There’s not a lot of places for them to go’
Rural and remote family perspectives on children’s independent mobility
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 12711331 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Chelsea Pelletier (0000-0002-8009-8014, University of Northern British Columbia, corresponding author), Katie Cornish (Health Research Institute, University of Northern British Columbia, Prince George, Canada), Caroline Sanders (0000-0002-0539-928X, University of Northern British Columbia) |
| Year | 2024 |
| Volume | 22 |
| Issue | 3 |
| Pages | 447-464 |
| Publication date | 2024-01-18 |
| Peer Reviewed | Yes |
| Open Access | No |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | Children s Geographies (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 1473-3277 • E-ISSN: 1473-3285 |
| Publisher | Taylor & Francis (PUBLISHER • GB) |
| DOI | 10.1080/14733285.2024.2302108 |
| OpenAlex | W4390984743 |
| Language | EN |
| Citations received | 1 |
| References cited | 50 |
Children's independent mobility (CIM) is the freedom of children to move around their neighbourhood or community without adult supervision. The aim of this study was to explore experiences with CIM from the perspectives of children and their parents living in rural and remote areas of British Columbia, Canada. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 21 parent–child dyads or triads (45 participants). Child participants aged 7–12 were invited to create and describe drawings, maps, or take images of their independent mobility. Artwork and interview transcripts were analysed following an inductive thematic approach and mapped to the social-ecological model. We developed four themes to describe rural and remote family perspectives on CIM: (1) natural places, spaces, and forces; (2) embracing informal and unstructured play destinations; (3) decision-making and knowing when they are ready; (4) neighbourhood and community environments. Children identified several environmental characteristics impacting their independent mobility including wildlife, seasonal weather patterns, and lack of destinations. Parents reported the environment of rural communities, including neighbourhood cohesiveness and people looking out for each other, as being supportive of CIM. To promote CIM in rural and remote areas, efforts should focus on providing education on wildlife encounters, creating safe and interesting destinations for play, and consider children's safety and connectivity in road design
Business · Destinations · Focus group · Geography · Group cohesiveness · Neighbourhood (mathematics · Political science · Public relations · Qualitative research · Rural area · Sociology · Thematic analysis · Tourism · Wildlife · Medicine · Psychology · Social Psychology · Urban Green Space and Health · Urban Transport and Accessibility · Wildlife-Road Interactions and Conservation · Ecology · Marketing
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An Ecological Approach to Creating Active Living Communities
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An intergenerational study of perceptions of changes in active free play among families from rural areas of Western Canada
Association between the built environment and children's independent mobility
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Context Matters
Social and built-environment factors related to children's independent mobility
Worries, ‘weirdos’, neighborhoods and knowing people
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The last free-range children? Children’s independent mobility in Finland in the 1990s and 2010s
Parental Autonomy Support in the Context of Parent–Child Negotiation for Children’s Independent Mobility
Do parental perceptions of the neighbourhood environment influence children’s independent mobility? Evidence from Toronto, Canada
Social determinants of playing outdoors in the neighbourhood
The use of photo-elicitation in field research
Neighborhood social cohesion and youth participation in physical activity in Chicago
Critical Analysis of Strategies for Determining Rigor in Qualitative Inquiry
Interviewing Young Children
Visual Methodologies in Qualitative Research
| Unique citing works | 1 |
|---|---|
| Citations per year | 1 |
| Citation span | 2026 - 2026 (1) |
| Citation velocity | current |
| Highly cited | No |
| Citation types | Neutral: 1 |