The Study of Poverty Children's Environmental Perception

빈곤가정 아동의 환경지각 연구

The purpose of this study was to analyze the environment of poverty children as reported by the children on a questionnaire. The conception of the environment was divided into the physical environment and the sociopsychological environment. The dimensions of the physical environment included household, cultural, and play conditions. The sociopsychological environment included structural (family values, family relationships, and the reinforcement system) and process variables(affect, care, and communication). For the purpose of this survey was administered to 122 children living in a poverty area and 102 children living in a middle-high income area. Statistics used for data analysis were frequency, distribution, percentile, mean and one-way ANOVA. Major findings showed that (1) The physical environment as reported by the poverty children was meager compared with that of children in the middle-high income area: the households were more overcrowded, and cultural conditions, play materials, and space was more limited. (2) The Structural conditions of the sociopsychological environment as perceived by poverty children were more material and physical than that of children in the middle-high income area: family values were oriented more toward materialism: family relationships were more negative and distant: and the reinforcement system was based more on material reward and physical punishment. (3) Process variables were perceived by poverty children as more laissez-faire and rigid; the parents neglected their children and communicated unilaterally more than the middle-high income parents. (4) Poverty children's perception of the causes of poverty and wealth were perceived as personal and social factors.