Helping children feel safe comforta

Helping children feel safe comfortable
Of the key themes that emerged in our discussions with the Children’s Reference Group, the importance of helping children to feel safe and comfortable was of great importance. They shared that children would often feel afraid talking to adults, particularly about sensitive issues, and that researchers needed to help alleviate their fears: Sometimes, you know, you are too scared to say anything. Well I know I felt like
this anyway—especially at the start. If they’re scared they’re not going to talk. They need to know that they’re OK that they’re safe and that you’re there for ’em. This may have been of particular importance to children in this study as it was an aspect of their homeless experience that concerned them greatly (see Moore et al., 2007) but also appears in the observations of other social researchers (Noble-Carr, 2007). Children spent some time advising our team on how we might help children feel safe. They believed that it was important for adults to explain why they were asking them questions, how their input would be used, what would happen if they shared something that was worrying, and what rights they had. They also thought it was important that adults made it clear that they were not looking for “right” answers, that it
was OK to make mistakes, and that there was no pressure on them to “say the right thing.” The reference group also suggested that children be encouraged to share their thoughts and feelings, “even if it might hurt someone else.” They argued that in the research process children needed to feel able to express themselves without having to worry about how others, particularly adults, felt about their responses. They did not want us to respond in a way whereby the children felt that they needed to justify their position or to minimize their experience so that the researcher would not demonstrate discomfort or sympathy. They believed that this was necessary so that they would not feel compelled to answer questions in a particular way to satisfy what they believed to be the researcher’s expectations. In addition, children felt that a child-friendly environment could help children feel more safe and comfortable while being interviewed. They believed that if children felt at ease within the space, they were more likely to feel as though they could participate. They provided us with a number of suggestions on how we could make children feel more comfortable, including, Make sure [the space is] kid friendly . . . Have lots of toys, have posters [like] Bratz, Superman, Barbie . . . Have magazines around like Total Girl, K-Zone or Girlfriend
—not Cosmo, even though they’re funny! Maybe get some kids to help run the activities so other kids feel like joining in. [In group activities] let kids know that they can come and talk about stuff that’s
sensitive one-on-one [if someone] gets upset—someone could go into the fun room and talk to them about what they are upset about or play games with them or something.

Building rapport and expressing empathy
The ability to establish a relationship in which participants feel able to openly express their inner thoughts and feelings is a critical social research skill that enhances interactions between researchers and participants and leads to improved research outcomes (Alston & Bowles, 1998).Establishing empathy with participants requires researchers to reflect on the way in which they communicate verbally and nonverbally to ensure that the participant feels heard, accepted, and understood. Although researchers often feel able to connect with adult participants in this way, a number of writers have suggested that they often feel ill-equipped to do so with child participants for fear of being patronizing and of not finding common ground on which rapport can be built (Alderson, 1999; Punch, 2002).
The Children’s Reference Group felt that this would be a challenge for researchers in this project and suggested that they spend time getting to know the child participant before inviting them to engage in an interview. They felt that it was important for adults to introduce themselves to children, to tell them a little bit about themselves including what they liked doing, and to share a joke so that children felt more comfortable and that they were not talking to a stranger. They thought that having such a discussion would allow the adult and child to identify things they had in common or things they shared. This might be a common hobby but could also be something that they both “think is funny” or interesting. Children also thought it was important for researchers to be relaxed in the way they worked with kids as children would sometimes take their cues from their adult companion. At the beginning of the interaction the children suggested that researchers “do something fun” with the participant. They believed that children would enjoy starting with a game, particularly if the researcher “let them win,” and stressed that it was good because both the adult and child would appear to be on the same level. On this advice, we began each session having an informal discussion with the children, often about their day, things they enjoyed doing, and, because most interviews were conducted during school holidays, what things they had done during their time off. During this discussion we gave the children snacks and asked them whether they understood why we were conducting our study. Interviews usually began with a “talking cards” activity where we placed a series of cards with questions like “If I could have any superpower I’d choose . . . ,” “The person who makes me laugh the most is . . . ,” or “The best holiday I’ve ever been on was . . .” face down on the floor. We then asked kids to choose three cards for them and three cards for us, and then we asked each other the chosen questions. This activity allowed us to introduce storytelling, to share ideas, and to establish common ground between us as researchers and the children. This activity usually involved quite a lot of laughter as children appeared to enjoy our sense of humor (or lack of it!). On a number of occasions this introductory activity also shone light on some of the children’s experiences and views. For example, one boy talked about a favorite holiday when he went fishing with his father and how he felt close to him during this time. He then shared how difficult it was for him when his parents separated because he no longer spent positive time with his Dad. The child was keen to talk about his grief, and because the method was flexible, it could lead the discussion down that particular track. During this activity we also gained insight into some of the children’s strengths and some of the things that they valued. Identifying these and then referring back to them throughout the interview often helped children realize that we being listened to and that we valued their ideas. For example, in this “icebreaker” one young child talked about how she was a good helper for her Mum and that this was something she was proud of. Later in the interview the researcher referred back to this: “You are a good helper, aren’t you. I can see why you feel proud of being able to help out.” Doing so meant that children appeared to be more comfortable about sensitive issues later in the interview.

