Resilience in Children, Research Paper Example

Abstract

In today’s environment, children need to develop coping skills to develop into mentally healthy adults, despite growing up in disadvantaged circumstances. Understanding these factors is of great importance if we can help children in adverse events to overcome the odds and grow up to become healthy and productive citizens.  Schools are recognizing the importance of students’ social and emotional well-being and a supportive school climate in promoting positive academic and good behavioral outcomes. Recently, the U.S. Department of Education Safe and Supportive Schools presented data indicating improvements in academic achievements and student behaviors due to the recent federal funding to high poverty schools to implement programs and practices that build resilience. Building resilience in school-age children is something schools across our nation considering and recognizing the importance of students social and emotional well-being and having a supportive school environment.

Before administering the survey to the participants, the school counselor will meet with the researcher to discuss the school’s present concerns, share supporting data acquired from My data, LAUSD website, and discuss the importance of establishing a school-wide program on resilience.

Chapter 1

Introduction

Resilience is defined as an individual’s ability to appropriately adapt to stress and adversity (Whiteside, Mundfrom, Casey, Kelleher & Pope, 1994). Resilience is not an unheard-of practice or unattainable.  On the contrary, average individuals can learn to be resilient because it is a process, not a grandfathered trait (Yeung & Li, 2019). In low socioeconomic communities, students face many challenges before their day begins at school.  The challenges they face can be with unmet basic needs to problems in their home environment (Morsey & Rothstein, 2015).  Notably, not all students are equally academically gifted or inclined, and academic success is not purely a function of intelligence or ability; outside factors also affect external factors that students do not control.  Resiliency, or resilience, is commonly explained and a studied context of a two-dimensional construct concerning the exposure of adversity and the positive adjustment outcomes of that adversity (Luther & Cicchetti, 2000).

Creating resilience among children at a very young age is considered necessary. Therefore, educators strive to develop such integrative and nurturing classroom and learning environments that facilitate children to have playful learning (Jalala, Latifo?lu, Uzunboylu, 2020). Furthermore, children learn to collaborate, communicate with their classmates and respond to varying situations, which ultimately increases their capacity to adapt to different environments (Morsey & Rothstein, 2015). However, in low-income countries, creating a resilience-oriented environment becomes a challenge for the teachers due to a lack of resources. Literature has identified the significance of resilience for adolescents; however, the research is quite limited for children at a very young age. According to Jeminez et al. (2016), children at an early age are more prone to adverse experiences where their families and neighbors are involved. Therefore, it is crucial to understand the critical interventions that teachers can adapt to build resilience among the children justifying the purpose of conducting this study.

Research question

The present study encompasses the following research question:

RQ: What is the importance of fostering resilience in children at an early age

Background

Resilience emerged from early studies in the 1970s in psychopathology, traumatic stress, and poverty.  As researchers studied the impact “risk factors” had on children’s development, researchers discovered that children who were exposed to “risk factors” did not experience adverse development outcomes.  The unexpected findings set the foundation for decades of further research in a variety of fields (e.g., psychology, education, public health) to examine those factors and processes that enabled children and youth to not only survive but thrive despite the risk (Garmezy, 1971; Rutter, 1979; Werner & Smith, 1982). Researchers believed that any person who successfully overcame adverse life experiences as having remarkable qualities during the infancy of resilience research. However, researchers reached a consensus that resilience is not some special, innate quality but rather a developmental process that incorporates individuals’ normative self-righting tendencies (Masten, 2001).

Researchers, in the current times, do realize the importance and vitality of creating resilience among children at a young age. Yeung and Li (2019) suggested that the schools must train educational staff to promote a constructive and positive classroom environment, which is further translated into the behavior and thoughts of children, enabling them to adapt to changing circumstances. Likewise, Jalala, Latifo?lu & Uzunboylu (2020) demonstrated that children do have the ability to adapt to different circumstances and situations, and thus schools can play an essential role in developing resilience among them to enable them to think optimistically, which be done through improving and implementing a new course plan which incorporates topics related to resilience.

