Naslov
What is it like to hang out with a refugee? The content of host-society children’s imagined contact with refugee children

Autori
Vrdoljak, Antonija ; Stanković, Nikolina ; Čorkalo Biruški, Dinka ; Fasel, Rachel ; Butera, Fabrizio ; Jelić, Margareta

Kolaboracija
This work was supported by the Swiss Enlargement Contribution in the framework of the Croatian-Swiss Research Programme (project number IZHRZ0_180568)

Vrsta, podvrsta i kategorija rada
Sažeci sa skupova, prošireni sažetak, znanstveni

Izvornik
PROCEEDINGS OF THE XXIX SCIENTIFIC CONFERENCE EMPIRICAL STUDIES IN PSYCHOLOGY / - Beograd, 2023, 98-98

ISBN
978-86-6427-247-6

Skup
XXIX naučni skup Empirijska istraživanja u psihologiji

Mjesto i datum
Beograd, Srbija, 31.03.2023. - 02.04.2023

Vrsta sudjelovanja
Poster

Vrsta recenzije
Međunarodna recenzija

Ključne riječi
Imagined contact, refugee children, intergroup communication, prosocial behaviour

Sažetak
Existing research suggests that imagined contact interventions could be useful in the preparation of host-society children for intergroup contact with refugee children. Even though the success of this intervention depends on the quality of contact, little is known of the content of these imagined interactions, especially when it comes to children. Therefore, the aim of this study was to explore the content of host-society children’s descriptions and drawings created during an imagined contact intervention, and to assess the frequency with which detected topics occur. We have conducted a four-sessions long intervention in 28 elementary school classes in Croatia, with 478 pupils aged from ten to fourteen. During the first, second and fourth session children have written short descriptions of their meeting with a refugee child (N = 1251 descriptions), and in the third session they have drawn a picture of an imagined encounter (N = 412 drawings). All of the children’s outputs were coded by two independent coders using pre-determined categories, and disagreements were resolved by a third coder. Outputs were coded for the occurrence of intentions for future contact, success and modes of communication used, as well as for the occurrence and kinds of prosocial behaviours towards imagined refugee children. The small number of children who did not follow the instructions were excluded from the further analysis. The results indicate that virtually none of the children describe unsuccessful communication with an imagined refugee child across sessions. Their communication modes mainly included using a common foreign language, such as English or German, but also Croatian, nonverbal and technology-mediated communication or learning the language of a refugee child. Across sessions, having intentions for future contact with an imagined refugee child was brought up more often than prosocial acts. However, percentage of children mentioning these topics varied between sessions. Prosocial behaviours included helping refugee child with the language, completing school assignments and making friends, as well as giving gifts and showing them around the school. In conclusion, this study suggests that children can imagine successfully communicating with refugee children, and that their imagined interactions often include plans for future contact and prosocial behaviour. The results could help to shed a light on host-society children’s expectations from their interactions with refugees.

Izvorni jezik
Engleski

Znanstvena područja
Psihologija

POVEZANOST RADA