Hasil (Bahasa Indonesia) 1:

Helping children feel safe comfortableOf the key themes that emerged in our discussions with the Children’s Reference Group, the importance of helping children to feel safe and comfortable was of great importance. They shared that children would often feel afraid talking to adults, particularly about sensitive issues, and that researchers needed to help alleviate their fears: Sometimes, you know, you are too scared to say anything. Well I know I felt likethis anyway—especially at the start. If they’re scared they’re not going to talk. They need to know that they’re OK that they’re safe and that you’re there for ’em. This may have been of particular importance to children in this study as it was an aspect of their homeless experience that concerned them greatly (see Moore et al., 2007) but also appears in the observations of other social researchers (Noble-Carr, 2007). Children spent some time advising our team on how we might help children feel safe. They believed that it was important for adults to explain why they were asking them questions, how their input would be used, what would happen if they shared something that was worrying, and what rights they had. They also thought it was important that adults made it clear that they were not looking for “right” answers, that itapa-apa untuk membuat kesalahan, dan bahwa ada tidak ada tekanan pada mereka untuk "mengatakan hal yang benar." Kelompok referensi juga menyatakan bahwa anak-anak akan didorong untuk berbagi pikiran dan perasaan, mereka "bahkan jika itu bisa menyakiti orang lain." Mereka berpendapat bahwa dalam penelitian proses anak-anak perlu merasa mampu mengekspresikan diri tanpa harus khawatir tentang bagaimana orang lain, terutama orang dewasa, merasa tentang respon mereka. Mereka tidak ingin kita untuk menanggapi dengan cara dimana anak-anak merasa bahwa mereka perlu untuk membenarkan posisi mereka atau untuk meminimalkan pengalaman mereka sehingga peneliti tidak akan menunjukkan ketidaknyamanan atau simpati. Mereka percaya bahwa ini adalah perlu sehingga mereka tidak akan merasa terdorong untuk menjawab pertanyaan dengan cara tertentu untuk memenuhi apa yang mereka percaya untuk menjadi peneliti harapan. Selain itu, anak-anak merasa bahwa lingkungan ramah anak-anak yang dapat membantu anak-anak merasa lebih aman dan nyaman ketika sedang diwawancarai. Mereka percaya bahwa jika anak-anak merasa nyaman dalam ruang, mereka lebih cenderung merasa seolah-olah mereka bisa berpartisipasi. Mereka menyediakan kami dengan beberapa saran tentang bagaimana kita bisa membuat anak-anak merasa lebih nyaman, termasuk, pastikan [adalah ruang] anak ramah... Memiliki banyak mainan, poster seperti Bratz, Superman, Barbie... Memiliki majalah di seperti gadis Total, K-zona atau pacar— tidak Cosmo, bahkan meskipun mereka lucu! Mungkin mendapatkan beberapa anak untuk membantu menjalankan kegiatan anak-anak jadi lain merasa seperti bergabung in. [dalam kegiatan kelompok] membiarkan anak-anak tahu bahwa mereka dapat datang dan berbicara tentang hal itusatu-satu [jika seseorang] sensitif menjadi marah — seseorang bisa masuk ke menyenangkan kamar dan berbicara kepada mereka tentang apa yang mereka marah tentang atau bermain game dengan mereka atau sesuatu.Membangun hubungan dan mengekspresikan empatiKemampuan untuk membangun hubungan di mana peserta merasa mampu secara terbuka mengungkapkan pikiran batin mereka dan perasaan adalah keterampilan penelitian sosial kritis yang meningkatkan interaksi antara peneliti dan peserta dan mengarah ke hasil penelitian ditingkatkan (Alston & Bowles, 1998). Membangun empati dengan peserta membutuhkan peneliti untuk merenungkan cara di mana mereka berkomunikasi secara lisan dan tanpa kata-kata untuk memastikan bahwa peserta merasa didengarkan, diterima, dan