Research Article

Participatory Education Research: An Exploration of Ways to Enhance Children’s Rights Through Ensuring Respect For All Cultures And Religions

Volume: 2 Number: 4 November 30, 2015
Eshantha Ariyadasa *
EN

Participatory Education Research: An Exploration of Ways to Enhance Children’s Rights Through Ensuring Respect For All Cultures And Religions

Abstract

In the global context, we cannot talk about orphanages in isolation without talking about their cultural backgrounds and religious affiliations. Orphanages and religious institutions are so closely related to each other in every context. This paper is based on participatory action research (PAR) which involved policy makers and service providers to explore ways to enhance children’s rights through ensuring respect for all religions.  The historical perspectives and the social, economic and environmental issues have caused many children to become orphaned / abandoned / destitute and they rely on care provided in children’s homes. In many cases these homes have taken no account of their cultural backgrounds or their religious affiliations. As a result, many children’s homes host and facilitate care for children of different faiths and diverse cultures within the same institution. Thus, it is inevitable that this complex and multifaceted array of orphanage environment raises many governance issues in terms of different religious perspectives. It is this background that has stressed the necessity of PAR on multiculturalism to address these governance issues in children’s homes. This would involve responding properly to governance issues, which have sustained inconsistencies regarding religious beliefs in terms of children’s rights and their spiritual needs. The paper introduces the capabilities approach in relation to the way in which religious traditions need to foster and protect the human rights of children. 

Keywords

Orphanages,participatory action research,children’s rights,children’s homes,multiculturalism,capabilities approach

Thanks

This research is funded by the Australian Government’s Endeavour Scholarships and Fellowships. The structure, ideas and philosophies presented in this paper draw on research under the supervision of Associate Professor Janet McIntyre, Dr Helen McLaren and Dr Leonie Solomons. Insights and feedback offered by Dr Greg Collings and Mr. Bruce Tanton were invaluable. The author would like to acknowledge their contributions.

References

  1. Ariyadasa, E. (2013). Life chances of children and young people in institutional care in Sri Lanka: A critical review of policy and governance with reference to case studies. Paper presented at the ISSS - 2013, Haiphong, Vietnam.
  2. Ariyadasa, E. (2015). Poverty and Perception: Driving Sri Lankan children's homes at multiple levels. Paper presented at the KDU International Research Conference - 2014, Colombo, Sri Lanka.
  3. Ariyadasa, E., & McIntyre-Mills, J. (2014a). Quality of Life of Sri Lankan Children: Participatory Action Research to Address the Governance Issues of Voluntary Children’s Homes. Systemic Practice and Action Research, 9339, 1-26. doi: 10.1007/s11213-014-9339-7
  4. Ariyadasa, E., & McIntyre-Mills, J. (2014b). A Systemic Governance Approach to an Effective Re-integration Process for the Institutionalized Children in Sri Lanka: Application of Critical Systems Heuristics. Systemic Practice and Action Research, 9338, 1-23. doi: 10.1007/s11213-014-9338-8
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APA
Ariyadasa, E. (2015). Participatory Education Research: An Exploration of Ways to Enhance Children’s Rights Through Ensuring Respect For All Cultures And Religions. Participatory Educational Research, 2(4), 34-50. https://doi.org/10.17275/per.15.spi.1.4
AMA
1.Ariyadasa E. Participatory Education Research: An Exploration of Ways to Enhance Children’s Rights Through Ensuring Respect For All Cultures And Religions. PER. 2015;2(4):34-50. doi:10.17275/per.15.spi.1.4
Chicago
Ariyadasa, Eshantha. 2015. “Participatory Education Research: An Exploration of Ways to Enhance Children’s Rights Through Ensuring Respect For All Cultures And Religions”. Participatory Educational Research 2 (4): 34-50. https://doi.org/10.17275/per.15.spi.1.4.
EndNote
Ariyadasa E (November 1, 2015) Participatory Education Research: An Exploration of Ways to Enhance Children’s Rights Through Ensuring Respect For All Cultures And Religions. Participatory Educational Research 2 4 34–50.
IEEE
[1]E. Ariyadasa, “Participatory Education Research: An Exploration of Ways to Enhance Children’s Rights Through Ensuring Respect For All Cultures And Religions”, PER, vol. 2, no. 4, pp. 34–50, Nov. 2015, doi: 10.17275/per.15.spi.1.4.
ISNAD
Ariyadasa, Eshantha. “Participatory Education Research: An Exploration of Ways to Enhance Children’s Rights Through Ensuring Respect For All Cultures And Religions”. Participatory Educational Research 2/4 (November 1, 2015): 34-50. https://doi.org/10.17275/per.15.spi.1.4.
JAMA
1.Ariyadasa E. Participatory Education Research: An Exploration of Ways to Enhance Children’s Rights Through Ensuring Respect For All Cultures And Religions. PER. 2015;2:34–50.
MLA
Ariyadasa, Eshantha. “Participatory Education Research: An Exploration of Ways to Enhance Children’s Rights Through Ensuring Respect For All Cultures And Religions”. Participatory Educational Research, vol. 2, no. 4, Nov. 2015, pp. 34-50, doi:10.17275/per.15.spi.1.4.
Vancouver
1.Eshantha Ariyadasa. Participatory Education Research: An Exploration of Ways to Enhance Children’s Rights Through Ensuring Respect For All Cultures And Religions. PER. 2015 Nov. 1;2(4):34-50. doi:10.17275/per.15.spi.1.4