Statement of Problem

Children are surrounded by a materialistic, often shallow society where happiness and fulfillment are defined by what is consumed and owned (Donnelly, 2014). Also, society’s de-humanizing impact of the new technologies, where face-to-face contact is replaced by a virtual world of cyber-bullying and self-promotion, are only implicating things more for children; children are not learning the skills they need to overcome life stressors.  Also, children are being denied independence, contributing to a lack of resilience and ability to overcome challenges (New York State Education Department, 2015).  School personnel is recognizing the importance of a student’s social and emotional well-being and a supportive school climate in promoting positive academic and behavioral outcomes (Childrens, 2015).  Recently, the U.S. Department of Education Safe and Supportive Schools presented data indicating improvements in academic achievements and student behaviors due to the recent federal funding to high poverty schools to implement programs and practices that build resilience (Child Trends, 2013).

The Current Study

The researcher’s goal is to compare what other researchers have found on how resilience can influence children to develop into mentally healthy adults, despite growing up in disadvantaged circumstances, with the current group of students.  Understanding these factors is of great importance if we can learn to help children in adverse events to overcome the odds and grow up to become healthy and productive citizens. This study will measure how much resiliency the students demonstrate through a series of questions on handling certain situations.

Establishing/Evaluating the Educational Program

The researcher has observed that many students are academically behind; in some cases, students are behind academically up to 2-grade levels, the number of students being referred to Student Success Team for tier 2 intervention(s) due to severe classroom behavior impacting instructional time.  The number of assessment requests is excessive, and the administration cannot keep up with the demands.  The substantial number of assessment requests is because parents feel that if their students are struggling academically, parents believe it is due to a disability impeding the students learning ability (Willis & Ebray, 2007).   However, most students’ history demonstrates that they can learn based on their performance from previous grades. The focus should be not if the student(s) have a learning disability but how we can achieve at grade level. The research will help establish students’ resilience level, and if establishing a lesson plan on resilience for all students will help them overcome stressors and help improve school performance.

The research data would benefit school administrators, parents, counselors, and teachers. More than half of our students live in poverty, and there is no immediate solution for poverty: however, we can teach them resilience to overcome setbacks in life.  Recent research has shown that children exposed to high levels of adversity or stress may be less prepared to succeed in school, affecting their abilities to grow in academics and develop positive peer and teacher relationships (Werner, 1979).  Interaction effects of perinatal stress and the family environment quality are reported for a multiracial cohort of 660 children born on the island of Kauai and followed from the prenatal period to age 18.  Antecedents and consequences of childhood mental health problems and learning disabilities illustrate the relationship between social class and vulnerability, the likelihood of persistence of childhood disorders with biological solid and temperamental underpinnings, the pervasive effects of quality of early caretaker-child transactions, the importance of an internal locus of control and communication skills in coping with emotional and academic problems, and the resiliency of most children (Werner & Smith, 1979).  In addition, it may have long-term implications for school success given that the achievement gap tends to persist and even widen throughout the school years.  In today’s environment, children and teens need to develop strengths, acquire skills to cope, recover from hardships, and be prepared for future challenges.

It will be demonstrated that resilience encompasses the sense of having a bright future, a tendency to see challenging situations in favorable terms, and a belief in one’s ability to deal with whatever life brings.  The change will also impact the practices at school because currently, there are no interventions in place to address adversities and demonstrate how this may be a factor affecting student’s behavior and school performance.  Lastly, implementing a lesson plan to teach resilience as a counseling session to students and implementing a school-wide program reinforces the lessons taught by the counselor.  The project will include facilitating supportive adult-child relationships (students & staff), building a sense of self-efficacy and perceived control (extra curriculum activities), providing opportunities to strengthen adaptive skills/self-regulatory capacities, and setting high expectations for all students.

Chapter 2: Annotated Bibliography

Jalala, S. S., Latifo?lu, G., & Uzunboylu, H. (2020). Strength-based approach for building resilience in school children: The case of Gaza. Anales De Psicología/Annals of Psychology, 36(1), 1-11.

This article focuses on adopting a strength-based approach as a proactive strategy to develop resilience among the children. According to the researchers, schools can introduce various programs to foster integrative learning and emotions management sessions, enabling children to demonstrate strength. The research was conducted by following the pragmatism paradigm, where both quantitative and qualitative data was collected through interviews, focus groups, and student surveys. Results of the study demonstrated that children do have the ability to adapt to different circumstances and situations; therefore, schools can play an essential role in developing resilience among them, enable them to think optimistically, suggesting that this can be done through improving and implementing a new course plan which incorporates topics related to resilience.

Yeung, W. J. J., & Li, H. (2019). Educational Resilience Among Asian Children in Challenging Family Environment. Social Indicators Research, 1-11.

