'Making sense' of how marital dissolution, separation and divorce in families affect children's educational experience in primary school

Abstract

Family is the social fundamental unit to human flourishing. The most common social problems of the twentieth century are separation and divorce in families. The purpose of this qualitative investigation used a narrative inquiry research method to develop a profound understanding of how primary children’s educational experience is effected by separation or divorce. Fiction narratives help reveal the main issues of the matter. This research needs to be conducted in order to view and solely give a voice to children encountering difficulties in silence and to show the impact made upon the child’s academic development following dissolution. The child, who is most of the time considered an outsider to the problem, is affected internally whether or not showing evident change. Surely this affects each and every child, consequently in different manners and on differentiated grades and levels depending on factors such as age and gender. One might note a change in self, behaviour, eating and sleeping patterns, manners, approaches and relationships with adults, families and peers and all this accounts to the overall difference in scholastic development and furthermore success.