SMILE - Exploring Divorce with Illustrations

Project: Research funding

Project Details

Abstract

Today, children are often confronted with parental separation, be it in their own families or in those of friends or classmates. While processes within the family were intensively investigated, influence factors outside the family are disregarded. However, we have very limited knowledge about how primary school children communicate about divorce in their peer groups, which (mis-)information and which concepts about divorce-related legal regulations they exchange. Yet, misconceptions and exaggerated ideas may result in uncertainties.

The study SMILE investigates together with 8- to 10-year-old children their concepts and communication about parental separation by adopting a participative and innovative methodical approach: Concept cartoons – illustrations showing everyday situations and different characters’ viewpoints – will be adopted for use in social sciences for the first time, to create narrations by using visual stimuli. The study is not primarily interested in investigating what children think about their own parents’ divorce, as numerous studies have done, but includes all classmates.

Based on a most different cases design, research will be conducted in an urban and a rural Austrian research area, with the highest and the lowest Austrian-wide divorce rate (Vienna and Tyrol). The children are involved in the entire research process (development of concept cartoons, discussions in group settings, dissemination). Jointly produced information leaflets and teaching materials, together with the public and scientific dissemination ensure knowledge transfer and sustainable impact. The study further includes discussions with parents, grandparents and teachers and the final conference ‘SMILE goes public’.
Short titleSMILE
StatusFinished
Effective start/end date1/09/1731/10/19