Growing up Happy

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Growing up Happy

• Exploring the pedagogical meaning of happiness
  from childrens voices

Gonzalo Jover Bianca Thoilliez
Research Group on Pedagogy of Children
Values Facultad de Educación Universidad
Complutense de Madrid www.ucm.es/info/quiron/pedin
fant
Growing By Playing Foundation
2
INTRODUCTION
Research Group on Pedagogy of Children
Values Facultad de Educación Universidad
Complutense de Madrid www.ucm.es/info/quiron/pedin
fant
Growing By Playing Foundation
3

• Spanish children have the second highest rate of
  subjective well-being

Childrens subjective well-being in OECD
countries
Research Group on Pedagogy of Children
Values Facultad de Educación Universidad
Complutense de Madrid www.ucm.es/info/quiron/pedin
fant
Growing By Playing Foundation
4

• Although they do not need to have many things to
  be happy

Childrens material welfare in OECD countries
An overview of child well-being in rich
countries. UNICEF Innocenti Research Centre,
Florence, 2007.
Research Group on Pedagogy of Children
Values Facultad de Educación Universidad
Complutense de Madrid www.ucm.es/info/quiron/pedin
fant
Growing By Playing Foundation
5
Questions
A) How happy Spanish children are?
B) What do they feel good at?
C) What are their hopes and aspirations?
D) How do they experience happiness in their
daily life?
E) Who do they feel happiest with?
Research Group on Pedagogy of Children
Values Facultad de Educación Universidad
Complutense de Madrid www.ucm.es/info/quiron/pedin
fant
Growing By Playing Foundation
6
METHODOLOGY
Research Group on Pedagogy of Children
Values Facultad de Educación Universidad
Complutense de Madrid www.ucm.es/info/quiron/pedin
fant
Growing By Playing Foundation
7
Sample

• Five Primary Schools
• Three public schools
• Two private-subsidized schools

817 Children
Research Group on Pedagogy of Children
Values Facultad de Educación Universidad
Complutense de Madrid www.ucm.es/info/quiron/pedin
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Growing By Playing Foundation
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Sample
Interview
Questionnaire
GRADE 1 2 3 4 5 6
AGE 6-7 7-8 8-9 9-10 10-11 11-12
NUMBER 35 46 170 218 179 169
Research Group on Pedagogy of Children
Values Facultad de Educación Universidad
Complutense de Madrid www.ucm.es/info/quiron/pedin
fant
Growing By Playing Foundation
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(No Transcript)
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Childrens voices
elisa.raúl.belén.alba.javier.valerio.jorge.félix.s
usana.laura.francisco.isabel.estefanía.alfredo.ele
na.pilar.eloy.carlos.covadonga.alberto.rafael.davi
d.lorena.esther.irene.ernesto.yolanda.maría.jaione
.gonzalo.rosa.marta.cristina.luis.roberto.álvaro.á
ngel.josé.amelia.aarón.paloma.penélope.pablo.pascu
al.gemma.gloria.gisela.gabriel.genaro.germán.gusta
vo.teresa.tania.belinda.tamara.teo.macarena.candel
a.marcelo.malena.maite.matilde.domingo.melissa.mir
iam.marcos.manuel.maura.ana.rogelio.miguel.mariano
.matías.inés.isidoro.íñigo.jon.israel.yannick.narc
iso.natalia.nieves.nicolás.lola.leonor.leticia.fer
nando.carmen.lorenzo.carolina.carlota.felisa.gener
osa.claudia.judith.paula.camilo.césar.cristóbal.di
ana.diego.matilda.virginia.eva.esperanza.erica.esm
eralda.eduardo.tomás.esteban.fátima.fabiola.flora.
mónica.fabián.felipe.feliciano.valentina.vicente.v
íctor.alejandro.diego.ofelia.oliva.octavio.ramón.r
aquel.rosario.rodrigo.santiago.sebastián.rosana.sa
ndra.silvia.soraya.sergio.tatiana.verónica.salomé.
nadia.jimena
Dianas happiest day, 7 years old
Because my father knows I really like hamsters,
but were not allowed to have pets in my
building. So he tried to get them to let me have
one for my birthday, and when I went there to see
if he had gotten me anything, I started to cry
because of the hamster.
.
Research Group on Pedagogy of Children
Values Facultad de Educación Universidad
Complutense de Madrid www.ucm.es/info/quiron/pedin
fant
Growing By Playing Foundation
11
Childrens perception and understanding of
happiness
Five fields
A self-satisfaction B mastery C aspirations D
vital events and daily live E relationships
Research Group on Pedagogy of Children
Values Facultad de Educación Universidad
Complutense de Madrid www.ucm.es/info/quiron/pedin
fant
Growing By Playing Foundation
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A) SELF-SATISFACTION
Am I happy?
Research Group on Pedagogy of Children
Values Facultad de Educación Universidad
Complutense de Madrid www.ucm.es/info/quiron/pedin
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Growing By Playing Foundation
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The Stair of Happiness
Research Group on Pedagogy of Children
Values Facultad de Educación Universidad
Complutense de Madrid www.ucm.es/info/quiron/pedin
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Growing By Playing Foundation
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• Children claim to be very happy
• As they get olders, the rate of
  self-satisfaction diminishes