dimengerti. Walaupun peneliti sering merasa dapat terhubung dengan peserta dewasa dengan cara ini, sejumlah penulis telah menyarankan bahwa mereka sering merasa sakit-dilengkapi untuk melakukannya dengan peserta anak karena takut menjadi menggurui dan tidak menemukan kesamaan yang hubungan dapat dibangun (Alderson, 1999; Punch, 2002).The Children’s Reference Group felt that this would be a challenge for researchers in this project and suggested that they spend time getting to know the child participant before inviting them to engage in an interview. They felt that it was important for adults to introduce themselves to children, to tell them a little bit about themselves including what they liked doing, and to share a joke so that children felt more comfortable and that they were not talking to a stranger. They thought that having such a discussion would allow the adult and child to identify things they had in common or things they shared. This might be a common hobby but could also be something that they both “think is funny” or interesting. Children also thought it was important for researchers to be relaxed in the way they worked with kids as children would sometimes take their cues from their adult companion. At the beginning of the interaction the children suggested that researchers “do something fun” with the participant. They believed that children would enjoy starting with a game, particularly if the researcher “let them win,” and stressed that it was good because both the adult and child would appear to be on the same level. On this advice, we began each session having an informal discussion with the children, often about their day, things they enjoyed doing, and, because most interviews were conducted during school holidays, what things they had done during their time off. During this discussion we gave the children snacks and asked them whether they understood why we were conducting our study. Interviews usually began with a “talking cards” activity where we placed a series of cards with questions like “If I could have any superpower I’d choose . . . ,” “The person who makes me laugh the most is . . . ,” or “The best holiday I’ve ever been on was . . .” face down on the floor. We then asked kids to choose three cards for them and three cards for us, and then we asked each other the chosen questions. This activity allowed us to introduce storytelling, to share ideas, and to establish common ground between us as researchers and the children. This activity usually involved quite a lot of laughter as children appeared to enjoy our sense of humor (or lack of it!). On a number of occasions this introductory activity also shone light on some of the children’s experiences and views. For example, one boy talked about a favorite holiday when he went fishing with his father and how he felt close to him during this time. He then shared how difficult it was for him when his parents separated because he no longer spent positive time with his Dad. The child was keen to talk about his grief, and because the method was flexible, it could lead the discussion down that particular track. During this activity we also gained insight into some of the children’s strengths and some of the things that they valued. Identifying these and then referring back to them throughout the interview often helped children realize that we being listened to and that we valued their ideas. For example, in this “icebreaker” one young child talked about how she was a good helper for her Mum and that this was something she was proud of. Later in the interview the researcher referred back to this: “You are a good helper, aren’t you. I can see why you feel proud of being able to help out.” Doing so meant that children appeared to be more comfortable about sensitive issues later in the interview.

