Social Participation and Independent Mobility in Children: The Effects of Two Implementations of "We Go to School Alone"

Abstract

The aim of this research was to determine the outcomes of the \u27\u27We go to school alone\u27\u27 program in two Districts of Rome through a longitudinal study involving 392 children (mean age?8.37 years) and 270 parents. The outcomes of the program in the two Districts were very different. Only one resulted in an increase in children\u27s autonomous mobility on the home-school journey, a reduction in the number of times a child was taken to school by car, and, even more important, in an increase in the general level of children\u27s independent mobility in their neighborhood. The findings are discussed in terms of a process evaluation that enabled us to understand the differing results