This article discusses the strategies which facilitate educational resilience among children coming from a challenging environment in the Asian region. Since the literary research is full of studies conducted in western countries; therefore, the researchers preferred to extend their research scope by focusing on Asian children. The article suggests providing an integrative and positive learning environment, a collaboration of parents with teachers and school administration, and introducing exciting activities to create a strong bond of children with schools contribute to building resilience among children living in challenging family situations. The article also highlights the impact of sociocultural structures and the difference between teachers and students’ social status as one of the hindrances that slow the process of educational resilience. Therefore, the schools must train academic staff to promote a constructive and positive classroom environment, which is further translated into children’s behavior and thoughts, enabling them to adapt to changing circumstances.

Masten, A. S., & Barnes, A. J. (2018). resilience in children: Developmental perspectives. Children, 5(7), 98.

This article discusses the vitality of resilience among children, which is further contextualized considering the developmental perspectives. Children who experience adverse incidents in their childhood get affected in their entire lives. However, in such cases, schools and teachers play an essential role in creating resilience and capacitating them to adapt to the changing situations successfully. Results of this paper suggested that resilience must be built among children at a very young age. It is also argued that creating it at a younger generation develops a strengthened fundamental adaptation system; however, it is a challenge for families and educators. The research also highlights the dynamic nature of human resilience, which involves various distinct aspects, including biological dimensions, sociocultural factors, and strategic timing.

Downey, J. A. (2014). Indispensable insight: Children’s perspectives on factors and mechanisms that promote educational resilience. Canadian Journal of Education, 37(1), 46.

The article highlights the main concerns tight into the lack of educational resilience, such as the views of children in regards to academic success, children’s perspective in the development of strategies, and including children’s viewpoints on their academics; the research was focused on children’s risk and resilience –emphases were placed on children opinions and points of view. The study focuses on children’s perspective or a child’s point of view of the world as formed by beliefs, attributions, conceptions, ideas, and personal experiences. Besides, the research took into consideration how the data will be gathered to provide validity. The recommendations were to consider participants age, cognitive skills, and level of social development. Also recommended for research to offer separate ways for children to express themselves, which can help increase precision in data collection and interpretation.

Ungar, M. & Liebenberg, L. (2013). Contextual factors related to school engagement and resilience: a study of Canadian youth with complex needs.  Journal of Child and Youth Development, 1(1), 3-26.

A study was conducted to assess risk, resilience, and service use factors, including school engagement, among 497 13-21-year old who were users of multiple services such as child welfare, mental health, youth corrections, outreach services for homeless youth, and, when in school, special educational services available outside the classroom. As hypothesized, factors associated with individual, relational, and community aspects of

resilience like cultural adherence and fair treatment in one’s community was more strongly related to school engagement than individual or relational (family) factors.

However, higher rates of service use among youth with complex needs did not result in higher school engagement levels as was expected. A discussion is included of the role

service providers play encouraging children to engage at school and the possibility that service providers who coerce youth to attend school may inadvertently cause young people to resist school attendance and disengage.

Chapter 3: Methodology

Introduction

This chapter aims to describe the research design and procedures used to research the student resiliency at West Athens Elementary School.   The research can be used to explore the research topic, which is based on determining how students of the school demonstrate resilient behaviors.

Setting

This study looked at students from West Athens Elementary School.  The school is in Los Angeles, CA.  According to the district website, the school has a population of 850 students,

Participants

The study included 60 students with similar social-economic backgrounds, students in the same age group, and an equal number of boys and girls who will be participants in the research. The students will be selected from the 4^th-grade classes and from all ethnic groups: Latino, African American, White, Asian, and Other Pacific Islander. The 4^th graders were chosen to participate because nine-year-old children are more aware of real-world dangers and disasters.   Fears about events such as crime, or anxieties about a parent dying.  In 4^th grade, children are still very concrete in their thinking, industrious, and curious (www.responsiveclassrooms.org).    The researcher will also review economic background by selecting students who have a free lunch application on file to choose a student in the same social-economic background. Lastly, the student’s date of birth will be reviewed to ensure that students are all in the same age group.

Instruments

The research will use the quantitative method in gathering data because it provides close-ended information such as that found to measure attitudes (e.g., rating scales), behaviors (e.g., observation checklists), and performance instruments. The analysis of this type of data consists of statistically analyzing scores collected on tools (e.g., questionnaires) or checklists to answer research questions or to test hypotheses. For this research, a survey approach followed by a questionnaire is followed. The researcher will utilize a Likert scale (1-strongly disagree to 5-strongly agree) to assess students’ resilience.