Hasil (Bahasa Indonesia) 2:

Membantu anak-anak merasa aman nyaman
Dari tema kunci yang muncul dalam diskusi kami dengan Anak Reference Group, pentingnya membantu anak-anak merasa aman dan nyaman adalah penting. Mereka berbagi bahwa anak-anak sering merasa takut akan berbicara dengan orang dewasa, terutama tentang isu-isu sensitif, dan bahwa para peneliti diperlukan untuk membantu meringankan ketakutan mereka: Kadang-kadang, Anda tahu, Anda terlalu takut untuk mengatakan apa-apa. Yah aku tahu aku merasa seperti
ini pula-terutama di awal. Jika mereka takut mereka tidak akan berbicara. Mereka perlu tahu bahwa mereka OK bahwa mereka aman dan bahwa Anda berada di sana untuk 'em. Ini mungkin penting khususnya untuk anak-anak dalam penelitian ini seperti itu merupakan aspek dari pengalaman tunawisma mereka yang bersangkutan mereka sangat (lihat Moore et al., 2007) tetapi juga muncul dalam pengamatan peneliti sosial lainnya (Noble-Carr, 2007 ). Anak-anak menghabiskan beberapa waktu menasihati tim kami tentang bagaimana kita bisa membantu anak-anak merasa aman. Mereka percaya bahwa itu adalah penting bagi orang dewasa untuk menjelaskan mengapa mereka meminta mereka pertanyaan, bagaimana masukan mereka akan digunakan, apa yang akan terjadi jika mereka berbagi sesuatu yang mengkhawatirkan, dan apa hak mereka. Mereka juga pikir itu penting bahwa orang dewasa membuat jelas bahwa mereka tidak mencari "benar" jawaban, bahwa itu
adalah OK untuk membuat kesalahan, dan bahwa tidak ada tekanan pada mereka untuk "mengatakan hal yang benar." Kelompok referensi juga menyarankan bahwa anak-anak didorong untuk berbagi pikiran dan perasaan mereka, "bahkan jika itu akan menyakiti orang lain." Mereka berpendapat bahwa pada anak-anak proses penelitian yang dibutuhkan untuk merasa mampu mengekspresikan diri tanpa harus khawatir tentang bagaimana orang lain, terutama orang dewasa, merasa tentang tanggapan mereka. Mereka tidak ingin kita untuk merespon dengan cara dimana anak-anak merasa bahwa mereka perlu untuk membenarkan posisi mereka atau untuk meminimalkan pengalaman mereka sehingga peneliti tidak akan menunjukkan ketidaknyamanan atau simpati. Mereka percaya bahwa ini adalah diperlukan sehingga mereka tidak akan merasa terdorong untuk menjawab pertanyaan dengan cara tertentu untuk memenuhi apa yang mereka yakini sebagai harapan peneliti. Selain itu, anak-anak merasa bahwa lingkungan ramah anak bisa membantu anak-anak merasa lebih aman dan nyaman ketika sedang diwawancarai. Mereka percaya bahwa jika anak-anak merasa nyaman dalam ruang, mereka lebih mungkin untuk merasa seolah-olah mereka bisa berpartisipasi. Mereka memberikan kita dengan sejumlah saran tentang bagaimana kita bisa membuat anak-anak merasa lebih nyaman, termasuk, Pastikan [ruang adalah] ramah anak. . . Memiliki banyak mainan, memiliki poster [seperti] Bratz, Superman, Barbie. . . Memiliki majalah sekitar seperti Total Girl, K-Zone atau
pacar-tidak Cosmo, meskipun mereka lucu! Mungkin mendapatkan beberapa anak-anak untuk membantu menjalankan kegiatan anak-anak jadi lain merasa seperti bergabung dalam. [Dalam kegiatan kelompok] membiarkan anak-anak tahu bahwa mereka dapat datang dan berbicara tentang hal-hal yang
sensitif satu-satu [jika seseorang] mendapat marah-orang bisa pergi ke dalam menyenangkan kamar dan berbicara dengan mereka tentang apa yang mereka kesal atau bermain game dengan mereka atau sesuatu. Membangun hubungan dan mengekspresikan empati Kemampuan untuk membangun hubungan di mana peserta merasa mampu untuk secara terbuka mengungkapkan pikiran batin mereka dan perasaan adalah penting sosial keterampilan penelitian yang meningkatkan interaksi antara peneliti dan peserta dan mengarah ke perbaikan hasil penelitian (Alston & Bowles, 1998) .Establishing empati dengan peserta membutuhkan peneliti untuk merefleksikan cara di mana mereka berkomunikasi secara verbal dan nonverbal untuk memastikan bahwa peserta merasa mendengar, menerima , dan dipahami. Meskipun peneliti sering merasa dapat terhubung dengan peserta dewasa dengan cara ini, sejumlah penulis telah menyarankan