Analyzing Qualitative Data about Hospitalized Children: Reflections on Bodily Expressions

Authors

Coralee McLaren, University of TorontoFollow

Abstract

Although considerable energy is invested in ensuring that pediatric hospital environments are psychosocially supportive, few researchers have connected the experiences of patients to hospital architecture, a crucial interface between healthcare delivery and patient care. Seeking to uncover childrens experiences within a contemporary hospital, I draw on data gathered during a photo walking tour with hospitalized children. Findings suggest that in addition to speaking, children express themselves physically by appropriating the gaze, pressing boundaries and finding alternate spaces. New methods and techniques are needed to reveal childrens physical competencies and abilities to determine their environmental preferences.

Keywords

Qualitative Methods, Participatory Research, Research with Children, Hospital Architecture, Pediatric Hospital Environments, Photo Elicitation, Childrens Bodies, and Dance

Acknowledgements

The author gratefully acknowledges the time, effort, and thoughtfulness of the children and adolescents who participated in “The Paediatric Hospital Atrium: Designers’ Intentions versus Children’s Experiences” project (short title: “Kids in the Atrium”), which was funded by the Canadian Institutes of Health Research (cihr: frn# 74457). The Coralee McLaren 154 project also benefited greatly from the generous input of the SickKids Children Council and other members of the KITA Project team: Patricia McKeever, Annmarie Adams, David Theodore, Karen Spalding, and Ellie Goldenberg.

Publication Date

3-1-2009

Creative Commons License

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-Share Alike 4.0 International License.

DOI

10.46743/2160-3715/2009.1397

Recommended APA Citation

McLaren, C. (2009). Analyzing Qualitative Data about Hospitalized Children: Reflections on Bodily Expressions. The Qualitative Report, 14(1), 140-154. https://doi.org/10.46743/2160-3715/2009.1397