Analyzing the challenges of implementing child-friendly school principles in urban educational spaces (Case Study: Secondary High Schools in Islamabad gharb City)

Damanbagh, Safiyeh; Hosseini Siahgoli, Mahnaz; Najafi, Jamal

doi:10.22034/gahr.2025.529626.2507

Analyzing the challenges of implementing child-friendly school principles in urban educational spaces (Case Study: Secondary High Schools in Islamabad gharb City)

Document Type : Original Article

Authors

safiyeh damanbagh ¹

mahnaz Hosseini Siahgoli ²

Jamal Najafi ³

¹ Postdoctoral Researcher in Geography and Urban Planning, Faculty of Literature and Humanities, Shahid Chamran University of Ahvaz- Geography Teacher, Islamabad gharb

² Postdoctoral Researcher in Geography and Urban Planning, Faculty of Literature and Humanities, Shahid Chamran University of Ahvaz, Ahvaz, Iran

³ Director of the Student Research Center, Islamabad Gharb Education Center

10.22034/gahr.2025.529626.2507

Abstract

Objective: The purpose of this study is to identify and analyze the challenges and obstacles to implementing the principles of child-friendly schools in the educational environments of second-year high schools in Islamabad gharb City.
Method: This study was conducted using a descriptive-analytical research method. Data and information related to factors and barriers to the realization of different levels of child-friendly schools in the second-cycle high schools of Islamabad gharb were collected through a survey of 50 experts and specialists (including teachers of these high schools and research centers) and based on the Delphi method. In this regard, four dimensions of physical, social, educational, and psychological have been analyzed as the main obstacles affecting the implementation of child-friendly school principles in the educational environments of second-year high schools in Islamabad gharb City, using interpretive-structural modeling (ISM).
Results: The results of the study show that the most fundamental obstacles to implementing child-friendly school principles in high schools in West Islamabad are directly related to the first level and fundamental issues such as lack of safety, disregard for special needs, inappropriate spaces (color, play, hygiene, facilities, peace), lack of a friendly atmosphere and positive relationships, and lack of a sense of security and belonging
Conclusions: These barriers with the highest influence are identified as key and main barriers. Therefore, any decision to implement these principles requires serious attention and prioritization of removing these critical barriers. Finally, suggestions are provided.

Keywords

Child-friendly school

urban educational spaces

structural-interpretive modeling

Islamabad gharb city

Subjects

human geography

اسکندری‌تربقان، حسینقلی‌زاده، ‌رضوان، کامل‌نیا، حامد. (1398). ارائه چارچوب مفهومی برای طراحی فضای فیزیکی مدرسه‌ ابتدایی بر مبنای نظریه یادگیری مشارکتی ویگوتسکی. نوآوریهای آموزشی، 72(18)، 27-52.

آقاجان، مهسا، امامی کوپایی، سمانه. (1403). شناسایی مؤلفه‌های اثرگذار معماری بر تربیت کودک، مبتنی بر رویکرد اسلامی: فضاهای آموزشی پیش‌دبستان، علوم تربیتی از دیدگاه اسلام، 12(25)، 139-171.

باقری کراچی، امین، صادقی، سهراب، ایمنی، محمد امین. (1402). طراحی چارچوب مفهومی مدرسه دوستدار کودک در ایران. تفکر وکودک، 14(1)، 29-61. doi: 10.30465/FABAK.2023.7943

زیاری، کرامت‌الله، صراف، مارال، پوراحمد، احمد، فرهودی، رحمت‌الله (1400). تبیین اصول شهر دوستدار کودک با رویکرد ارتقاء محیط شهری به روش دلفی و کاربست آن در منطقه ۲ تهران. فصل‌نامه تحقیقات جغرافیایی. ۳۶ (۲) :۱۷۳-۱۸۹.