bahwa mereka sering merasa sakit-siap untuk melakukannya dengan peserta anak karena takut merendahkan dan tidak menemukan kesamaan yang hubungan dapat dibangun (Alderson, 1999; Punch, 2002). Anak Reference Group merasa bahwa ini akan menjadi tantangan bagi para peneliti dalam proyek ini dan menyarankan bahwa mereka menghabiskan waktu untuk mengenal peserta anak sebelum mengundang mereka untuk terlibat dalam sebuah wawancara. Mereka merasa bahwa itu penting bagi orang dewasa untuk memperkenalkan diri kepada anak-anak, untuk memberitahu mereka sedikit tentang diri mereka sendiri termasuk apa yang mereka suka lakukan, dan untuk berbagi lelucon sehingga anak-anak merasa lebih nyaman dan bahwa mereka tidak berbicara dengan orang asing. Mereka berpikir bahwa memiliki diskusi tersebut akan memungkinkan orang dewasa dan anak untuk mengidentifikasi hal-hal yang mereka memiliki kesamaan atau hal-hal yang mereka bersama. Hal ini dapat menjadi hobi umum tetapi juga bisa menjadi sesuatu yang mereka berdua "anggap lucu" atau menarik. Anak-anak juga pikir itu penting bagi peneliti untuk santai dalam cara mereka bekerja dengan anak-anak sebagai anak-anak kadang-kadang akan mengambil isyarat mereka dari pendamping mereka dewasa. Pada awal interaksi anak-anak menunjukkan bahwa peneliti "melakukan sesuatu yang menyenangkan" dengan peserta. Mereka percaya bahwa anak-anak akan menikmati dimulai dengan permainan, terutama jika peneliti "biarkan mereka menang," dan menekankan bahwa semuanya itu baik karena baik orang dewasa dan anak akan tampak pada tingkat yang sama. Saran ini, kami mulai setiap sesi memiliki diskusi informal dengan anak-anak, sering tentang hari mereka, hal-hal yang mereka menikmati melakukan, dan, karena sebagian besar wawancara dilakukan selama liburan sekolah, apa hal-hal yang telah mereka lakukan selama waktu libur mereka. Selama diskusi ini kita memberi anak makanan ringan dan menanyakan apakah mereka mengerti mengapa kami melakukan penelitian kami. Wawancara biasanya dimulai dengan "berbicara kartu" aktivitas di mana kita ditempatkan serangkaian kartu dengan pertanyaan-pertanyaan seperti "Jika saya bisa memiliki negara adidaya pun saya akan memilih. . . , "" Orang yang membuat saya tertawa yang paling adalah. . . , "Atau" Liburan terbaik yang pernah saya pada itu. . . "Tertelungkup di lantai. Kami kemudian meminta anak-anak untuk memilih tiga kartu untuk mereka dan tiga kartu bagi kita, dan kemudian kita saling bertanya pertanyaan yang dipilih. Kegiatan ini memungkinkan kami untuk memperkenalkan cerita, berbagi ide, dan untuk membangun landasan bersama antara kami sebagai peneliti dan anak-anak. Kegiatan ini biasanya melibatkan cukup banyak tawa anak-anak tampaknya menikmati kami rasa humor (atau kurangnya itu!). Pada sejumlah kesempatan aktivitas pengantar ini juga bersinar terang pada beberapa pengalaman anak-anak dan pandangan. Sebagai contoh, satu laki-laki berbicara tentang liburan favorit ketika ia pergi memancing dengan ayahnya dan bagaimana ia merasa dekat dengannya selama ini. Dia kemudian menceritakan bagaimana sulitnya bagi dia ketika orang tuanya berpisah karena ia tidak lagi menghabiskan waktu positif dengan ayah nya. Anak itu tertarik untuk berbicara tentang kesedihannya, dan karena metode itu fleksibel, bisa memimpin diskusi down yang track tertentu. Selama kegiatan ini kami juga memperoleh wawasan beberapa kekuatan anak-anak dan beberapa hal yang mereka dihargai. Mengidentifikasi ini dan kemudian merujuk kembali kepada mereka sepanjang wawancara anak-anak sering membantu menyadari bahwa kita sedang mendengarkan dan bahwa kita dihargai ide-ide mereka. Misalnya, dalam hal ini "pemecah es" satu anak muda berbicara tentang bagaimana dia adalah seorang pembantu yang baik untuk ibu dan bahwa ini adalah sesuatu yang dia bangga. Kemudian dalam wawancara peneliti disebut kembali ke ini: "Kamu adalah pembantu yang baik, tidak Anda. Saya bisa melihat mengapa Anda merasa bangga bisa membantu. "Melakukan hal berarti bahwa anak-anak tampaknya lebih nyaman tentang isu-isu sensitif kemudian dalam wawancara.