Children’s socio-emotional wellbeing
and daily family life in a 24-h
economy
Some information of the project
Research consortium funded by the Academy of Finland (20112014)
JAMK university of applied research: Anna Rönkä, Mia Tammelin, Timo
Hintikka, Ulla Teppo
University of Jyväskylä: Marja-Leena Laakso, Eija Sevon, Pirjo-Liisa Poikonen,
Eija Salonen, Piia Manninen, Johanna Mykkänen, Leena Turja, Riitta-Leena
Metsäpelto
National Institute for Health and Welfare: Marjatta Kekkonen, Liisa Heinämäki
University of Utrecht (Department of Cultural Anthropology and Sociology):
Tanja van der Lippe, Anne Roeter
University of Manchester, Morgan Centre for the Study of Relationships and
Personal Life): Vanessa May
2
Frame of reference in 24/7 study:
MAKROSYSTEM:
EXOSYSTEM:
Parents’ work at non-traditional hours
MESOSYSTEM:
Day and night
care
-Good practices
- Interpretations
of children’s
well-being
-Partnership
etc
MESOSYSTEM:
24/7 ECONOMY
Servicesystem
Sosial-, family- and
workpolicies
Daily family living
- Work-family interrelations
MIcROSYSTEM:
- Challanges in
Children’s socio- parenting
emotional
- Fatherhood
wellbeing
-Single parenting
- Partnership etc
Bronfenbrenner, U. Ecological systems theory
3
Research questions
1) How is daily family life and child care organized among Finnish, British
and Dutch families with parents working at non-traditional hours?
2) How do parents and children experience parental work at nontraditional hours and different care arrangements?
What are the central aspects of daily life at home and in care experienced
by the children when one or both parents work shifts?
3) Is the form of parental work (day work, workat non-traditional hours)
related to children’s socio-emotional wellbeing?
• If so, then what are the possible mediators or moderators? What is the
role of the spousal relationship, parenting and family functioning?
• Does the form of child care (centrally based care, home care) make a
difference?
• Are there additional differences deriving from the three different
national policy and cultural contexts?
4
Research questions: continue
4) What enhances a satisfactory family life and child wellbeing in the context
of parental work at non-traditional hours? What kind of routines do children
and parents have in relation to daily transitions? How do children go about
building a sense of belonging if their parents work at non-traditional hours?
5) What is the role of day-care and the partnership between day-care and
parents in enhancing child wellbeing?
• What are good practices in institutional child care according to day-care
workers and parents?
• What are the aspects of day-and-night care care that are important to
children?
5
Multi-method and -informant approach
Parental survey
(Finland, Uk, NL)
Survey for child care Qualitative
personnel
interviews for
(Finland)
parents and
children (Finland)
Structured
Questions
Different interview
questions
concerning day care techniques to
concerning parental personnel’s opinions gather children’s
work, work-family
about the
and parent’s
interaction,
challenges and good stories in the
parenting, child
practices inchild
context of 24h
care, child wellcare
economy
being
Generalizable
Generalizable
Children’s and
information about information about
parents’ point of
24h economy
the challenges and
view in a 24h(parents’ point of
good practices, the economy
view)
point of view of day
care personnel
Around-the-clock
diary for children
(Finland)
Child’s moods (child
and adult ratings)
Daily transitions
Good and
challenging
moments
Key events
Situation-specific
information about
daily transitions and
fluctuations in
mood
Parental and Personnel Surveys
Parental survey
Survey for child-care personnel
•
•
•
A web- questionnaire (app. 500
respondents )
Comparative: also the Netherlands
and the Great Britain
–
•
•
Parents are contacted via day care
centres and work organisations
(service sector )
Themes, for example:
–
–
–
–
–
•
•
app. 200 respondents/country
Working time practices (time, timing, and tempo
of work)
Experiences of work-family interface (conflict and
enhancement)
Parenting
Quality of spousal relationship
Child wellbeing
Also interview data on parents
Collected autumn 2012
–
analysis early 2013
•
•
A web- questionnaire (app. 200
respondents)
Finland; Day-and-night care centres
Themes, for example:
–
–
•
•
Challenges and good practices of day-andnight care in enhancing child-wellbeing
Partnership between parents and
personnel
Public and private child-care units
Collected autumn 2012
–
analysis early 2013
Methods for hearing the children
Storytelling as a way children
express their viewpoints on their
social-emotional wellbeing
•
•
•
Doctoral study by Piia Manninen
Marjaana Lehtomäki (Master’s thesis)
Also studies by Jamk students
Co-operation started in Tapiola Day and
night care center in Autumn 2011
- Already 16 families have given their
consents
Details: Pictures and pictured ”stages” of
important places, moments and
happenings about shift care
Child tells what happens and the stories are
played together with the adult
One story will be watched together with
the parents / personelle
Young children’s social-emotional
wellbeing in the context of day and
night care
• Doctoral study by Eija Salonen Relates
with parents’ and day care personelle’s
interviews
Content: Observations of doings and
beings of the most youngest ones in the
day care center, especially coming to the
day care, evenings and mornings
Observations will also be conducted at
homes
Interviews will be used to broaden the
knoweledge gained from observations
Methods for hearing the children
You got a message from Illi!
The all-around-the -clock diary
• Sample: 20 children recruited from Day-and-night care centres + parents
and day care personnel
• One week period with questions three times a day
• Answering either at home or in the day-care by using mobile-phones
(smart phones borrowed from the project); children will carry mobilephones with them
• Questions for both children and adults (parents, day care personnel)
• The questions for the children concern the child’s daily moods, doings and
interaction with caring adults
• The questions for children are spoken; answering either by speaking or by
pushing the icons
• The questions for adults concern the adult’s perceptions of child’s moods
and daily wellbeing; answering by writing or using structured scales
Message from Illi!
Some examples from children’s questions
• Please tell to Illi how did you sleep last
night?
Tell to Illi how you are you this
morning? Please choose between Illi’s
faces which suits your mood best.
• Have you been happy this morning?
Choose if you have
- not at all been happy
- a little bit happy
- quite happy
- very, very happy?
• Tell Illi what was the nicest thing in this morning?
• What about the worst thing in this morning?
• What have you been doing at home/at day care in this
morning?
EXAMPLES FROM THE EVENING QUESTIONS
• Please describe to Illi one nice moment at daycare today
• Please describe to Illi one miserable moment at day care
today
• Illi is interested in knowing more about your day at day care. I
tell you now some things that can happen. Please push either
yes or no:
- It was nice to come to day care today
- I missed my home at day care today
- Adults have talked to me today
- etc
Examples from the questions for
adults
• Child’s moods (happy, angry, sad, worried, tired, motivated,
restless); 1-7 scale
• Desribe your own mood in your own words (parents,
afternoon)
• How was the child’s day according your opinion?
• How did the child react to day care today? (day care
personnel, afternoon)
• What made the child’s day a good one or a bad one, and
why is that?
• What do youn think the child needed from the adults
today?