Methods and Procedures

Prior to administering the survey to the participants, the school counselor will meet with the researcher to discuss the school’s present concerns, share supporting data acquired from My data, LAUSD website, and discuss the importance of establishing a school-wide program on resilience.

Before conducting the surveys, students selected to participate will be given a Parental Information form (See appendix A) and a Parental consent form (see appendix B). The documents will be sent home with the students selected to participate in a sealed envelope addressed to the parents.  Students must bring a parental consent form prior to participating. The onsite school counselor will administer the survey; the 60 students selected to participate in the research will be called to the auditorium to take a 12-question survey and be given 45 minutes to answer all questions.  The homeroom teachers will be informed of the students who have been selected to participate; a call will be placed to each teacher to send the students to the auditorium during the students 30 minute lunch period for two consecutive days.  The school counselor will collect the completed surveys and placed them in an envelope to be opened by the researcher only.

Ethical Considerations including Limitations and Benefits

The school counselor will handle the survey process with complete confidentiality; participants will not be identified by name or student identification number. The school counselor will brief participants before starting the completion of the surveys; they will be informed of the purpose of the study and that the process would be confidential.  The counselor will read a script that will be provided and read to all students.  This is to ensure they are all receiving the exact instructions.

The limitations I foresee are the participants’ sample size due to the risk of having parents not wanting to sign the consent form or not wanting the students to participate in the research.  In addition, the restrictions on participants’ ethnicity, the population is dominantly African American and Latino.

The benefit of collecting data is to measure the need to implement a school-wide resilience program or implement a counseling session on resilience. In addition, this will be a benefit to the school because currently, there are no interventions in place to address adversities.

Chapter 4 Data Analysis and Discussion

Introduction              

This chapter will describe the results of the research that was done to answer the question of how resilient students are.  A likingwas administered to a group of students participating in the program to get feedback on their resiliency. The survey used to measure each student’s resilience is a survey used by many counseling agencies when students participate in individual therapy or group therapy.

Analysis

One type of methodology was used to dissect the data gathered for this research needed to answer the research question of students displayed resiliency traits and having a significant impact on their ability to succeed.

Quantitative data was used because student answers provided insight into their perceptions and feelings.

Results

Based on the conducted survey, there were expected results from the respondents. First, the surveys were selected on specific age groups where the students were to respond according to their level of understanding as well as their experience both at school and back at home. Considering the ages of the students, the counselor could assist in reading and making the questions clear to the students. Some of the students could not give answers or follow the instructions indicated on the survey papers, and for these reasons, the counselor was very helpful in completing the surveys. The results were original without the inclusion of any information or requirements of the response. Initially, the research targeted a total of 60 students for the complete results. Owing to the different circumstances like the school policies, the absenteeism, and the student’s willingness to participate, the total population was considered reduced to 26, and this was the figure used in the entire survey. With the sophistication of the use of data from the school’s database and the time allocated, the results were based on the given population, and a general conclusion is to be drawn from this representation. Other students are equally supposed to be represented in this population, which shows the quantitative use of the data. In the results, both qualitative and quantitative data were used in the representation. On qualitative, the students were required to respond directly to the asked questions, and the quantitative data is significant when the entire population in the institution is to be used.

Findings

The data showed that students who were surveyed had an overall positive outlook. The questions used in the survey covered the entire lesson required for the study. The students have a way of ensuring that all the questions are answered, which would work to the researcher’s benefit. Since the questions were structured to be answered directly by the students, the relationship between the respondents and the researchers would be significant. Out of the targeted 60 respondents, the 26 students gave their responses based on their understanding and general treatment from their friends and homes. The link between the students and their academic excellence is direct with their social lives. The survey questions covered different topics that could test the general resilience of the children. The first question focused on whether the children have a role model or anyone who motivates them to work hard and to desire to be like them. The response received from the children indicates the seriousness with which these students take their future. Many people work harder if there is motivation involved. Since most of the students would give their most accurate answers based on their honest feeling and desires, the answers were taken to be the truth.

