Impact of War on Child Education

“The wellbeing of refugee children in an early childhood education context: Connections and dilemmas.” Journal of Educational Enquiry, Vol. 13, no. 1, pp.18-34.

In this article Shallow & Whitington review how providing an environment supporting the wellbeing of refugee children is vital to their resettlement. This article recognises that early childhood is the prime time for refugee children to participate in intervention programs as this time maximises outcomes for children. The authors used date gained through researcher observations, checklists and interviews of parents and school staff to gain a broader understanding of the school community. This data was designed to generate professional development aimed at supporting teachers to develop educational frameworks supportive of refugee children’s wellbeing and the dilemmas they face in the school environment. Their research was carried out as a case study and focused on eight children, three families and three parents to identify the practical and emotional support offered to refugee children as identified by parents and staff. This article connects with early childhood pedagogical beliefs as it provides insight into the process of including all children into an educational setting and programs thereby insuring the emotional wellbeing of all children. This article recognises the importance of different diversities, cultural traditions (Ailwood, Boyd & Theobald, 2016), resilience and strengths of refugee families (Arney & Scott, 2013) which are vital to the development of socio-cultural perspectives, educational programs and strategies. This article was useful as it related to Rogoff’s idea of the community of learners (Nolan & Raban, 2015) which promotes the wellbeing of all children, not only refugees, by participating in shared activities and experiences. The main limitation of this article is that meaning, intention and understanding may have been changed as an interpreter was used during the interviews. Also the children were observed on one day and many variables may affect a child’s wellbeing on any day. The authors indicate that this study is just a beginning point for educators and schools to understand how they can support refugee children and their families. This article provided background information on the necessity of inclusive practices and strategies to promote emotional wellbeing of children in early childhood settings through games, peer interactions and welcoming and including all family members to the service.

References

Ailwood, J. Boyd, W. & Theobald, M. (2016) Understanding Early Childhood Education and Care in Australia. Allen and Unwin. Crows Nest: Australia

Arney, F., & Scott, D.(2013). Working with vulnerable families: A partnership approach (2nd ed.). Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. Australia

Nolan, A. & Raban, B. (2015).  Theories into Practice. Teaching Solutions. Blairgowrie: Australia.

Shallow, N. & Whitington, V. (2014). “The wellbeing of refugee children in an early childhood education context: Connections and dilemmas.” Journal of Educational Enquiry, Vol 13, no 1, pp.18-34. Retrieved March 2017 from http://www.ojs.unisa.edu.au/index.php/EDEQ/article/view/870/664

Moylan, C., Herrenkohl, T.,Sousa, C., Tajima, E., Herrenkohl, R. & Russo, M. (2010).

“The Effects of Child Abuse and Exposure to Domestic Violence on Adolescent Internalizing and Externalizing Behaviour Problems.” Journal of Family Violence, Vol. 5, no.1, pp. 53 – 63

In this article Moylan, Herrenkohl, Sousa, Tajima, Herrenkohl & Russo examines the effects of child abuse and/or exposure to domestic violence in childhood on adolescent internalizing and externalizing behaviours. This article addresses outcomes for family violence and the resilience in each individual family. It discusses the results of domestic violence (depression, withdrawal and anxiety) and highlights the risks associated with stresses in the family and the surrounding environment. This longitudinal study used data collected through interviews, individual questionaries and checklists to identify whether adolescents internalise and externalise behaviours due the experiencing child abuse and/or witnessing domestic violence. The research focused on assessing 457 children of different genders, and 297 families from mixed races and social economic backgrounds, and followed the children into adulthood.

This article was limited by the inability to establish exactly how frequently and over what length of time exposure to child abuse and/or domestic violence occurred. Another limitation is that only moderately severe behaviours were documented so the authors suggest that greater samples and different statistical methods be used to develop a more comprehensive study into the effects of child abuse and/or violence on adolescent behaviours. A strength of the study was the combination of parent reports and reflective reports from adolescences regarding their experiences as they grew up.

While this article did not actually provide relevant strategies and resources for use in an early childhood setting, it developed an awareness of pedagogies and strategies to be used with young children to assist them to identify and use appropriate behaviours when interacting with others. It highlighted possible causes for young children externalising anti-social behaviours or internalising their thoughts and feelings when they are in my care. This article reinforces Skinner’s belief that children’s behaviours are influenced by their “environmental conditions and systemic reinforcements” (Nolan & Raban, 2015, p.42). An important part of my pedagogy supporting children experiencing challenging situations and identifying approaches to sensitively respond to them (Ailwood, Boyd & Theobald, 2016).

Strategies to incorporate into an early childhood setting include group time discussions with preschool children selecting which scenario depicts the correct behaviour. This will assist them to become aware that some behaviours they accept as the norm are not actually socially acceptable ways of behaving. It is the role of the educator to offer reinforcements and rewards for more acceptable responses and actions (Nolan & Raban, 2015). Bandura states “much human behaviour is learned from other humans” (Nolan & Raban, 2015, p.47), so as an educator I must be a “model” (Nolan & Raban, 2015, p.47), demonstrating and acting in ways that I wish the children in my care to imitate.

