https://www.um.edu.mt/library/oar/handle/123456789/18577 2026-11-01T01:42:02Z 2026-11-01T01:42:02Z Viscuso, Elisa Calleja, Colin Pace, Ugo https://www.um.edu.mt/library/oar/handle/123456789/150455 2026-10-26T10:49:10Z 2026-01-01T00:00:00Z

Title: Rethinking well being in residential child care : a critical synthesis of risk, protection, and relational ecologies Authors: Viscuso, Elisa; Calleja, Colin; Pace, Ugo Abstract: Children and adolescents living in residential child care often experience heightened developmental vulnerability arising not only from pre-placement adversity, but also from the relational and institutional conditions that shape everyday care (Barone et al., 2016; Beinum, 2008; Engel de Abreu et al., 2023). Although a substantial body of literature has examined risk and protective factors associated with psychological well-being in residential settings, this evidence remains fragmented across individual, relational, and contextual domains, with limited attention to how these dimensions interact (Giraldi et al., 2022). This paper offers a critical synthesis of the literature on well-being in residential child care, with the aim of rethinking prevailing variable-based approaches and advancing a more relational and ecologically grounded understanding of children’s developmental trajectories. Adopting a systematised narrative review design, the paper draws on studies published between 2000 and 2025 that address the psychological well-being of children and adolescents in residential care. The review examines key intrapersonal factors, including resilience, self-esteem, self-efficacy, emotional intelligence, coping, and cognitive functioning (Luthar et al., 2000; Cha & Nock, 2009; Bandura, 1997; Goleman, 1995), alongside contextual and relational dimensions such as caregiver-child attachment, peer relationships, sibling co-placement, family contact, placement duration, and the organisational quality of care settings (Costa et al., 2020; Perry & Price, 2018; McWey et al., 2010). Rather than treating these as discrete predictors, the paper analyses how they operate dynamically within systems of care, support, and institutional constraint. The review argues that well-being in residential child care cannot be adequately understood through isolated risk/protection frameworks alone. Instead, developmental outcomes are shaped by the interaction between children’s internal resources and the quality of the relational and ecological environments in which they live (Bronfenbrenner, 1994). In particular, stable and emotionally attuned relationships with caregivers, positive peer climates, and care environments informed by trauma-sensitive and developmentally responsive practices emerge as central protective conditions (Bath & Seita, 2018; Brunzell et al., 2019). At the same time, the review highlights major limitations in the field, including conceptual inconsistency, methodological heterogeneity, weak longitudinal evidence, and insufficient cross-cultural analysis (Ainsworth & Thoburn, 2014). The paper contributes to the literature by advancing a relational-ecological framework for understanding well-being in residential child care and by identifying priorities for future research, policy, and practice. It argues for a shift from deficit-oriented and static models towards a more integrated understanding of care as a developmental, relational, and ethically significant environment.

2026-01-01T00:00:00Z Sein, Lau Han Calleja, Colin https://www.um.edu.mt/library/oar/handle/123456789/150453 2026-10-26T10:04:54Z 2026-01-01T00:00:00Z

