Examining Latchkey Early Adolescents' Perceptions Related to Their Unsupervised Experiences After School: A Phenomenological Qualitative Study

Abstract

This study aimed to describe the perceptions of latchkey early adolescents related to their unsupervised experiences after school. The sample consisted of 16 early adolescents (8 female-8 male) who accepted to participate in the research voluntarily, aged from 11 to 14 years old, attending a secondary school in the city of Denizli/Turkey. The qualitative research methodology was used in this research and the phenomenological was chosen as a study design. Based on interpretative phenomenological analysis following the semi-structured interviews which were audio-recorded, the results revealed the following six main themes: positive self patterns, negative self patterns, lack of perceived social support, perceived academic achievement, communication, and emotional state.

Keywords

latchkey phenomenon unsupervised time after school self-care early adolescents

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