Hey I’m nine not six! What it’s like to look younger than your age Anna Carlini and Emma Barry

Why we chose this topic We’d noticed that two girls in our year who looked very small for their age seemed to be treated differently We’d noticed that two girls in our year who looked very small for their age seemed to be treated differently We wondered if there were special reasons for this and if so why this was We wondered if there were special reasons for this and if so why this was We were curious about whether being small affected their behaviour We were curious about whether being small affected their behaviour And whether other people behaved differently towards them And whether other people behaved differently towards them

We thought about ethics How the girls would feel about being ‘observed’ How the girls would feel about being ‘observed’ Whether our research would make things worse for them Whether our research would make things worse for them Whether it might make things better because more people would understand Whether it might make things better because more people would understand

Getting consent We talked to them about what we wanted to do and why We talked to them about what we wanted to do and why We talked to them about how they felt about being in our research We talked to them about how they felt about being in our research We talked to our teacher about what we wanted to do We talked to our teacher about what we wanted to do We talked to them about changing their names when we wrote about our findings to protect their identity. We chose Kaz and Rose as names We talked to them about changing their names when we wrote about our findings to protect their identity. We chose Kaz and Rose as names

How we collected our data We observed them for two weeks in the playground and recorded everything into a dictaphone We observed them for two weeks in the playground and recorded everything into a dictaphone We interviewed them about some of the things we had seen We interviewed them about some of the things we had seen We interviewed them about how they felt about being small for their age particularly about advantages and disadvantages We interviewed them about how they felt about being small for their age particularly about advantages and disadvantages

Here is an extract from our observation data… … She’s yelling louder than the others. … She’s yelling louder than the others. She’s crouching down, She’s crouching down, She’s yelling more. She’s yelling more. Yelling more loudly than the others. Yelling more loudly than the others. Yelling even louder. Yelling even louder. She’s crouching down again. She’s crouching down again. Kaz is hanging onto people, Kaz is hanging onto people, She’s gripping onto them. She’s gripping onto them. Yelling loudly again. Yelling loudly again. Still yelling loudly. Still yelling loudly. More yelling loudly. More yelling loudly. More loudly than the others. More loudly than the others. More loud yelling. More loud yelling. She’s being picked up and carried like a baby by one of the group. She’s being picked up and carried like a baby by one of the group. Someone else has picked her up now. Someone else has picked her up now. Someone else has picked her up and is rocking her. Someone else has picked her up and is rocking her. They are holding her by her middle and swinging her around. They are holding her by her middle and swinging her around. Kaz is hanging onto people. Kaz is hanging onto people. The group are playing tag. Every time Kaz tries to run someone catches her. The group are playing tag. Every time Kaz tries to run someone catches her. Kaz is gripping onto them, hanging on their arm. Kaz is gripping onto them, hanging on their arm. She is still gripping onto them. She is still gripping onto them. Kaz has to stand still because she’s caught. Kaz has to stand still because she’s caught. She’s yelling more loudly than the others to get free. The others aren’t yelling to be got free. She’s yelling more loudly than the others to get free. The others aren’t yelling to be got free. Someone has come straight away to get her free. Someone has come straight away to get her free. Kaz is being hugged now. Kaz is being hugged now. More hugging. More hugging. No-one else in the group is being hugged. No-one else in the group is being hugged. No-one else in the group has been hugged for the whole of break time. … No-one else in the group has been hugged for the whole of break time. …

Analysing the data… We looked for themes and patterns in our observation notes We looked for themes and patterns in our observation notes We looked to see if there were any similarities or differences between the two girls We looked to see if there were any similarities or differences between the two girls We did the same from the interview data We did the same from the interview data

We found some themes There were a lot of similarities in their behaviour There were a lot of similarities in their behaviour The similar themes we noticed were… The similar themes we noticed were…

1. Being treated like a cuddly doll: e.g. Being hugged a lot Being hugged a lot Being picked up Being picked up Being swung round Being swung round

2…. Attention seeking: e.g. hanging on to people hanging on to people gripping on to hands and arms gripping on to hands and arms clinging clinging yelling lots and lots and lots yelling lots and lots and lots

3. Small physical size: e.g. Crouching down Crouching down Ducking Ducking ‘hiding’ behind other people ‘hiding’ behind other people

Interview findings They didn’t like being ‘babied’ They didn’t like being ‘babied’ They didn’t like younger brothers or sisters being thought older than them They didn’t like younger brothers or sisters being thought older than them They didn’t like being bullied by children who were younger than them They didn’t like being bullied by children who were younger than them But they did like being able to get into adventure playgrounds when peers were refused because they were too big But they did like being able to get into adventure playgrounds when peers were refused because they were too big …And… they did like being given a lollipop in the chip shop!!! …And… they did like being given a lollipop in the chip shop!!!

Final thoughts Although this was only a small study we think we learnt a lot about what it’s like to be much younger than your age Although this was only a small study we think we learnt a lot about what it’s like to be much younger than your age We think that adults might not have found out the same sorts of things that we did because the girls might not have told them what they told us and.. We think that adults might not have found out the same sorts of things that we did because the girls might not have told them what they told us and.. Because we understand better than adults what goes on in the playground so our observation was different Because we understand better than adults what goes on in the playground so our observation was different

Thank you for listening….