Research Group on Pedagogy of Children
Values Facultad de Educación Universidad
Complutense de Madrid www.ucm.es/info/quiron/pedin
fant
Growing By Playing Foundation
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B) MASTERY
Im good at
Research Group on Pedagogy of Children
Values Facultad de Educación Universidad
Complutense de Madrid www.ucm.es/info/quiron/pedin
fant
Growing By Playing Foundation
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• Children perceive their parents and teachers
  value their effort to improve
• Children who do not feel valued by their parents
  and teachers are less happy

Teachers do not give compliments
Parents do not give compliments
Research Group on Pedagogy of Children
Values Facultad de Educación Universidad
Complutense de Madrid www.ucm.es/info/quiron/pedin
fant
Growing By Playing Foundation
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• Boys and girls feel competent in different skills

Carlos, 8 years old
Tell me about the three things you think youre
good at. SportsIm pretty good at them. TestsI
usually get 8, 9 or 10 out of 10. Ummthree
things that what? Three things youre good
at. Oh, yeahI behave myself pretty well. You
behave yourself at what? Uh, for instance,
helping out at homeand Im a pretty good eater
. .
Research Group on Pedagogy of Children
Values Facultad de Educación Universidad
Complutense de Madrid www.ucm.es/info/quiron/pedin
fant
Growing By Playing Foundation
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C) ASPIRATIONS
I want that!
Research Group on Pedagogy of Children
Values Facultad de Educación Universidad
Complutense de Madrid www.ucm.es/info/quiron/pedin
fant
Growing By Playing Foundation
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• Childrens aspirations move between the desire
  for security and the expectation of emancipation

Research Group on Pedagogy of Children
Values Facultad de Educación Universidad
Complutense de Madrid www.ucm.es/info/quiron/pedin
fant
Growing By Playing Foundation
20

• The context determines childrens aspirations

I will be happy because Ill be an architect and
Ill save me from the crisis (Adolfo, 10 years
old )
Research Group on Pedagogy of Children
Values Facultad de Educación Universidad
Complutense de Madrid www.ucm.es/info/quiron/pedin
fant
Growing By Playing Foundation
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D) VITAL EVENTS AND DAILY LIFE
My jows and sorrows
Research Group on Pedagogy of Children
Values Facultad de Educación Universidad
Complutense de Madrid www.ucm.es/info/quiron/pedin
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Growing By Playing Foundation
22

• Happiness is for children a comunitarian
  experience

Pablo, 7 years old
The happiest day of my life was when I was born
because all my family was at birth" (Juanjo, 10
years old)
Because I was celebrating my birthday and they
gave me a bow and arrow set and a racquet with
some practice balls and I was with my family my
mother, my father, my brother and I were at the
hotel at the beach..
.
To pass a test and to win a match make me feel
happy (Rudy, 11 years old).
Research Group on Pedagogy of Children
Values Facultad de Educación Universidad
Complutense de Madrid www.ucm.es/info/quiron/pedin
fant
Growing By Playing Foundation
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• Situations of sadness are also lived communally

Diana, 7 years old
My father left home, they got angry, and he
decided to leave us" (Rebeca, 10 years old)
Its not that Im not happy, its just thatmy
cousins, as soon as they see that Im the
littlest, Im the littlest in the family, they
always boss me around and they hit me, and since
we little ones are the most mischievous, the
older ones act like theyre hurt the worst, they
act like theyre crying, and I dont cry, and
then I blame myself for not hitting them. Thats
when I feel sad and that act as if I had, and I
just .. .
Research Group on Pedagogy of Children
Values Facultad de Educación Universidad
Complutense de Madrid www.ucm.es/info/quiron/pedin
fant
Growing By Playing Foundation
24
E) RELATIONSHIPS
What makes me happiest is
Research Group on Pedagogy of Children
Values Facultad de Educación Universidad
Complutense de Madrid www.ucm.es/info/quiron/pedin
fant
Growing By Playing Foundation
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Carlos, 8 years old
Im going to show you some pictures. OK. This
is a girl called Rachel. OK. You see her here
in four different situations. In this one shes
at home playing with her toys. Here shes being
praised by her teacher, here shes watching TV
with her family, and here shes playing in the
park with her friends OK? Look at them carefully,
and I want you to imagine yourself in each of
these 4 situations. Yes. And then tell me which
one you think you would feel happiest in... In
two of them. OK, could you tell me why you chose
each one?.................... Because I like to
be with my family... I like being praised by my
teacherwhen I do something right ..
. .. . ..
. .. .
.. .
...
RAQUEL
Research Group on Pedagogy of Children
Values Facultad de Educación Universidad
Complutense de Madrid www.ucm.es/info/quiron/pedin
fant
Growing By Playing Foundation
26
CONCLUSIONS
Research Group on Pedagogy of Children
Values Facultad de Educación Universidad
Complutense de Madrid www.ucm.es/info/quiron/pedin
fant
Growing By Playing Foundation
27

• For children, a stable area of relationships is
  a prerequisite for happiness.

• Childrens aspirations of enhancement or
  self-improvement depend on what their context
  value and offer to them.

• To be happy, children need an education
  environment which gives them security as well as
  it provides them opportunities to grow up.

Research Group on Pedagogy of Children
Values Facultad de Educación Universidad
Complutense de Madrid www.ucm.es/info/quiron/pedin
fant
Growing By Playing Foundation
28
(No Transcript)