Returned Migrant Children in Kosovo and Albania: Assessing the Quality of Child-Rearing From a Non-Western Perspective

This study discusses methodological considerations and cultural sensitivity issues in cross-cultural research. A multi-method approach was adoptedconsisting of a seminar, an expert's opinion, and a focus-group discussion with Western-Balkan professionalsto assess the content validity of the Best Interest of the Child Model (BIC Model) and Questionnaire (BIC-Q) in the cultural context of the Western Balkans. The cultural sensitivity of the assessment was evaluated during a field study with local interviewers, who assessed the quality of the child-rearing environment of returned migrant children (N = 66) in Kosovo and Albania. The findings indicate that specific cultural aspects influence the meaning and interpretation of child-rearing conditions, such as the importance of the extended family in child-rearing, authoritarian child-rearing practices, the within-society heterogeneity, and the stability of the state. Regarding assessment, factors affecting outcomes were identified as they related to the questionnaire as well as to the cultural perspectives of the interviewers and the regional population characteristics. The study resulted in an understanding of the child-rearing situation of returned migrant children from a local cultural perspective and avoided the imposition of Western-European standards on the assessment of good-enough child-rearing.