ADOLESCENTS AND CHILDRENS KNOWLEDGE ABOUT RIGHTS - SOME EVIDENCE FOR HOW YOUNG-PEOPLE VIEW RIGHTS IN THEIR OWN LIVES

The present study examined the development of knowledge about rights f rom childhood to adolescence. One hundred and sixty nine 8-16 year-old s participated in individual semi structured interviews assessing know ledge and importance of rights both generally and in children's and ad olescents' lives. Detailed content analyses indicated that a global st age account may not capture key features of the development of young p eople's knowledge about rights. Even the oldest adolescents consistent ly ''defined'' rights in concrete rather than abstract terms. In contr ast, by 10 years of age the majority of subjects were aware of the uni versal nature of rights. These results suggest that what adolescents a nd children think about rights appears to be influenced by how they vi ew rights in their own lives. The findings are discussed in terms of d evelopmental theory and in relation to practical implications for chil dren's rights. (C) 1998 The Association for Professionals in Services for Adolescents.