臺灣兒童對離婚後監護權爭議案件相關法律語彙之理解與對分離情境之認知

Abstract

本研究呈現臺灣兒童對離婚後監護權爭議案件相關法律語彙之理解與對分離情境之認知能力有隨年級變化的趨勢。114位國小兒童受試者(3低年級、40個中年級、38個高年級)在結構式訪談中定義18個在離婚後監護權爭議案件中常見的法律語彙，以及在聽完一個分離情境故事後，複述該故事並提供與離婚後監護權爭議案件判斷相關的理由。研究結果顯示，兒童在：「法律語彙定義的正確性」、「法律語彙定義的錯誤型態」、不同類型的「離婚後監護權爭議案件判斷的相關理由」的平均數量、不同指涉對象的「離婚後監護權爭議案件判斷的相關理由」的平均數量與「複述故事成功前需要輔助的次數」皆呈現隨年級變化的趨勢。而先前法律相關經驗(是否看過與法律相關的電視節目或電影)與字彙能力和兒童的上開能力表現有關。研究結果對於未來研究、法庭準備、訓練法律相關專業人員如何使用符合兒童能力的溝通方式有所助益。

The present study examined age-related trends in Taiwanese children’s knowledge of legal terminology and perceptions of separation scenarios commonly used in child custody disputes. Participants were 114 elementary school students comprising 3 groups of 36 in low grades, 40 in middle grades, and 38 in high grades. Grade-related trends emerged in children’s knowledge of 18 legal terms, their errors response types of terms, and amount of information in responding to a story with separation scenarios. Factors, such as verbal skills and legal-related television programs/movies watching experiences, are correlated with children’s communicative abilities pertaining to providing testimony. Implications of future research and applications on court preparation and training of legal professionals are discussed.