Children´s dreams content analysis

Lucie Kráčmarová
Alena Plháková ORCID logo

Abstract

In the Czech Republic there is no research dedicated to children's dreams. It is, however, a very interesting area, as well as dreams of adults. Our study is focused on dreams of primary school children. We use the method of semi-structured interview aimed at dream recall of primary school children. Surveyed sample consists of 35 children between six and eight years of age from an elementary school in the Czech Republic. To process the data we use the coding system of the dream content analysis developed by psychologists Calvin S. Hall and Robert Van de Castle. Particular attention is paid to formal properties of dreams such as types of characters, social interactions, activities and emotions. Other research topics are children's ability of dream recall and subjective frequency of their dreams. We are interested in children’s at­titudes to their dreams and connections of their contents to experiences from previous day, children's hobbies, common activities or their problems. The results of our research will be compared with similar investigations from foreign countries. The media's influence on children's dreams is also discussed.

(Fulltext in Czech)

Keywords

dreaming, primary school age, dream recall, content analysis

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