Young children's reasoning about the effects of poverty on people experiencing it: A qualitative thematic analysis

This study examined how economically disadvantaged children conceptualize the causes and consequences of poverty. The study sample included 30 children (age 6-9 years) who completed individual interviews. Thematic analysis was used to analyze interview data, beginning with initial codes that were then collated into themes. The following themes emerged from coding of interview content: material resource deprivation of people in poverty; academic, social, and emotional consequences of lacking material resources; personal competence of the non-poor and incompetence of people in poverty; and honor and honesty in people in poverty. Perceived trait weaknesses of people in poverty were also discussed but were less prominent than references to external, resource-based attributions for negative beliefs about people in poverty. This study reflects the voices of young economically disadvantaged children, elucidating their beliefs about the causes and consequences of poverty. The findings may be useful to researchers interested in the mechanisms by which poverty impacts children's psychological development and academic functioning as well as to practitioners (teachers, social workers, therapists) who work with low-income children.