| Purpose The purpose of this mixed-methods study was to employ children's voices to explore their perceptions of their school experiences then validate the thematic units that emerged using the Behavioral Assessment System for Children (2nd ed.) Self-Report of Personality (BASC-2SRP) School Problems Composite scores (SPC) (Reynolds & Kamphaus, 2004). The participants (n = 13) for the qualitative and quantitative data collection were fourth-grade students attending school in a rural area elementary school.;Method This study utilized an embedded mixed-method research design. Qualitative data exploring the children's lived experiences in school were collected by employing therapeutic modality of sandtray and semi-structured interview questions. The data were quantified to show the percentage of children endorsing each theme. Quantitative data were in the form of SPC scores obtained after administering BASC-2-SRP. Pearson r was conducted to determine if a statistically significant relationship existed between the percentage of the children endorsing the themes and their BASC-2-SRP SPC scores.;Findings The study provides a better understanding of how 13 children perceived their school experiences and suggests a viable approach to facilitate the acquisition of information with regard to children's views of their experiences. The integration of the qualitative data obtained from the sandtray process and quantitative data from the BASC-2-SRP School Composite scores offered additional insight into the children's views of their school experiences. Analysis of the qualitative data yielded the following main themes to explain the children's perceptions of their school experiences; (a) peers, (b) teachers, (c) the schoolhouse , (d) learning, and (e) fun. Additionally, subthemes were identified to further explain the children's perspectives. The children's mean BASC-2-SRP SPC (M = 51.46, SD = 10.02) scores were within the average range for children their age. One statistically significant relationship was found between the SPC and the theme teacher as supportive. Additionally, the small to medium effect sizes were preliminary evidence that a relationship exists between thematic units and SPC scores. In summary, the children's voices were instrumental in exploring their views of their school experiences. Further research is needed to increase the body of Literature with regard to children's perspectives of their school experiences.;KEY WORDS: children's voices, school experiences, mixed method design, sandtray modality. |
