Child and Youth Study -- Graduate Theses

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https://hdl.handle.net/10587/602

Graduate theses completed in the Master of Arts in Child and Youth Study program.

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Now showing 1 - 5 of 92

Is Nova Scotia shifting from a risk-based to a child well-being system? A critical content analysis of the child and family well-being practice framework in Nova Scotia
(Mount Saint Vincent University, 2026-05) Wokoma, Orinari Francis
The child welfare policy landscape in Nova Scotia has been subjected to significant criticisms for its reliance on risk-based protectionist paradigms. In response, the provincial government introduced the Child and Family Well-being Practice Framework (CFW, 2025) as a shift towards a holistic well-being practice. This study adopts a two-pronged design. First, a scoping review that synthesizes peer-reviewed and grey literature from 2014-2026, to better understand the discursive orientations shaping contemporary child welfare policies and practices in Nova Scotia. Second, a qualitative document-based analysis that critically examines the CFW (2025) practice framework and its policy manual to assess the extent to which it represents a substantive paradigm shift from a risk-based approach to a holistic child well-being paradigm. Using interpretive critical content analysis, the study examines if the CFW (2025) reflects a paradigm shift that prioritizes child’s rights and wellness. Research findings are categorized into three interrelated dimensions: structural (legislative governance), procedural (culturally responsive practice), and systemic (governance and child and family well-being). The analysis reveals that the CFW (2025) and its policy manual reflects a hybrid governance model characterized by a partial paradigm shift in Nova Scotia’s child welfare system. The shift towards a holistic well-being paradigm is constrained by the embedded legislative authority and risk-based governance structure. The study concludes that achieving a substantive transition from a risk-based child protection model to a culturally responsive child and family well-being approach requires structural and legislative reform of the child welfare system, alongside alignment between policy discourse, institutional practice, and legislative frameworks in Nova Scotia.
Looking For Group: Exploring How Youth Build Peer Relationships in Online Gaming Communities
(Mount Saint Vincent University, 2025-09) Gulley, Gabriel
This research will lay the foundation for future research to help understand how youth form peer relationships in various online gaming communities. This research was conducted by completing a thematic content analysis of five YouTube videos from five different online gaming communities, aiming to identify any activities or experiences are important for meeting and making friends in online gaming spaces. This research found that there are several thematic activities or experiences that are important when meeting new people in their respective online gaming spaces. These included what a player should and should not do to form and keep peer relationships with others met online as well as potential experiences that should be had to help them grow. These experiences and activities fall under several different themes. A few of these themes are “Be Kind”, “Share”, “Be Social/Participate”, as well as several others. This research finds that there are overarching themes for youth making friends in online gaming communities from the videos analyzed. While many of the themes identified do cross the gaming communities studied in this thesis, much more research needs to be done before any definitive patterns or differences can be confirmed for online gaming communities as a whole.
Queer Youth in Halifax, Canada: Exploring the Connections Between Dress, Agency and Self-perception
(Mount Saint Vincent University, 2025-09) Gopakumar, Bharghavi
Dress has long served as a visual representation of an individual’s identity (Davis, 1992). Dress is defined as the supplements and modifications that are added to the body (Roach-Higgins and Eicher, 1992) and can be distinguished from clothing as it embraces a much wider range of items, including cosmetic use, perfume use, tattoos and body paint (Eicher & Evenson, 2015). Dress is a tool that is used for more than a utilitarian purpose, it is a visual language which conveys areas of an individual’s identity, resistance and belonging (Roach- Higgins and Eicher, 1985). How a person dresses conveys their cultural background, values and socio-economic class which in turn affects our self-perception and social dynamics (Kwon, 1994). Dress is also a form of art, mostly visual art, although it is not exclusive to it. A founding figure in fashion theory, Roland Barthes (1977) argues that dress is “in the fullest sense, a ‘social model’, a more or less standardized picture of expected collective behaviour; and it is essentially at this level that it has meaning” (pg 13). Additionally, Barthes (1990) expressed in his work that clothing must be considered “above all, as an object of appearance” and emphasizes that dress is fundamentally a social phenomenon (Barthes 1990 p. 245, emphasis original in 1967).
Experiences of Young Girls in Cape Breton with Period Poverty
(Mount Saint Vincent University, 2025-09) Riome, Brenna
Menstruation is a natural bodily function that has been heavily stigmatized and viewed as a private issue for individuals. Stigmas surrounding periods can directly impact how people view menstruation and seek help. Period poverty is one of the impacts from stigmatization. The lack of access to menstrual products and education pertaining menstruation significantly affects one's health, education, and social participation. This thesis investigates the experiences of adolescent girls in Cape Breton, a region with little to no research on menstrual health.
‘Playtime with Imena’: Exploring the Importance of Social Play for Children with Down Syndrome – Trisomy 21
(Mount Saint Vincent University, 2025) Umuhoza, Lea Danae
This thesis, Playtime with Imena: Exploring the Importance of Social Play for Children with Down Syndrome – Trisomy 21, delves into the transformative role of structured social play in promoting the holistic development and social inclusion of children with Down syndrome. Inspired by personal experiences growing up alongside Imena, a beloved sibling with Down syndrome, and later volunteering at Tubiteho—a center for children with cognitive disabilities—this study intertwines lived insights with a robust Constructivist research paradigm. Guided by Bronfenbrenner’s Ecological Systems Theory, it investigates how the microsystems of family and school, supported by community and societal structures, collectively nurture developmental outcomes through social play. Employing a scoping review, this research synthesizes findings from diverse studies, revealing how structured social play enhances communication, social competence, and emotional resilience among children with Down syndrome. The thesis identifies a pressing need for culturally diverse, longitudinal studies and demonstrates the critical role of educator-family collaboration in maximizing the benefits of play. By examining digital tools as bridges between home and school environments, this study shows how real-time parent-teacher engagement amplifies the continuity of developmental support. The findings offer actionable recommendations for educators, families, and policymakers, advocating for inclusive, culturally sensitive play-based interventions that champion the developmental rights of children with Down syndrome. This work underscores the profound potential of structured play as a vehicle for growth, resilience, and social belonging, aiming to shape practices and policies that empower every child to thrive.

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