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Children’s Discourses of Natural Spaces: Considerations for children’s Subjective Well-Being

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  • Sabirah Adams

    (University of the Western Cape)

  • Shazly Savahl

    (University of the Western Cape)

Abstract

Based on the evidence provided in the literature, it is manifest that increased time spent in nature increases various aspects of children’s well-being. Using discourse analysis on focus group interviews with 28 children between the ages of 12 and 14 years old from three socio-economically diverse communities in the Western Cape of South Africa, the study aimed to explore how children construct and assign meaning to natural spaces. More specifically the study explored how children use specific discursive resources and repertoires to construct and assign meaning to their engagement with natural spaces, and the extent to which this influences their subjective well-being. Several pertinent discourses emerged from the participants’ accounts within four themes of: Safety and natural spaces, Appreciation for natural spaces, Degradation of Nature: Thinking environmentally, acting pro-environmentally, and Natural spaces and children’s subjective well-being. The study highlights the critical role that children’s engagement in natural spaces has on their subjective well-being, and how these benefits can be harnessed to better children’s overall quality of life.

Suggested Citation

  • Sabirah Adams & Shazly Savahl, 2017. "Children’s Discourses of Natural Spaces: Considerations for children’s Subjective Well-Being," Child Indicators Research, Springer;The International Society of Child Indicators (ISCI), vol. 10(2), pages 423-446, June.
    • Handle: RePEc:spr:chinre:v:10:y:2017:i:2:d:10.1007_s12187-016-9374-2
    DOI: 10.1007/s12187-016-9374-2
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. M. Catterall & P. Maclaran, 1997. "Focus Group Data and Qualitative Analysis Programs: Coding the Moving Picture as Well as the Snapshots," Sociological Research Online, , vol. 2(1), pages 41-49, March.
    2. Felicia Huppert & Timothy So, 2013. "Erratum to: Flourishing Across Europe: Application of a New Conceptual Framework for Defining Well-Being," Social Indicators Research: An International and Interdisciplinary Journal for Quality-of-Life Measurement, Springer, vol. 110(3), pages 1245-1246, February.
    3. Felicia Huppert & Timothy So, 2013. "Flourishing Across Europe: Application of a New Conceptual Framework for Defining Well-Being," Social Indicators Research: An International and Interdisciplinary Journal for Quality-of-Life Measurement, Springer, vol. 110(3), pages 837-861, February.
    4. Toby Fattore & Jan Mason & Elizabeth Watson, 2007. "Children’s conceptualisation(s) of their well-being," Social Indicators Research: An International and Interdisciplinary Journal for Quality-of-Life Measurement, Springer, vol. 80(1), pages 5-29, January.
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    Cited by:

    1. Shazly Savahl & Sabirah Adams & Maria Florence & Ferran Casas & Mulalo Mpilo & Deborah Isobell & Donnay Manuel, 2020. "The Relation Between children’s Participation in Daily Activities, Their Engagement with Family and Friends, and Subjective Well-Being," Child Indicators Research, Springer;The International Society of Child Indicators (ISCI), vol. 13(4), pages 1283-1312, August.
    2. Grimanessa González-Tapia & Mariana Lazzaro-Salazar & Enrique A. Mundaca, 2022. "A (Geo-)Narrative Analysis of Children’s Perceptions of Wellbeing in Relation to Nature as the Basis for Educational Intervention Planning," SAGE Open, , vol. 12(2), pages 21582440221, May.
    3. Lin Wang & Yuhang Cheng & Shan Jiang & Ziyao Zhou, 2023. "Neighborhood Quality and Subjective Well-being Among Children: A Moderated Mediation Model of Out-of-school Activities and Friendship Quality," Child Indicators Research, Springer;The International Society of Child Indicators (ISCI), vol. 16(4), pages 1607-1626, August.
    4. Claudia Raats & Sabirah Adams & Shazly Savahl & Serena Isaacs & Habib Tiliouine, 2019. "The Relationship Between Hope and Life Satisfaction Among Children in Low and Middle Socio-Economic Status Communities in Cape Town, South Africa," Child Indicators Research, Springer;The International Society of Child Indicators (ISCI), vol. 12(2), pages 733-746, April.
    5. Cooke, Emma & Thorpe, Karen & Clarke, Andrew & Houen, Sandy & Oakes, Candice & Staton, Sally, 2020. "“Lie in the grass, the soft grass”: Relaxation accounts of young children attending childcare," Children and Youth Services Review, Elsevier, vol. 109(C).

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