References

Ailwood, J. Boyd, W. & Theobald, M. (2016). Understanding Early Childhood Education and Care in Australia. Allen and Unwin. Crows Nest: Australia

Moylan, C.; Herrenkohl, T; Sousa, C.; Tajima, E.; Herrenkohl, R. & Russo, M. (2010).  The Effects of Child Abuse and Exposure to Domestic Violence on Adolescent Internalizing and Externalizing Behaviour Problems. Vol 5, no1. pp. 53 – 63. Retrieved March 2017 from https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2872483/

Nolan, A. & Raban, B. (2015).  Theories into Practice. Teaching Solutions. Blairgowrie: Australia.

Hanson, J., Hair, N., Shen, D., Shi, F., Gilmore, J., Wolfe, B., & Pollak, S. (2013).

Family Poverty Affects the Rate of Human Infant Brain Growth. Journal of PLoS One, Vol. 8, no. 12.

In this article Hanson, Hair, Shen, Shi, Gilmore, Wolfe, & Pollak review how poverty may shape brain functions which trigger cognitive processes such as information processing, also behavioural regulation, schooling and health. The authors use data gained by analyzing 203 MRI scans from 75 children with 1-7 scans longitudinally per child, to examine how brain development in young children is affected by poverty. Children aged between 5 months to 4 years, from lower socioeconomic status backgrounds as well as more affluent backgrounds were the subjects of this research. Their research focuses on the volume of brain development (gray, white and cerebral) as the growth of gray matter is essential for the processing of information and implementing actions. This article is useful to the pedagogies, strategies and resources to implement in an early childcare setting as it establishes that lower volumes of brain tissue are connected to more behavioural problems in toddlers and preschool children. These problems may take the form of breaking rules, extreme aggression and hyperactivity. The main limitation of this article was that the children studied were “normal” with those suffering from birth complications and family psychiatric history excluded. Also more children were from two-parent families. The authors indicate that the results under represent the real effects of socioeconomic status however poverty and environmental factors definitely affect human brain development and behaviour. The use of Bandura’s Social Learning theory to help educators gain a better understanding of children in their care who are in poverty or children at risk of poverty and to model desirable behaviors (Berk, 2013). As an early childhood educator using multimodal texts such as pictures and videos is an enriching way to educate children about poverty.  Early childhood educators should use the strategies of encouragement, support and intentional teaching to promote further investigation about this topic.

References

Berk, L. (2013). Child development.(9^th ed.).  USA: Pearson education

Hanson, J., Hair, N., Shen, D., Shi, F., Gilmore, J., Wolfe, B., & Pollak, S. (2013). Family Poverty Affects the Rate of Human Infant Brain Growth. Journal of PLoS One, Vol 8, no 12. Retrieved March 2017 from https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3859472/

Wessells, G. (2017).

Children and Armed Conflict: Interventions for Supporting War- Affected Children. Journal of Peace Psychology, Vol.23 no.1 pp. 4-13.

This article by Wessells reviews the need for intervention and the three areas of supports (comprehensiveness, sustainability and Do No Harm) needed to assist children affected by war in various countries. The author uses date gained through narratives, research, dialogue and the UN convention rights of the child. Their main research focuses on addressing children’s survival, development and their participation rights and the fact that if a child is a victim of any violence they are entitled to physiological and social recovery support. It advocates everyday practices such as a parent hugging their child, a teacher giving advice to a student or a shelter that gives privacy, as these actions can have beneficial physiological impacts. The main limitation to this article is the lack of long term research on whether or not children who received intervention are better off than children who didn’t. The author indicates that comparative studies are also needed on which interventions have long lasting effects. This article relates to the pedagogies, strategies and resources implemented in an early childcare setting as it promotes the view that there is no one support for all children. Each child is an individual, requiring specific support and help as it relates to their individual circumstance, family background and environment. The best intervention approach includes all levels of a child’s environment; their family, neighbourhood, community, school and social level. Bronfenbrenner’s ecological systems theory explains how everything in the child and their environment “impacts on how a child grows and develops” (Nolan & Raban, 2015, p. 36). An early childhood educator’s pedagogy, strategies and resources should include knowledge about a child’s background, their previous experiences and the involvement of support services if necessary. For a child who has experienced trauma early in their life a calm, familiar, predictable and unhurried early childhood setting as favoured by Steiner (Nolan  & Raban, 2015) will be beneficial for their learning.

References

Wessells, G. (2017). Children and Armed Conflict: Interventions for Supporting War- Affected Children. Journal of Peace Psychology, Vol.23 no.1 pp. 4-13. Retrieved March 2017 from http://psycnet.apa.org/journals/pac/23/1/4.pdf

Nolan, A. & Raban, B. (2015).  Theories into Practice. Teaching Solutions. Blairgowrie: Australia.