https://www.um.edu.mt/library/oar/handle/123456789/18260 2026-04-14T18:43:11Z https://www.um.edu.mt/library/oar/handle/123456789/58647 Title: Book reviews [International Journal of Emotional Education, 9(2)] Abstract: The first reviewed book focuses on promoting children‟s emotional health and wellbeing. It addresses vital themes such as children‟s need for play, free time and open spaces, as well as to be heard and valued. This offers, at least implicitly, a concretisation of key articles of the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child 1989, such as Art. 31 and Art 12. Article 31 (1) affirms that 'States Parties recognize the right of the child to rest and leisure, to engage in play and recreational activities appropriate to the age of the child and to participate freely in cultural life and the arts'. Article 12 (1) declares: 'States Parties shall assure to the child who is capable of forming his or her own views the right to express those views freely in all matters affecting the child, the views of the child being given due weight in accordance with the age and maturity of the child'. The rights to play and to have voices heard need to be much more fully acknowledged across education systems internationally. This must go beyond conceptions of children‟s voices in unitary terms as 'children's voice', an approach that dismantles the vitality of diversity. It cannot be assumed that these issues are fully integrated even into research agendas internationally, especially given that in a US context, the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child is not yet ratified – a quite shocking situation that must be an embarrassment to the US in international terms. The other two reviewed books are aimed directly at children at primary school level. One is to explore examples of family diversity, the other to interrogate conflicting emotions through narratives so that children can develop strategies to help understand different feelings and how to be better able to cope with them. 2017-11-01T00:00:00Z https://www.um.edu.mt/library/oar/handle/123456789/58646 Title: Editorial [International Journal of Emotional Education, 9(2)] Abstract: This special edition is composed mainly of papers presented at the sixth European Network for Social and Emotional Competence (ENSEC) Conference hosted by Örebro University in collaboration with the city of Gothenburg and held in Stockholm in June, 2017. The theme of the conference and this special issue is “Diversity”, which we find both important and challenging for all countries in the world. Many regions, including Europe and the Middle East, are facing situations where more and more people come for shelter and protection. We need all the knowledge we can get to cope effectively with the situation, and make sure that children of all backgrounds are given the opportunity for positive development. We need knowledge about whether findings from majority groups can be replicated in diverse populations. We also need knowledge about what can be done at a practical level in diverse contexts. The papers in this issue address diversity in various ways, from different perspectives and with different populations. 2017-11-01T00:00:00Z https://www.um.edu.mt/library/oar/handle/123456789/24348 Title: Preventing depression in adolescence through social and emotional learning Authors: Reicher, Hannelore; Matischek-Jauk, Marlies Abstract: Preventing depression in adolescence through social and emotional learning. 2017-11-01T00:00:00Z https://www.um.edu.mt/library/oar/handle/123456789/24347 Title: Does diversity in society inevitably lead to a rise in xenophobia among children and young people? Authors: Cowie, Helen; Myers, Carrie-Anne; Aziz, Rashid Abstract: Across Europe, and in the context of a post-BREXIT situation, society is having to accommodate to large numbers of people from diverse cultures. There is a reported increase in xenophobic incidents, bullying and social exclusion, indicating that diversity runs the risk of intolerance and prejudice. This is played out in all manner of social situations in schools and universities, in the community and in the workplace. This discussion paper, written by three U.K. Social Scientists representing the disciplines of psychology, criminology, education and sociology, focuses on the legal and moral aspects of the issue as well as on interventions that promote tolerance and xenophilia in a range of social contexts. It concludes with recommendations to social scientists in all European countries to enter the debate and carry out research in this challenging and highly topical field. 2017-11-01T00:00:00Z