Comparisons of 9 and 10 year-olds indicate that as children enter preadolescence, shyness increases in salience and becomes a risk factor for internalising problems; global self-worth takes on a more central mediating role in children's adjustment; and a high quality best friendship is more strongly related to positive self-worth. Meaningful links were also found between children's shyness, global self-worth and perceptions of friendship quality, and the nature of their interactions with a best friend. The findings, for the reciprocated very best dyads and those matched for perceptions of conflict, also accord with the view that in high quality friendships, friends develop a sense of what is important to one another, and forgo individualistic motives in favour of more mutuality and collaboration.

Friendships are an important context of children's development, yet there is much still to be learned about these formative relationships. Friendship stability is one understudied feature of children's friendships. The aim of the present study was to investigate both predictors and outcomes associated with friendship stability to further elucidate the role that friendships play in shaping children's development. Potential predictors examined included age, gender, gender match, race, residence in a rural or urban community, number of moves in the last year, child externalizing behavior, friendship quality, and deficient parenting. Similarity between friends in terms of overt and relational aggression was also examined as a potential predictor of stability, and age was tested as a potential moderator of these relations. Additionally, a double mediational model was explored wherein child behavior was tested as a mediator of the link between deficient parenting and friendship quality and friendship quality was tested as mediator of the link between child behavior and friendship stability. Finally, in order to better understand the impact of stable friendships on children's adjustment, the present study tested friendship stability as a predictor of time 2 child externalizing behavior after controlling for time 1 externalizing behavior. Participants were 176 children and primary caretakers enrolled in a 3-year longitudinal study examining the social development of children living in circumstances of social disadvantage. A multisource, multimethod approach was used to assess deficient parenting and children's externalizing behavior. Friendship stability was assessed over two waves approximately 12 months apart. Participating children provided data on their friendships, friendship quality, and friends' aggressive behavior. Children were invited to report on friendships occurring in any setting and friendship stability was examined both in children's networks of 1-3 best friends and in children's relationships with one very best friend. Proposed models were tested using structural equation modeling. The link between child externalizing behavior and friendship stability was supported, as was the link between deficient parenting and child externalizing behavior. Deficient parenting and friendship quality did not predict friendship stability. Thus, the role of child externalizing behavior as a mediator of the relation between deficient parenting and friendship stability was not supported by the present study, nor was the role of friendship quality as a mediator of the relation between child externalizing behavior and friendship stability. Age significantly predicted friendship stability with one very best friend and residence in a rural or urban community significantly predicted friendship stability within children's networks of 1-3 best friends. Friendship stability did not predict time 2 externalizing behavior. These results highlight the influence of child behavior, age, and contextual factors on friendship stability.

The purpose of this study was to examine the similarities between children and their friends. Previous research had focused on demographic similarities, with a little attention given to behavioral similarities. This study sought to expand the knowledge of similarities between friends to sociometric and social information processing characteristics and show that friends were more similar than random pairs of children. Children completed a rating and nomination sociometric interview. Children also completed a social information processing interview in which they viewed ambiguous provocation situations and then rated a series of social goals and gave social problem solving responses. Two-hundred and twenty-four pairs of reciprocated friends and 224 random pairs of children were identified and used for analyses. Correlational analyses and regression analyses were used to assess similarities. Results showed that friend pairs were similar for prosocial, hostile/instrumental, and passive/avoidant goals, however, regression analyses indicated that friends' characteristics were significant predictors of only some prosocial and hostile/instrumental goals. Friend pairs also were similar in the passivity/assertiveness of their social problem solving responses. Thus, the current study shows some support for the hypothesis that children and their friends are similar in their social processing mechanisms. Further research should be conducted to determine whether small sample size and small standard deviations made the detection of effects more difficult.

