The experiences of families of children and young people with chronic illness within education

Jones, Rachel Louise 2022. The experiences of families of children and young people with chronic illness within education. DEdPsy Thesis, Cardiff University. Item availability restricted.

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Abstract

Chronically ill children are an often-overlooked subgroup of the school-aged population. There is a small subsection of research that explores caregivers’ experiences of engaging with the education system, but little research on children’s school experiences, and even less understanding of what might be influencing their experiences. Caregivers and children who are chronically ill often experience the same event but from different positions, and the experience of one often impacts the other. Therefore, this research sought to explore the perceptions of both children and their caregivers in the hope of developing an understanding of what impacts educational experiences. This study used Interpretive Phenomenological Analysis (IPA) to explore chronically ill children and their caregivers’ experiences of the education system. Two families participated in this research, and six semi-structured interviews were conducted, three with chronically ill children, and three interviews with their caregivers. The children were aged 11-16, currently attending an education setting and had received their diagnosis of their chronic illness at least one year ago. All children had an attendance of below 90% which was perceived by caregivers to be a result of their health condition. Using the six steps of IPA (Smith et al., 2009), the transcripts were annotated, analysed, and interpreted. Six superordinate themes were identified for caregivers: (a) Collaborating with school, (b) The perceived impact on the child, (c) School isn’t for chronically ill children, (d) Despite everything…, (e) The emotional impact, and (f) Hopes, fears and the future. For children, five superordinate themes were noted: (a) The adults around the child, (b) The impact on the child, (c) the role of peers, (d) what is helpful?, and (e) Hopes for the future. Both caregivers and children noted three key areas that impacted positively on school experiences: Friendships, key adults in school and the benefits of blended learning. Participants noted systemic processes and a perceived lack of understanding as key factors in negative educational experiences.

Item Type:	Thesis (DEdPsy)
Date Type:	Completion
Status:	Unpublished
Schools:	Psychology
Subjects:	B Philosophy. Psychology. Religion > BF Psychology
Date of First Compliant Deposit:	9 August 2022
Last Modified:	09 Aug 2022 14:24
URI:	https://orca.cardiff.ac.uk/id/eprint/151822

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