سلطانی نژاد، نجمه، صفیان بلداجی، رضوان. (1402). واکاوی انگارههای معلمان دوره ابتدایی از مفهوم «مدرسه دوست‌دار کودک». نظریه و عمل در برنامه درسی، 11(22)، 169-204.doi: 10.22034/tpcj.2024.190372

شهمیری، نرجس، زعیم دار، مژگان، موگویی، رکسانا، ملماسی، سعید. (1402). ارائه‌ی الگوی مدیریت و برنامه‌ریزی محیط‌زیست شهری امن با رویکرد شهر دوستدار کودک (مطالعه موردی: کلان‌شهر تهران). جغرافیا و توسعه فضای شهری، 10(2)، 113-131. doi: 10.22067/jgusd.2022.76980.1202

عالمی، محمد حسین و طایی، فریبا . (1400). بررسی تطبیقی حقوق کودک از منظر حقوق ایران و حقوق بین الملل. مطالعات حقوق بشر اسلامی، 1(10)، 200-177.

فتحی، محمدرضا. (1398). نظریه سازنده گرایی اجتماعی و دلالتهای آن برای فرایند یادگیری و تدریس. پویش در آموزش علوم انسانی، 5(15)، 86-100.

مرکز آمار ایران، گزارش سرشماری عمومی نفوس و مسکن، 1395.

نظرپور، محمدتقی، نوروزیان ملکی، سعید. (1397). شناسایی مؤلفه‌های معماری مؤثر در ارتقای یادگیری دانش‌آموزان با تأکید بر فضاهای باز مدارس بر اساس سند تحول بنیادین آموزش‏ و‏ پرورش. مجله مطالعات آموزش و یادگیری، 10(2)، 165-193. doi: 10.22099/jsli.2019.29978.2585

Arce، M. C. (2015). Maturing children’s rights theory: From children، with children، of children. The International Journal of Children's Rights، 23(2) ، 283-331.

Jansson، M.، Herbert، E.، Zalar، A.، & Johansson، M. (2022). Child-friendly environments—What، how and by whom? Sustainability، 14(8) ، 48-59.

Brown، C.، de Lannoy، A.، McCracken، D.، Gill، T.، Grant، M.، Wright، H.، & Williams، S. (2019). Child-friendly cities. Cities & health، 3(1-2) ، 1-7.

Maisaroh، S.، Hadi، S.، & Andrian، D. (2024). Instrument model to evaluate children-friendly school program at elementary school in Indonesia. International Journal of Evaluation and Research in Education (IJERE)، 13(2) ، 809.

Aziz، H.، Sudrajat، A.، Suparno، S.، Pashela، P.، Azzahra، L. P.، & Mannana، N. F. (2025). Evaluation of the child-friendly school policy in indonesia: analysis of effectiveness and implementation challenges. Journal of Education and Learning (EduLearn)، 19(1) ، 371-379.

Cobanoglu, F., Ayvaz-Tuncel, Z., & Ordu, A. (2018). Child-Friendly Schools: An Assessment of Secondary Schools. Universal Journal of Educational Research, 6(3), 466-477.

Yoder, D. E., & Denhardt, K. G. (2019). Ethics education in public administration and affairs: Preparing graduates for workplace moral dilemmas. In Handbook of administrative ethics (pp. 59-77). Routledge.

Abdallah, S., & Mahmood, S. R. S. (2024). Positive Pedagogical Practices, Extracurricular Involvement, Community & School Citizenship, and Acquisition of 21st-Century Skills Among Secondary Students from Indonesia, Kyrgyzstan and Tanzania. NAMA International Journal of Education and Development, 1(1).

Rusilowati, A., Hidayah, I., Nugrahani, R., Abidin, Z., Hutagalung, F. D., Sofchah, T., & Ariyanti, S. W. (2024). Child Friendly Schools and Their Relationship with the Merdeka Curriculum in Forming the Students’ Character through Scinece Learning. Jurnal Pendidikan IPA Indonesia, 13(1).

Aziz, H., Sudrajat, A., Suparno, S., Pashela, P., Azzahra, L. P., & Mannana, N. F. (2025). Evaluation of the child-friendly school policy in indonesia: analysis of effectiveness and implementation challenges. Journal of Education and Learning (EduLearn), 19(1), 371-379.

Sapsağlam, Ö., & Eryılmaz, A. (2024). Building child-friendly cities for sustainable child development: Child-friendly city scale-child form. Sustainability, 16(3), 12-28.