That a lack of economic resources negatively affects the social relations of children is often assumed, sometimes described, but rarely tested using methods allowing generalization. When addressing this issue, previous research has largely been limited to self-reported data on social relations. This thesis uses peer reported measures of social relations in combination with survey and register data to examine the effect of economic resources on the probability of social isolation and on the number of school class friendships of Swedish adolescents. While not entirely unambiguous, the results indicate that a lack of economic resources negatively affects the social relations of children, at least in regards to the school class social relations of adolescents. The results point to the importance for adolescent’s social relations of having the economic and material possibilities to participate in the social life and in the activities undertaken by peers.

Como as crianças significam amizade na escola? Esta é a pergunta que procuro problematizar nesta dissertação. Busco analisar a amizade entre crianças na escola, tendo como foco de investigação as formas como as crianças fazem amigos e se relacionam entre si neste ambiente. Através dos signos produzidos pelas crianças desta pesquisa – um grupo de dezoito crianças, oito meninas e dez meninos, na faixa etária entre sete e onze anos, cursando o segundo ano do ensino fundamental de uma escola pública de Porto Alegre –, intento conhecer como as mesmas se produzem e são produzidas a partir das relações de amizade entre si. Para tanto, os conceitos de signo e linguagem, de Charles Sanders Peirce (2008), e de amizade, particularmente de Friedrich Nietzsche (2004, 2005, 2006, 2008 e 2012), Michel Foucault (2010) e Francesco Alberoni (1989), constituíram-se no aporte teórico principal para a análise dos dados produzidos. Pela amizade, as crianças vivem um aspecto fundamental de suas infâncias no período em que estão na escola, como um exercício de experimentação e transitoriedade, em que lhes é possível aprender o Outro e aprender a si mesmas através do Outro.
How do children assign meaning to friendship at school? This is the question I intend to discuss in this thesis. It is my intention to analyze friendship among children at school, having as my investigative focus the ways in which children make friends and relate to each other in such environment. Based on signs produced by those children involved in this research – a group composed of eighteen children, eight girls and ten boys, aged seven to eleven, attending the second year of an elementary public school in Porto Alegre – I attempt to understand how they engender themselves and are engendered based on friendship relations built among them. In order to do so, the concepts of sign and language, by Charles Sanders Peirce (2008), as well as the concepts of friendship, particularly as referred to by Friedrich Nietzsche (2004, 2005, 2006, 2008 and 2012), Michel Foucault (2010) and Francesco Alberoni (1989), have become the main theoretical contribution used to analyze the collected data. Children live a fundamental aspect of their childhoods through friendship. As they attend school, they become part of an exercise in experimentation and transience, where they can learn about the Other and learn about themselves through the Other.

In his literary works, the Swedish author Peter Pohl (b. 1940) persistently deals with the issue of friendship which is described as a source of joy and consolation as well as a cause for difficulties and pain. Another common theme in his writing is vulnerability, especially that of children and adolescents, as he regards them as particularly exposed to violence and injustice. Pohl features the act of telling as an important instrument in the process of personal development on many different levels. Finally, his authorship shows that his purpose is to be a spokesman for those who cannot speak for themselves. These four topics which are visible in the main part of his production represent the most important aspects of Pohl's literary project which may be described as a desire to improve the conditions of less privileged groups of society. This thesis deals with the works by Pohl written between 1985 and 2007. In the first chapter, the author is presented. The second chapter is an analysis of his first novel Janne, min vän with a special focus on the above-mentioned themes. Chapter three deals with the novel Malins kung Gurra, a story for young readers that can be looked upon as second, but simpler version of Janne, min vän. In chapter four, the five novels Regnbågen har bara åtta färger, Medan regnbågen bleknar, Vi kallar honom Anna, Vilja växa and Klara papper är ett måste are analyzed and discussed. The last chapter is an attempt at dealing with the remaining books written by Pohl. The aim is to establish whether these works are compatible with the general picture given of Pohl’s literary project.

