NWT RESEARCH DATABASE

Regions: Inuvialuit Settlement Region, Gwich'in Settlement Area, Sahtu Settlement Area, North Slave Region

Tags: social sciences, youth, cultural awareness

Objective(s): To explore how children’s drawings reflect their perceptions of self, and to use the findings to begin to develop a framework for authentic empathy.

Project Description: This project seeks to explore how children’s drawings reflect their perceptions of self, and to use the findings to begin to develop a framework for authentic empathy. The participants’ perceptions are to be ascertained through visual representation of their thoughts using their drawings and discussions about their drawings as empirical data. The methods for the project are as follows: 1. The researcher will bring a traditional gift from Australia to thank the school and community for inviting us on their land and in their school. Many of the schools have asked for a presentation about Australia and its people and animals and so the gift will be a school presentation about Australia. 2. The principal and the researcher will have spoken about the need for a classroom space to complete the research. This space will be for only the students who have signed consent as a means to protect the students who did not want to be a part of the research. 3. This research will take a qualitative approach, where participants will be invited to draw and have discussions, and researchers will use observations and analysis of work samples as primary data sources. 4. Students will be asked to draw what Aboriginality means to them. 5. As they are drawing, discussions will take place in the context of group interactions in classroom settings. The researchers will facilitate this process (one present in the classroom and another via Skype link), and a supervising classroom teacher will also be present. Prompting questions designed to examine the thinking of the students, rather than to lead their ideas will be asked. Some of these questions may include: • “Tell me about what you’ve drawn here” • “Why did you draw what you did?” • “What were you thinking as you drew this picture?” 6. The teachers will also be invited to draw at this time, and to participate in the discussions should they wish, after they have come forward as interested parties and signed their consent. 7. In the unforseen circumstance that the researcher cannot be at the school on the arranged date, alternate arrangements will be made with the principal for their visit to the school. The entire process will take approximately an hour with each group of students. This study is taking a look at the roots of authentic empathy, which we believe come from how well children understand their culture and heritage. The vision of this research in educational institutions of communities in the Northwest Territories is to provide more effective tools for teachers to ensure that they foster authentic empathy towards one another in the classroom. To start this process we need to know how students view themselves. This project is the starting point in our journey. Once the data has been collected and themes are developed, the researcher will provide opportunities for teachers, school staff and other interested community members to see the results and discuss next steps in this journey away from tokenistic displays of understanding one another and integrated real empathy. Results will be communicated in writing to the schools and community leaders. There will also be an opportunity for an online livetime presentation to school teachers involved. The fieldwork for this study will be conducted from August 1, 2014 to December 31, 2014.