Childrens Rights International Study Project CRISP A shift from the childrens rights focus to the qu

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Childrens Rights International Study Project
(CRISP) A shift from the childrens rights
focus to the quality of life instrument

• Zoran Pavlovic, Tina Rutar
• Educational Research Institute
• Gerbiceva 62, SI-1000 Ljubljana, Slovenia
• phone [phone] -- fax [phone]
• mailtozoran.pavlovic_at_pei.si

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Aims and history

• In the late 1980-ies International School
  Psychology Association started a cross-national
  research project to determine the perspectives
  of children and major child caretakes regarding
  the existing and desired status of childrens
  rights in homes and schools.
• (Hart, S.N., Z. Pavlovic M. Zeidner The ISPA
  Cross-National Childrens Rights Research
  Project. School Psychology International, SAGE
  London, Vol. 22/2, May 2001, p. 99.)

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First sweep

• Survey involved samples of students (400 minimum)
  at the age 12-14, in 20 countries of most
  continents.
• 40 items represented the UN Convention and
  general rights questions, covering a general
  everyday experience of the child
• to be evaluated on 5 point importance and
  existence scales, for the home and the school
  separately.

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Sample of the first sweep resultsrelative ranks
of importance of the right to be respected for
your religion, language, color, race and social
group no matter what they are.
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Sample of the first sweep resultspercentages of
low responses on existence scales for the right
to be protected from people and situations which
might hurt your body.
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Modifications in the second sweep (2000 and on)

• Rationalization and diversification of the types
  of questions, based on the content (importance
  and existence measured on less uniformed scales,
  new questions regarding the ages of desired and
  expected achievement of rights)
• Expansion to other student age groups (beside the
  group 12-14, also 8-10 and 16-18)
• Expansion to new target groups (beside students
  and teachers also parents).

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Sweeps in Slovenia

• First sweep in 1991-1992, with 900 students and
  adequate sample of teachers and school
  psychologists
• Pilot sweep in 1994 with experimental
  questionnaire modifications on a reduced sample
  served as a base for the international
  methodology modification
• Second sweep in 2001, with approx. 3000 students
  and corresponding sample of parents, teachers and
  other school professionals
• An intermediate re-measurement with the same
  instrument
• The major re-measurement in 2006 on a similar
  sample, with minor modifications of the survey
  instruments.

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Sweeps in Slovenia (2)

• The series of the sweeps in Slovenia enables us
  to establish certain trends.
• Certain value hierarchies can be followed through
  the 15 years span.
• Most of more detailed insight can be obtained for
  the last 5 years, after the major restructuring
  of the questionnaire.
• Second sweep was not such an international
  success, therefore only limited cross-cultural
  comparisons can be obtained.

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Importance trends - Slovenia

• The most important items
• (primary school students, age 12-15)
• 1992
• Importance of rights at home
• Right to
• food, clothing and shelter.
• be given help quickly in distress.
• be given medical help when sick
• be protected from physical injuries.
• to have opportunity to express affection to
  others.
• Importance of rights at the school
• food, clothing and shelter.
• be given help quickly in distress.
• be given medical help when sick
• to grow up strong and healthy
• to develop capacities and talents.

• 2001
• Right to
• ... be given the medical help when sick
• ... be with people who love and care about
  him/her
• ... have opportunities to be (for associating,
  socializing) with friends
• ... have a time and place to be alone without
  being bothered by others
• ... get the help he/she needs in order to learn
• 2006
• Right to
• ... be given the medical help when sick
• ... have opportunities to be (for associating,
  socializing) with friends
• ... be with people who love and care about
  him/her
• to have the grade explained in school
• influence decisions about what will happen to
  you
• ( get the help you need to learn)

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Importance international comparisons(Students
age 16-18 Slovenia, Hungary, India)
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Trend in existence of rightsStudents 12-14,
Slovenia
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Trends in desired ages for obtaining adult like
rights - Students 12-14, Slovenia
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Trends in adults attitudes towards childrens
rights - Slovenia
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Trends on assigning responsibility for the child
SloveniaResponsibility for the child 0 all
responsibility on community/society, none on the
family5 responsibility evenly divided10 all
responsibility on the family, none on the
community
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The Future From the rights to the quality of
life survey?

• The survey has not been exclusively rights
  oriented to begin with (not strictly linked to
  the UN Convention, nor exclusively related to the
  obligations of the state
• Legal rights are a concept too narrow and often
  not related to the everyday experience of the
  child, natural rights are too arbitrary
• Quality of life provides a potentially broader
  concept and allows for the linking to the variety
  of research experiences and approaches, while
  probably more demanding from the point of view of
  the need to systematize such indicators.