This thesis demonstrates how children challenge the boundaries adults place on them, out of concern for their safety, through child-specific cultural practises. The thesis argues that these boundaries emerge from contemporary changes in the perception of risk to children and have driven the systematic limitation of spaces that children are allowed to experience on their own. Based on data collected among elementary school-age children during twelve months of fieldwork (2008-2009), across multiple sites in the city of Vancouver, Canada, I argue that children creatively adapt to spatial and social limits imposed on them through play, consumption and exchange. Moreover, the research demonstrates that through gathering social knowledge and experimenting with self-presentation and systems of social order, children create a sophisticated peer culture. This incorporates social differentiations and hierarchies that differ from those of adult society however, are interdependent with it. My work thus challenges the position of children as objects and ‘anecdotes’ in anthropology: considered ‘works in progress’ and lacking full status as persons in society. Rather, I argue that they should be treated as competent social actors in their own right with their own social meanings and cultural practises.

Dissertação de Mestrado apresentada ao ISPA - Instituto Universitário
No presente estudo foram examinadas as correlações entre a qualidade da amizade e o autoconceito em crianças com idades compreendidas entre os 8 e os 11 anos. O principal objetivo é explorar se existe uma relação entre a qualidade da amizade e as dimensões do autoconceito e da autoestima global. O estudo foi composto por 84 estudantes do 3º e 4º ano do ensino primário de três escolas públicas, de ambos os géneros. A recolha de dados quantitativos foi realizada através de dois questionários, o Friendship Quality Questionnaire [FQQ] e o Self-Perception Profile for Children [SPPC]. Quanto aos resultados, verificou-se que se a criança mantém relações de amizade com menos desentendimentos e desconfianças, mais perceciona em si competências ao nível da aceitação por parte dos seus pares, da competência em jogos e desporto, do seu aspeto físico e da satisfação consigo próprio. Também se verificou que quanto mais a criança cuida e apoia os seus amigos, maior é a aceitação por parte dos seus pares.
ABSTRACT: In the present work the correlations between the quality of the friendship and the self-concept were examined in children with ages between 8 and 11. The main goal is to explore the existence of a relation between the quality of the friendship and the extent of the self-concept and also the global self-esteem. The study was made of 84 students from the 3rd and the 4th of the public primary school, for both genders. The collected quantitative data was made by two questionnaires, the Friendship Quality Questionnaire [FQQ] and the Self-Perception Profile for Children [SPPC]. As for the results, it was observed that the children keep friendship relationships with less misunderstanding and less mistrust, but perceives in itself the skills for the acceptance by its peers, the competence in games and sports and of its physical appearance and self-satisfaction. It was also verified that children who support their friends have better acceptance by it’s peers.

Dissertação de Mestrado apresentada no ISPA – Instituto Universitário para obtenção de grau de Mestre na especialidade de Psicologia Clínica.
As investigações têm sugerido que o desenvolvimento do autoconceito resulta de uma construção social criada a partir das interacções que se estabelecem com os outros significativos para a criança. Neste sentido, as relações de amizade podem ser significativas para as crianças ao fornecerem ajuda, apoio social, suporte, conforto emocional e feedback positivo acerca do comportamento e desempenho. O presente estudo tem como objetivo avaliar a relação entre a qualidade das relações de amizade que as crianças de 8 anos estabelecem e as suas perceções sobre as diversas dimensões do autoconceito aos 9 anos. Adicionalmente, tentou-se também compreender se existiam diferenças de género nos dois construtos. Participaram neste estudo 135 crianças do 3º e 4º ano de uma escola primária. O autoconceito foi avaliado a partir da adaptação portuguesa da escala Self-Perception Profile for Children – SPPA (Harter,1985). Para avaliar a qualidade da amizade utilizou-se o questionário de autopreenchimento, adaptado para a população portuguesa, “Friendship Quality Questionnaire” - FQQ (Parker & Asher, 1993). Os resultados obtidos demonstraram que quase todas as subescalas da qualidade de amizade estão significativamente e positivamente correlacionadas com a dimensão comportamento do autoconceito, com a excepção do companheirismo e recriação. O companheirismo e recriação estão significativamente correlacionados com a dimensão competência atlética. De igual forma, quanto maior for a validação e cuidado nas amizades das crianças, maior será a sua auto-estima global. Por outro lado também se verificaram diferenças significativas de género em algumas subescalas de ambos os construtos.
Research has suggested that the development of self-concept results from a social construction created from the interactions that are established with the individuals significant for the child. Therefore, friendly relationships can be meaningful for children by providing help, social support, support, emotional comfort and positive feedback about behavior and performance. The present study aimed to evaluate the relation between friendship quality in 8-years-old children and their perceptions about different dimensions of self-concept at 9 years old. Additionally, an attempt was also made to understand whether there were sex differences in the two constructs. Participated in this study were 135 children from the 3rd and 4th grade of a primary school. The self-concept was assessed through the Portuguese adaptation of the Self-Perception Profile for Children – SPPA (Harter,1985). To assess the quality of friendship, the self-administered questionnaire “Friendship Quality Questionnaire” - FQQ (Parker & Asher, 1993) was used, adapted for the Portuguese population. Results demonstrated that almost all subscales of the quality of friendship were significantly and positively correlated with the behavior dimension of self-concept, with the exception of companionship and recreation. Companionship and recreation were significantly correlated with the athletic competence dimension. Also, the greater the validation and caregiving in children's friendships, the greater their global self-esteem. On the other hand, there was also significant sex differences in same subscales of both constructs.

