Walk, swim and paddle: Qualitative research reframing children's independent mobility through capability and rhythmanalysis

Moving, mobilising and journeying depict inter- and intra-spatial aspects of children's local travel activity. However, little is known about how indigenous children's independent mobility (CIM) in coastal environments enhances the capabilities that liberate their spatial activities between land and sea. This manuscript redefines the meaning of independent mobility (IM) from the perspective of Bajau Ubian children and how they shaped their daily spatial activities of play from the perspective of rhythmanalysis of the everyday geography of their coastal environment. Four methods were employed, highlighting the intersection of phenomenology and ethnography. These methods comprised direct participation, auto-photography, go-along interviews, and focus group discussions, all designed to capture geospatial locations through the integration of qualitative Geographical Information System (GIS) techniques. A content analysis revealed three themes, which were used to conceptualise the meaning of IM, namely individual capability, social capability, and environmental capability. Moreover, a qualitative GIS analysis extended the theme of environmental capability by using geovisualisation to generate types of IM patterns. Four patterns emerged, which were categorised as nucleated, nucleated-scattered, linear, and linear-dispersed. This suggests that for Bajau Ubian children, IM goes beyond traditional notions of individual autonomous movement, representing a dynamic process shaped by the everyday rhythms of coastal environments and the cyclical changes of moon phases. It also highlights the interplay between individual and social dimensions, where play becomes an integral part of children's daily spatial experiences during IM. In light of these findings, the study redefines the existing concept of IM by introducing the Rhythmic-Capability Conceptual Tool of Children's Independent Mobility.