Between social museology and the traditional museum: The case of the Murillo La Greca Museum and the 2019 Occupation Convocation - Recife, PE

The research aimed on the Murillo La Greca Museum and the 2019 Occupation Call, to analyze in the light of Social Museology how educational actions tension traditional museums to more collaborative and democratic practices. It was used authors as Mario Chagas, Glauber Guedes Ferreira Lima, Bruno Brulon, Marcele Pereira, Stránský, Tereza Scheiner e Hugues de Varine-Bohan, to stablish the theoretical references between the tensions and ruptures of the Museology through the museum space. Furthermore, other authors whose approach the museum education, sociology and anthropology composed the necessary outline to analyze the data and contextualize the object in a vast discussion about the museums in the contemporary era. Through by a participative research of an exploratory characteristic and data survey about the 2019 Occupation Summon (until March 2020) in the Murillo La Greca Museum, it was able to analyze the educational activities developed during this period and reflect on the relevance of these practices, in a context of a traditional museum, for the decolonization of the museology process and the democratization of the museum space access. Thereby, it was looking for an increase of experimentations possibilities, privileging the educational sector as the engine of new practices for the museum transformations.Key words: Social Museology, Museum Education, Traditional Museums, Democratization, Decoloniality

Using Photographs and Memory-Work to Engage Novice Teachers in Collaborative Learning About Their Influence on Learner Behaviour

This article offers an account of using photographs and memory-work as a visual participative method in research conducted by a deputy principal with novice teachers in a South African primary school. The study was prompted by observations of how novice teachers struggled to manage learner behaviour in socially just and compassionate ways. It aimed to help novice teachers express the uncertainties and challenges they encounter, and prompt candid discussions on learner behaviour. The article shows how visual participative methods can facilitate collaborative learning with novice teachers. Additionally, it illustrates how the novice teachers came to see their critical role in influencing learner behaviour and the value of positive teacher-learner relationships in supporting learner behaviour. This work will be valuable to educational researchers in diverse contexts interested in growing their participative research methods repertoire. Furthermore, it illustrates how working with photographs and memory-work can facilitate the expression of participants' viewpoints and understandings and intensify educational researchers' learning from and with others in the interests of social change.

Emerging technologies for learning in occupational safety and health: the experience of the videogame “Becoming safe”

In the paths for transversal skills and orientation (PCTO), italian students are considered like workers and therefore they must receive adequate information and training on occupational safety and health (OSH). These methods allow the students not to be excluded from the preventive measures of the health and safety at work by directing them towards self-protection.Today, this process can be supported through the use of digital tools such as videogames. The study describes a participative research and co-design work in 7 Italian high schools of agricultural, construction and manufacturing sectors, in order to co-create an educational tool (videogame) to promote OSH during the PCTO. The format could be a support for training and usable both in the classroom and in internship, according to the indications for the serious game’s design.The study applied qualitative and quantitative methods: survey (277 students), word cafés/focus groups (50 students), 10 semi-structured interviews and 3 WhatsApp groups (12 students) to facilitate the participation and the engagement of teachers, students and OSH experts. Learning by playing has always been an activity, technologies today make it easy and funny, while gaming can offer cognitive and operational elements suitable for recognizing and therefore preventing the occupational risks.

Dithakga Tša Gobala: A Collaborative Book Creation Project

A 2018 survey (Statistics South Africa, n.d.) reported that almost half of South African children aged four years had never read a book with their parents. In light of the current literacy crisis that South Africa is experiencing, providing appropriate materials to encourage and aid reading and storytelling activities is increasingly important but remains a challenge. Wordless picturebooks are an under researched literary genre in the South African context but, we argue, they can be used to spark a culture and love of reading because they can be enjoyed by readers of various backgrounds, language preferences, and literacy levels. Using participative research, the Dithakga Tsa Gobala project investigated whether and how the development of wordless picturebooks in local communities could help parents engage in cognitively stimulating activities such as shared reading and storytelling. Stories sourced from two communities were used to create a series of wordless picturebooks that were then circulated in the communities. Initial results indicated that not only did the project have a positive impact on the participants' self-concept and their relationship with reading, but that the books were also positively received by the wider community. Results indicated that the books were easy to use, created positive parent-child experiences, encouraged imagination, and that the content of the books was relatable. Challenges that arose included issues of authorship and misunderstandings between authors and illustrators. Nevertheless, the findings suggest that wordless picturebooks are a valuable genre in the South African reading landscape and that a participatory model for creating relevant, local content for reading is not only viable but also beneficial for communities and other stakeholders.

Sociodrama as a “potential stage” for creating participative and transformative research on social work with families living in vulnerable situations

This article of the Zeitschrift für Psychodrama und Soziometrie aims to explore how Morenian sociodrama and its techniques represent valuable tools for participative research with social professionals and teachers working with children and their families in vulnerable situations. After introducing the Canon of Creativity by Moreno and its connection to art-based research, sociodrama is theoretically introduced and proposed as a research tool. This is followed by a description of an experience of participative research with a group of roughly 40 professionals within the national Italian programme P.I.P.P.I. The process of the session is described and discussed, in order to demonstrate how sociodrama can be an interesting tool for social research. The conclusion provides connections between practice and research, proposing the involvement of families in future activities, and highlighting possible future theoretical explorations in order to examine the topic in greater depth.

Examples of lived experiences assessed by participative research

Wicked problems and system thinking require solutions that are about changing the system dynamics in favourable ways. Randomized controlled trials (RCT), which traditionally have been seen as the 'gold standard' in evaluation research, are not the solution for this type of problem, as they are merely suited to evaluate single and multi-component interventions in a controlled setting. With system thinking, we recognize the complexity of the problem with multiple, interacting factors that are adaptive and dynamic over time. Crucial is participation of the target population. Participatory action research (PAR) is an approach to research in communities that emphasizes participation and action of the target group. PAR increases feasibility and validity of research, and eventually the chance of designing successful interventions, as they are more likely to meet the target population specific needs and to change local practices. In addition, it contributes to personal development and self-efficacy among the stakeholders by prompting them to reflect on their lives and take shared action. We will present three examples of lived experiences assessed by PAR, with a focus on childhood obesity. In the first project, we aim to develop, implement and evaluate an integrated action programme for 10-14-year-old adolescents in Amsterdam at the level of family, school, neighbourhood, health care and city, based upon a detailed insight into the characteristics of the population at stake (LIKE). The second project (Food4Smiles) aims to give children in their first 1000 days a good start in life regarding food, exercise, sleep and overall wellbeing. In this project, we work together with parents, grandparents and healthcare providers. The third project focuses on the healthcare for children with obesity. Goal is to understand which factors contribute to successful self-management behavior in children with obesity and their family and how youth nurses can empower and support this behavior.