As relações que as crianças estabelecem durante o período pré-escolar, proporcionam oportunidades de desenvolvimento, quer ao nível das suas competências sociais quer pessoais. Tanto a relação com os educadores como as relações com os pares, constituem contextos fundamentais para interações. O presente estudo teve como objetivo investigar os preditores da qualidade das amizades das crianças em contexto de jardim de infância, relatada pelo educador, considerando as características individuais da criança (i.e., sexo, idade, competências sociais, problemas de comportamento e número de amigos); as características da díade (i.e., critério para identificar a relação de amizade); e a proximidade e o conflito na relação entre o educador e a criança. Participaram neste estudo 342 crianças (167 meninas e 175 meninos), com idades compreendidas entre os 40.5 e os 75.6 meses (M = 59.99, DP = 7.97), e 58 educadoras de jardins de infância públicos e privados da Área Metropolitana de Lisboa, tendo sido recolhida informação junto das educadoras e das crianças. Os resultados demonstraram que as educadoras relatam relações de amizade de maior qualidade – com mais envolvimento positivo – em crianças com mais competências sociais, mais competências verbais, mais problemas de comportamento e que fazem parte de díades identificadas com base no critério mais conservador (i.e., nomeações e avaliações recíprocas, cumulativamente), e relatam relações de amizade de menor qualidade – com mais conflito – em crianças com mais competências sociais, mais problemas de comportamento e que apresentam maior conflito com a educadora. Os resultados obtidos permitem aprofundar o nosso conhecimento acerca das variáveis associadas à qualidade das relações de amizade de crianças em idade pré-escolar.
The relationships children establish during early childhood provide important opportunities for development, in terms of their social and personal skills. Relationships with teachers and peers are fundamental contexts for future interactions. This study aimed to investigate the predictors of friendship quality in preschool children, considering the individual characteristics of the child (i.e., sex, age, social skills, behavioural problems, and number of friends); the characteristics of the dyad (i.e., criteria to identify friendships), and the proximity or conflict in the relationship between teachers and children. The study included 342 children (167 girls and 175 boys), aged between 40.5 months and 75.6 months (M = 59.99, SD = 7.97), and 58 early childhood education teachers from public and private centers in the Lisbon Metropolitan Area. Data were collected from teachers and children. The results showed that teachers report higher levels of friendship quality – positive involvement – in children with more social skills, more verbal skills, more behavioural problems, and in dyads identified with the most conservative criteria (i.e., reciprocal nominations and evaluations, cumulatively), and report lower levels of friendship quality – higher conflict – in children with more social skills, more behavioural problems, and who present more conflict with the teacher. Findings deepen our knowledge regarding the variables associated with higher friendship quality among preschool children.