Background: Although recent studies point to the importance of basing educational and social interventions on child labour on the narratives and point of views of the children themselves, there are virtually no studies having undertook the task of exploring the experiences of these children in educational contexts. This study sets to find out, describe and analyse the nature of the lived experience of labour children in educational contexts, posing the research the question: “What is the lived experience of labour children in school and in other educational contexts?”
Aim: The aim of this study is to describe and analyse the nature of the lived experience of labour children in educational contexts
Methodology: Using semi-structured interviews, this study is based on the account of 15 labour children in Shiraz who have had educational experience in more than one educational context. The interviews were analysed using the Giorgi method of phenomenological analysis in psychology. The results were described accordingly.
Conclusions: The invariable structures of the lived experience of labour children were found to be as such: (1) Labour children have various educational, occupational, status-related and interpersonal motivations to engage in learning in educational contexts. (2) Respectful attitude of educational personnel towards the learners, and their dedication to successful learning of the students, results in the formation of a sense of liking and belonging towards the educational personnel and educational institution, and is one of the main factors of educational satisfaction amongst the labour children. (3) Achieving success in learning the provided material, is among the main factors of educational satisfaction amongst the labour children, and conversantly, failure in learning the provided material is a source of difficulty, suffering, motivation loss and dissatisfaction amongst the labour children. (4) Labour children find tremendous satisfaction in learning m