Participatory Visual Research Methods with Displaced Learners: A Deep Dive on Learning through Play

Group Submission Type: Formal Panel Session

Proposal

In the current climate of social, political, economic, and environmental unrest, unprecedented numbers of children have been forced to leave their homes and settle in new communities (Vecchio et al., 2017). With the increase of migrants and refugees globally, research efforts into the lived experience of these individuals and communities has also expanded. Researching migrants, refugees, and otherwise displaced communities in the current climate requires methods and approaches that provide researchers with access and insight into people’s transient and often volatile lives, with opportunities to explore the complexity of multiple spaces, cultures, identities, and heritages (Alasuutari, 2004). Much of the research with refugee and migrant communities to date, and particularly with children, has focused on health indicators, schooling outcomes, and more recently mental health and psychosocial wellbeing. Additionally, much of this research uses traditional tools such as structured questionnaires and focus group interviews (Moskal, 2017) and often engages adults or youth, leaving children’s perspectives in the periphery (Zayas et al., 2017). As a result, there are few studies that document children’s lives and experiences as told in their own voices (Oh, 2012).

More recently, researchers have been increasingly using qualitative participatory visual research methods (PVM) to gain a deeper understanding of refugee and displaced children’s experiences, sense of identity, relationships, needs, strengths, and aspirations. Brown et al. (2020) argue that through taking photos, producing digital stories, creating maps, drawing, sculpting, and other visually-based practices, migrant and refugee children can help us understand how they navigate their complex worlds. Though, while there is increasing interest in the use of qualitative PVMs with refugee and displaced children, the number of studies conducted to date remains relatively small (Moskal, 2017). Additionally, while many qualitative PVM studies have focused on topics related to education, public health, and day-to-day lived experiences, very few studies have focused on the topic of play, particularly with refugee and displaced children.

In this panel, we present recent practical experience of using PVMs with refugee and displaced children that explore children’s perspectives and experiences of play. This panel draws together three studies under the umbrella of the PlayMatters project. PlayMatters is a 5-year project funded by the LEGO Foundation aiming to embed learning through play into education systems for refugee and host-community children in Ethiopia, Tanzania, and Uganda. The three papers presented in this panel more specifically discuss the challenges and successes of using PVMs with refugee and displaced children, refugee children and parents’ perspectives of play through child-caregiver interactions, and how host-community parents and children perceive playful learning activities in order to inform learning through play activities in refugee contexts.

The first paper presents a photovoice study conducted with refugee and host-community children in Northern Uganda. The study engaged 20 children, ages 7-12, to better understand their perceptions and experiences of play in order to inform larger PlayMatters interventions. This paper discusses the logistics, feasibility, and importance of using qualitative PVMs with refugee and displaced children. The research design and methods are highlighted, as well as challenges and successes of conducting the study. Key arguments in the paper include advocating for the increased use of qualitative PVMs with refugee and displaced communities, the need to be flexible when navigating logistics and planning for such studies, and the need for thorough consideration of safety and ethics of study participants.

The second paper presents findings from a mixed-methods study that aimed to explore the lived experiences of refugee children, ages 8-10, and their caregivers in Northern Uganda during playful interactions at home. Through the use of photovoice, the study captured interesting insights about child-caregiver interactions and experiences of play, and subsequently used the results to develop a survey tool regarding caregiver, household, and community-level influences on child-caregiver interactions. This paper focuses on the use of photovoice in displacement contexts, and specifically on the need to develop contextualized research methods and tools when working with refugee communities. Challenges and successes are also presented, as well as the use of photovoice in the generation of survey tool construction. Recommendations for future participatory visual research are also discussed.

The third and final paper presents outcomes from a positive deviance study that explored what “successful” integration of learning through play (LtP) pedagogies looks like in host-community schools in Ethiopia, Tanzania, and Uganda. Using an ethnographic case study approach, this study worked with four schools in each country to conduct observations, photograph LtP activities, and engage children and parents in photo-elicitation discussions. Children and parents reviewed photos taken of play-based school activities to understand how they perceive playful activities and their connection to learning. By combining research-generated and participant-generated visual stimuli, researchers were able to develop deeper contextual understandings about how children conceptualize and engage in play in order to inform larger PlayMatters interventions. This paper highlights the relationship between visual-elicitation methodologies and the key findings from this study, including meanings and understandings of LtP, examples of LtP, and barriers and opportunities to integrate LtP into learning spaces, especially in refugee contexts.

The level of global displacement increases annually and humanitarian crises are regularly transitioning from acute to protracted situations (UNHCR, 2019; UNHCR 2020). In this context, there is no sign that investment in multi-sector interventions for crisis-affected and displaced communities will slow anytime soon. Therefore, it is imperative to critically reflect on the research methods used to generate key knowledge about, and inform interventions for, these communities and to consider the use and effectiveness of PVMs. By using PVMs and similar methods, researchers can more easily access and gain insight into the lived experiences of these communities. Additionally, by generating knowledge from the direct perspectives of displaced adults and children, PVMs and similar research methods can help to expand the knowledge base about experiences of migration and displacement and ideally help to improve interventions for crisis-affected communities.

Sub Unit

• Education in Conflict and Emergencies SIG

Chair

• Kelsey Dalrymple, University of Wisconsin-Madison

Individual Presentations

• Play through the Eyes of Children: The use of photovoice with displaced learners in Uganda - Kelsey Dalrymple, University of Wisconsin-Madison

• Child-Caregiver Interaction for Learning through Play in Uganda: The use of photovoice as part of a mixed-method approach to survey development - Eva Sophia Smallegange, War Child Holland

• Visual- and Drawing-Stimulated Methodologies Towards a Deeper Understanding of Children’s Perspectives of Learning through Play - Anne C Smiley, IRC

Discussant

• Nikhit D'Sa, University of Notre Dame