The study
In light of the need for more empirical and socio-culturally grounded
studies on children’s agency, we set out to explore how children exert
it within the different social structures in which their lives are
embedded, which can give a rise to, shape, or constrain their agency
(Samman & Santor, 2009). Our study was informed by socio-ecological
theories, in order to take into account micro-, as well as miso- and
macro-, factors within children’s living environment (Johnson & West,
2018).
Hence, in the present work we investigate both the many intersecting
factors - such as family, community, society, and environment - that
might shape children’s ‘opportunities for agency,’ as well as the
everyday strategies that participant’s display in order to maintain a
positive functioning and well-being despite their highly challenging
contexts. Thus, this paper aims at contributing to the ongoing
discussion about the role of agency for children’s well-being (Edmonds,
2019; Stecknermeier, 2019). The research was conducted in conformity
with APA ethical guidelines concerning child protection (APA, 2013) and
approved by the Milano-Bicocca Institutional Review Board (N.368).