Rahmawati, F., Soesilowati, E., Sumanto, A., & Priambodo, M. (2024). The Implementation of Child-Friendly City: A Systematic Literature Review. In International Conference on Multidisciplinary Studies (ICoMSi 2023) (pp. 259-272). Atlantis Press.

Chu, M., Fang, Z., Mao, L., Ma, H., Lee, C. Y., & Chiang, Y. C. (2024). Creating A child-friendly social environment for fewer conduct problems and more prosocial behaviors among children: A LASSO regression approach. Acta Psychologica, 244, 104200.

Babaei, E., & Taghipour, M. (2024). Evaluation of Pre-School Development Prevention Programs in Order to Develop a Child-Friendly City Model. ITS magazine, December, (6), 154-177.

Shen, P. (2024). Assessment of child-friendly spatial environment in urban communities based on fuzzy Analytic Hierarchy Process. Journal of Engineering Research.

Fan, J., Zheng, B., Liu, J., Tian, F., & Sun, Z. (2024). Research on child-friendly evaluation and optimization strategies for rural public spaces. Buildings, 14(9), 29-48.

Arazo, V. (2023). Status of Implementation of Child-Friendly School System: Its Influence to Pupils’ Academic Performance. Psychology and Education: A Multidisciplinary Journal, 7(11), 1-19.

Pepito، R. D. (2021). Child-Friendly School System on The School Performance: Cfss Program Model.

Martodiryo, S., & Rahmatullah, M. (2022). The Evaluation of Children Friendly School's Programs towards Banjarmasin as a Children Friendly City. Interdisciplinary Social Studies, 2(3), 1706-1714.

Cheruto, G., Allida, D., & Amimo, C. (2021). Implementation of Child Friendly School Programs in Schools as Perceived by Teachers and Learners from Public Primary Schools in Chesumei Sub-County, Kenya. Journal of Research Innovation and Implications in Education, 5(1), 11-22.

Fitriani، S.، & Qodariah، L. (2021). A Child-Friendly School: How the School Implements the Model. International Journal of Evaluation and Research in Education، 10(1) ، 273-284.

Hajaroh, M., Purwastuti, L. A., & Nurhayati, R. (2021). Development of the Evaluation Instrument of the Child-Friendly School Policy in Elementary School. International Journal of Instruction, 14(3), 327-340.

Cabildo, Q. D., & Espinosa, K. P. M. (2020). INSTITUTIONAL CLIMATE AND LEARNERS’BEHAVIOR TOWARDS A CHILD-FRIENDLY SCHOOL. Luz y Saber, 14(1 and 2), 1-12.

Vidigal Coachman، N. I. (2020). Planning child-friendly، educating، and learning cities: An urban framework for Sao Paulo (Doctoral dissertation، Massachusetts Institute of Technology).

Saleem, Z., Haseeb, A., Abuhussain, S. S. A., Moore, C. E., Kamran, S. H., Qamar, M. U., ... & Godman, B. (2020). Antibiotic susceptibility surveillance in the Punjab province of Pakistan: findings and implications. Medicina, 59(7), 1215.

Kattam, A. J., Barasa, P. L., Kapkiai, M., & Bitok, E. C. (2024). Teacher’s Perception of Child-friendly School Environment in Public ECDE Centres in Uasin-Gishu County. Research Journal of Education, Teaching and Curriculum Studies, 2(1), 8-15.

Apologia, M. A., Mas’od, M. M., Masykuri, A., Hidayati, A., & Putra, V. E. P. (2024). Child-Friendly School Management: A Study of Ukhuwah Wathoniyah at Ma'arif Nahdlatul Ulama. Dirasah International Journal of Islamic Studies, 2(2), 106-119.

Martodiryo, S., & Rahmatullah, M. (2022). The Evaluation of Children Friendly School's Programs towards Banjarmasin as a Children Friendly City. Interdisciplinary Social Studies, 2(3), 1706-1714.

Chu, M., Fang, Z., Lee, C. Y., Shang-Kuan, C. H., Mao, L., & Chiang, Y. C. (2025). Building a child-friendly social environment from the perspective of children in China based on focus group interviews. Current Psychology, 1-17.

Schweder, S., & Raufelder, D. (2024). Does changing learning environments affect student motivation. Learning and Instruction, 89, 101-119.