Title: Interconnected educational spaces and the reproduction of moral order in Indonesia Authors: Sein, Lau Han; Calleja, Colin Abstract: This study examines how family, school, and society function as interconnected educational spaces in the reproduction of moral order in contemporary Indonesia. Existing studies tend to examine these spaces separately, thus limiting understanding of how moral values are transmitted, negotiated, and transformed across various social contexts. Using a qualitative desk research approach, this study analyzes theoretical and empirical literature on the sociology of education, social reproduction, moral education, and the relationship between family, school, and society. Data were collected through documentation and analyzed using thematic analysis and critical literature synthesis. This analysis integrates Pierre Bourdieu's concepts of habitus and field, Berger and Luckmann's social construction of reality, and the perspectives of Émile Durkheim's moral education. The findings suggest that the family serves as the primary space for developing moral dispositions through daily habits and interactions; schools operate as institutional fields that legitimize, reinforce, and negotiate moral values; while society and the digital space provide broader arenas for the testing, reinterpretation, and transformation of these values. Therefore, moral order emerges through the nonlinear circulation of values across interconnected spaces, rather than through one-way transmission. This study proposes a framework of interconnected educational spaces that shifts character education from a school-centered model to an integrated family-school-community ecosystem.; Penelitian ini mengkaji bagaimana keluarga, sekolah, dan masyarakat berfungsi sebagai ruang pendidikan yang saling terhubung dalam reproduksi tatanan moral di Indonesia kontemporer. Kajian terdahulu cenderung membahas ruang-ruang tersebut secara terpisah sehingga pemahaman mengenai bagaimana nilai moral ditransmisikan, dinegosiasikan, dan ditransformasikan dalam berbagai konteks sosial masih terbatas. Penelitian ini menggunakan pendekatan kualitatif berbasis studi kepustakaan dengan menganalisis literatur teoretis dan empiris mengenai sosiologi pendidikan, reproduksi sosial, pendidikan moral, serta relasi antara keluarga, sekolah, dan masyarakat. Data dikumpulkan melalui dokumentasi dan dianalisis menggunakan analisis tematik serta sintesis literatur kritis. Analisis mengintegrasikan konsep habitus dan ranah dari Pierre Bourdieu, konstruksi sosial atas realitas dari Peter L. Berger dan Thomas Luckmann, serta perspektif Émile Durkheim mengenai pendidikan moral. Hasil kajian menunjukkan bahwa keluarga menjadi ruang awal pembentukan disposisi moral melalui kebiasaan dan interaksi sehari-hari. Sekolah berperan sebagai ranah institusional yang melegitimasi, memperkuat, dan menegosiasikan nilai moral. Sementara itu, masyarakat dan ruang digital menjadi arena yang lebih luas bagi pengujian, penafsiran ulang, dan transformasi nilai tersebut. Dengan demikian, tatanan moral terbentuk melalui sirkulasi nilai yang bersifat nonlinier di antara ruang-ruang pendidikan yang saling terhubung, bukan melalui proses transmisi satu arah. Penelitian ini menawarkan kerangka ruang pendidikan yang saling terhubung sebagai perspektif untuk menggeser pendidikan karakter dari model yang berpusat pada sekolah menuju ekosistem pendidikan yang mengintegrasikan keluarga, sekolah, dan masyarakat.

2026-01-01T00:00:00Z Borg, Jonathan A. https://www.um.edu.mt/library/oar/handle/123456789/148048 2026-07-16T10:31:08Z 2024-01-01T00:00:00Z

Title: Leading for inclusion : the role of the head of department for inclusion in Maltese middle and secondary state schools Authors: Borg, Jonathan A. Abstract: This chapter examines the significance of the role of Head of Department for Inclusion (HoD - Inclusion) in Maltese middle and secondary state schools as it identifies the opportunities and challenges that these HoDs - Inclusion encounter as they coordinate inclusive education provision. A thematic analysis of semi-structured interviews that were conducted with five HoDs Inclusion working in either a middle or a secondary local state school demonstrates the competence of the HoD - Inclusion to promote a shared vision for inclusive school cultures and to guide change in the Maltese educational context. This analysis additionally identifies a number of organisational and operationalisation barriers which undermine the effectiveness of this role. The chapter suggests that an enriched understanding of the role of the HoD - Inclusion can potential(v serve as an opportunity to inform policy and practice to support and implement a truly inclusive education philosophy.

2024-01-01T00:00:00Z https://www.um.edu.mt/library/oar/handle/123456789/148046 2026-07-16T10:28:25Z 2015-01-01T00:00:00Z

Title: The narratives of gay male teachers in contemporary Catholic Malta Abstract: This thesis seeks to raise awareness of the pervasive heteronormativity of Maltese culture and on the effects that exclusionary practices may have on gay students and teachers. The culturally-saturating influence of the Roman Catholic faith in Malta, and the effects of a vigorously heterosexist society are chief elements which discourage Maltese homosexual educators from presenting their true sexuality to students, their parents, and teacher colleagues; in this and other related socio-cultural ways, Maltese gay teachers have thus been rendered an invisible presence in their schools. The study investigates the significance of being a gay teacher in contemporary Maltese culture through a set of narratives which reveal how five teachers construct and negotiate their personal and professional identities. The thematically-driven narratives themselves are made ‘transgressively’ (St Pierre, 1997) from an artistic re-casting of interview data as composite fictional accounts; in this way, the identities of the actual participants are invisible, whilst the issues that characterise their lives can be dramatically foregrounded. Each of the fictionalised narratives is followed by a critical deconstruction which both locates the story in the context of the literature and features the reflections of the interviewees themselves on the re-working and re-presentation of their life accounts. The accounts themselves tell of suffering and exclusion, of ambiguity but also of success; of experiences which are heavily conditioned by the sexuality of these teachers and by the context in which they are situated. The study concludes with an anticipation of the further research and of the developments in education policy which are needed if Maltese institutions are to realise the national commitment to inclusive cultures of schooling. Description: PhD

2015-01-01T00:00:00Z