Available options

This head category consists of the three subcategories of social norms, information, and other activities. In all three subcategories, the activities or actions children and their parents considered available for children were said to influence attendance. The availability of actions depended on what was considered acceptable behavior as well as on the actual existence of and knowledge on different options.

5.4.1. Social norms

Children’s attendance to child societies was influenced by what was considered to be socially acceptable behavior. The acceptable behavior depended rather on the rules of smaller demographic groups such as religious minorities, social classes and different gender and age groups, than on the rules of the wider society. In this data, acting according to social norms was a factor that prevented children’s attendance instead of supporting it. For example, children from rich

families had problems attending as their parents did not want their children to interact with children from poor families. Rich parents were also said to think that they did not need help from others to provide for their children, which was why they did not see any need for the child societies. Being independent might be part of the wealthy families’ social norms.

There are some cast issues, no? So earlier there were some families those who do not wanted to be mixed. (…) No the high cast do not want to…They do not want them to come. And also these lower cast people they are not going to interact with them. Area Y Adult 2

The impact of social norms on decisions on action is also mentioned in Maher’s model of Personal Investment. Part of the Perceived ways of achieving goals are the boundaries set by social and cultural contexts. (Braskamp & Hager 2005, 248-249 & Maehr 1984, 124-125.) In this subcategory the impact of social norms is well exemplified, as the reason for nonattendance was to maintain one’s status or to otherwise act according to expectations of one’s social or other class.

5.4.2. Information

Having correct information and knowledge about the child societies and their activities were mentioned to affect children’s attendance. In the quotes, it was stated that children living further away from child societies did not know about the societies. In addition, some parents believed the child societies were only meant for families that were involved with World Vision through other activities.

Therefore, not having information or having wrong information affected the children’s participation through what activities were known to be available for them.

Some children are there they do not know actually about this society. (…) That means they do not know what is happening here. (…) According to his opinion.. Ideas, more activities must be conducted outside the village.

Outside this village to inform them that there is something is happening actually. Happening, that there is useful happening here. Area X Child 2 The Perceived action possibilities consist of the activities one knows of, as well as what is allowed within one’s social and cultural context (Braskamp & Hager 2005, 248-249). In this subcategory, attending child societies was not even a

possibility, as the parents and children did not know about the societies and some thought that the societies were not meant for them.

5.4.3. Other activities

Attending other activities that clashed with the child society was the most often mentioned reason for not attending the child society. Choosing between many options is closely linked to perceived value, as choice is guided by personal values, and the value given to different options. In fact, the most common reasons for children not to attend the child societies were, responsibilities and duties such as going for after school tuition, preparing for examinations, and working or taking care of siblings. Only a few of the children mentioned not coming to the society because of other leisure activities such as playing or attending social events or visiting relatives. Attending school tuition was the most popular reason for not coming to the child societies. The tuitions affected especially children around the ages of 13 to 16. The impact on attendance, of having to choose between many options, was clearly visible in an interview where it was said that the children would come to the child society if it didn’t overlap with anything else.

Actually because of the classes and other things they are not coming. Every…problem is..every day.. they have classes as usual then fifteen year, sixteen year then they are fifteen, sixteen then they have everyday classes. Area X Adult 2

Of course now you know little far away from this place of course there are a lot of children not attending to the society because you know they use the children for their work, own work……because of that they are not coming to the… The parents are using their, you know children for their fishing and farming kind of things, because of that they are not coming. Area X Adult 7 In addition to valuating activities differently, being able to attend societies is also a question of time as a resource. If the children already had some other engagements, they did not have enough time for the child society, too. The value of the activities is about the gains or losses of different courses of action (Maehr 1984, 127). What the children might lose by attending the child societies was considered more significant than what they would gain by attending. The impact

that the consequences of different choices had on the decisions was evident, as children declined the child societies to perform their duties at home or at school.

On the other hand, the lack of time has to do with the real opportunities that the children have. In the Personal Investment theory the Perceived ways of achieving goals are about the real courses of action that people can choose from (Maehr 1984, 124-125). In this subcategory, attendance to child society was said to be impossible because of the lack of time.