Elee started following the work of Danny Birchall, University of London, Birkbeck College, History of Art and Screen Media.
Elee followed the research interest: Natural History
Elee started following the work of Lyn Hicks, Macquarie University, Sociology.
Elee Trying to plan a structure for the thesis - at the moment it feels more like an enormous word/though cloud, so trying to work out the 'narrative' is a little challenging. Come on brain, we can do it!
Graduate Student, Museum Studies
Thesis Title: Is it real? Young children's experience of natural history in museums
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Viv Golding
Giasemi Vavoula |
About
My thesis title is “Is it Real? Young children’s experience of natural history in museums”. This research builds on my career in science museum education, during which time I have worked with many thousands of children of all ages, abilities and backgrounds. I am taking a child-centric approach to exploring what children aged four and five years of age experience when they encounter natural history objects in museums. I am bringing together constructivist learning theory, Reggio Emilia-inspired philosophies of childhood and Edward O. Wilson's biophilia hypothesis. The research is being carried out at the Oxford University Museum of Natural History.
My research aims can be summarised in two main questions:
1) What are young children experiencing (including, but not restricted to, intellectually, affectively, socially, personally and physically) when they interact with natural history in a museum setting?
2) What methods can we use to understand children’s experiences in these settings?
My intention is to find ways of providing pre-literate children with a voice within the museum literature. Building on the Mosaic approach from educational research methods, I am using children's photography as a way of actively focusing the participants on communicating their experiences within the museum. I have so far demonstrated that, while there is an important social element to young children’s visits, much of their experience goes undetected by their accompanying adults. This challenges research practices in which adults are asked to speak on behalf of young children, showing instead a need to develop approaches which recognise and listen to the different ways in which young children communicate. The data is also uncovering the children’s aesthetic appreciation of the museum and its collections.
The research outcomes, both in terms of increased understanding of children's engagement with natural history, and in terms of developing research methods suitable for younger participants in museum settings, will benefit both museum professionals and the academic field of museum studies.
Contact Information
| Homepage: | http://www2.le.ac.uk/departments/museumstudies/res |