Chapter 5 Summary and Conclusions

Stand Out Results

The developmental stages of the children determine their chances of being resilient. The children are shaped from their childhood as they grow. Their mental strength and shaping for the future are directly linked to how they are treated at this stage of life. From the findings and the discussions, most children are on the right path of development, which indicates a better prospect. The future of these children must be shaped, and how this shaping will be helpful in the future should be defined at an early stage. The relationship between the students and their families requires earlier training. How the students treat one another in the cases of emergencies and when things need to be fixed equally depends on how they are trained from the preliminary stages. With the possibilities of future challenges, these children will have to adapt to different means of handling their challenges and how to deal with them depending on the occasions. In connection to the literature, there are chances that how the children are brought up will directly affect their behaviors, and this is the surest way in which they can be sustained in adult lives. From the literature review, child development is gradual and requires a lot of care. In making a mistake in the developmental stage, the children may have a problem in regaining their proper lives back. The ways in which the children develop are tested on the relationships with one another and how they can relate to different environments. The creation of various levels of understanding in the children balances their rate of growth with their willingness to take personal responsibilities on distinct levels. This change makes it easier for the children to have better adulthood without passing through several challenges.

Recommendations

The study was focused majorly on the relationship between the students and their educational environment. In as much as the testing points were okay, other areas of testing could have been ignored. The quality of the research could be slightly affected by the fact that testing points were majorly educational. Generally, not all the students can be in a position where they can reason in an equivalent way. Most of the students have no interest in education, and these students tend to quit school later in their lives. In order to curb the business of the school, other areas of study could have been included. The study was majorly based on the students who attended the school, and in understanding their resilience, the other students have been ignored, which may not be safe for future studies. Creating a forum where all the people could meet or common ground with the exception of the schools could have brought the entire population together with a general view of the majority and a systematic understanding of the developmental process. The possibilities of creating a forum to measure the understanding of these pupils could have been easier in getting the results.

References

Bradley, R., Whiteside, L., Mundfrom, D., Casey, P., Kelleher, K., & Pope, S. (1994). Early Indications of Resilience and Their Relation to Experiences in the Home Environments of Low Birthweight, Premature Children Living in Poverty. Child Development, 65(2), 346-360.

Child Trends (2013).  What can schools do to build resilience?  Retrieved from http://www.childtrends.org/what-can-schools-do-to-build-resilience-in-their-students/

Garmezy, N. (1971). Vulnerability research and the issue of primary prevention. American Journal of Orthopsychiatry, 41 (1), 101-116.

Jalala, S. S., Latifo?lu, G., & Uzunboylu, H. (2020). Strength-based approach for building resilience in school children: The case of Gaza. Anales De Psicología/Annals of Psychology, 36(1), 1-11.

Luthar, S.S. & Cicchetti, D. (2000). The construct of resilience: Implications for interventions and social policies. Developmental and Psychopathology, 12,857-885.

Masten, A.S. (2001). Ordinary magic: Resilience processes in development. American Psychologist, 56, 227-238.

Morsey, L. & Rothstein R. (2015).  Five social disadvantages that depress student performance.  Economic Policy Institute, 3(1), 96-103.

Masten, A. S., & Barnes, A. J. (2018). resilience in children: Developmental perspectives. Children, 5(7), 98.

Sharp, K. (2009).  Journal of Educational and Developmental Psychology (Working Paper No. 217).  Retrieved from Institute of Developmental Studies website: http://www.savethechildren.org.uk/sites/default/files/docs/measuring_destitution_1.pdf

Ungar, M., Russell, P., & Connelly, G. (2014). School-based interventions to enhance the resilience of students. Journal of Educational and Developmental Psychology, 4(1), 66-83. 

Ungar, M. & Liebenberg, L. (2011). Assessing resilience across cultures using mixed methods: Construction of the child and youth resilience measure.  Journal of Multiple Methods in Research, 5(2), 126–149.

Werner, E., & Smith, R. (1979). An epidemiologic perspective on some antecedents and consequences of childhood mental health problems and learning disabilities: A report from the Kauai Longitudinal Study. Journal of the American Academy of Child Psychiatry, 18(2), 292-306.

Willis, J., & Ebrary, Inc. (2007). Brain-friendly strategies for the inclusion classroom [electronic resource]: Insights from a neurologist and classroom teacher. Alexandria, VA: Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development.

Yeung, W. J. J., & Li, H. (2019). Educational Resilience Among Asian Children in Challenging Family Environment. Social Indicators Research, 1-11.