Findings of Focus Groups' Discussions

• Author: Van Hove, G.; Gradinaru, C.; Morabito, C.; De Schauwer E.; Mattelin, E.
• Pages: 14-26

Feasibility Study for a Child Guarantee (FSCG) Children’s Voices

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3. Findings of Focus Groups’ Discussions

3.1. Common themes across Target Groups

3.1.1. Education

Education is viewed positively when analysed as an instrument to promote children’s

inclusion and wellbeing in the present and future community and society. Inclusion is

understood by ch ildren as the capacity of a servi ce (in thi s case, schools) to address the

specific needs of each child.

Child with a migrant background15: “I like my school. I feel like I'm at home when

I'm at school. It's fun there. And people [personnel] are kind.”

Child with disabilities:16 For participants in the focus group, the school is a place to

feel good, a pl ace where they can participate. A place where they should be given

equal opportunities. The feeling of bein g welcome is of great importance to every

child.

Conversely, school is seen rather negatively when analysed as undermining their emotional

wellbeing. All children across the focus groups have experienced during their education

trajectories moments of rejection and exclusion.

Child living in precarious family situation : “The school is not inclusive, it's

exclusionary … It puts us in a difficult situation, is very stressful .”

Child with disabilities: He has been enrolled in eight different schools. Children with

disabilities have to move quite often, in many cases “because they are not welcome

everywhere and are always looking for a school that wants to work wi th them.”

The relationship with teachers is considered a crucial factor in children’s educational

process. Individual differences emerge in what teachers are willing to do, or not, to favour

inclusion. In some cases, teachers are seen as open to dialogue and enhancing children’s

participation and capabilities.

Child with a migrant background: “They [teachers] are quite strict as well as the

level they should be at … Teachers help a lot, both in lessons and on breaks and

outside. Yes. Like when you have problems you can just go to them and talk to

them like this. You also get help quickly … It will be fine. They are nice.”

Child with disabilities: He underlines that the teacher is crucial in school. He likes

to work together with the teacher and is very fond of her (he noted down her name

and the subject she teaches). In particular, he likes that the teacher also makes

sure that he can participate in the tests and exams for his subject. One child says

that it is also important when the school listens to children, because it is always the

parents and teachers who speak and he is convinced that young people n ot only

have their own opinion, but they also have their own view on inclusion, which may

be different from that of the adults.

In other cases, teachers are seen as distant, not understanding but rather augmenting

their insecurity and stress, and the sense of being excluded.

Child living in precarious family situation : “There are two kinds of t eachers. Those

who are very close to us and understan d how to approach us, and those who are

too detached, which perhaps is not nice to say, but some teachers only think about

the [teaching] programme and leave no room for dialogue. Most are of th e second

15 Children with a migrant background refer to children interviewed in Sweden; children living in precarious family

situation have been interviewed in Italy; children with disabilities and residing in institutions have been

interviewed respectively in Belgium and Romania.

16 Quotes from children with disabilities are more in the form of narrative/description. This is due to the

organization of their focus group, which has been adapted to facilitate their participation and discussion. As a

result, content has been developed more in the form of mind mapping than questions and answers.