Susan Oman presents paradata from her nationwide focus groups on well-being. These data suggest that everyday conversations offer the same well-being effects as more formal participation methods, and by extension indicate that research and evaluations which assume the social effects of certain forms of cultural participation are currently overreaching in their claims.
2. UEP starts from the proposition that the relationship between participation
and value needs radically rethinking. Orthodox models of cultural
engagement are based on a narrow definition of participation, one that
focuses on the ‘high’ arts and traditional cultural institutions but which, in
the process, neglects the significance of more informal hobbies, pastimes
and other, ostensibly mundane, day-to-day activities. Our work sets out to
explore the value of such everyday cultural practices through a five-part
programme of interdisciplinary, mixed-methods research.
3. the relationship between
participation and value needs
radically rethinking
Well-being is a form of value that
can be found in different places.
How can the value of
participation be found in
testimonies of well-being?
In conversation with UEP
To find methods to
understand
participation
And methods that
people use -
participation as a
medium for well-being
4. The What Matters to YOU?
Debate – as framework
“The Measuring National Well-being programme began in
November 2010 with a six month National Debate,
asking, ‘what matters’, to understand what measures of
well-being should include. Following 175 events, with
2,750 people and 34,000 responses received online or via
other channels, ONS developed a framework for
measuring national well-being
(ONS: ‘Measuring National Well-being: Life in the UK, 2012’)
5. Measuring National Well-being Debate had
“Participatory Spirit” (Kroll 2011)
Reports on the debate (2011)
only use qualitative opinions of
what matters to the nation
to support quantitative representations of what matters
to those keen to measure what can already be measured
Opinions of the participating nation
marginalised
6. Family History Society
Sure-start Centre art class
Category B male prison
Methodist social enterprise
Amateur journalism project for young people ‘at risk’
Stand-up comedians
Adult beginners’ computer class
Hospital pharmacy team
Yoga class from an elite country club
Group trying to make a business out of their craft
‘hobbies’
Social housing residents
Disability advocacy group
Charedi Jewish women
FOCUS
GROUPS
7. Discourse Communities | Schostak
What Matters to people
in their discourse communities?
‘participants co-
produce an
account of
themselves and
their ideas
which is specific
to that time and
place’
8. the form of collective communication
occurring in focus groups is very
familiar to the ways women connect
with each other. Women in many
latina families tend to gather in a
kitchen to drink coffee, plan the meals
and share their worries and stories..
These activities are performed while
participating in dialogue with other
women
…focus group methdology has great potential for discovering the complex
layers which shape the individual and collective lived experiences of the
research participants Limputtong And the role of participation
in creating that value
9. I really enjoyed that..
.. the first time we’ve
gotten to get know each
other
Can I come
back
tomorrow?
10. Service users particularly enjoyed working with
artists:
R: A few of us from xxxxx set out… they took us in a mini-bus to where the
stonemason was working and we basically looked around his workshop and…
that’s basically it, really.
I: What was it like? Did you enjoy yourself?
R: Yes, it was… they had like different jobs that they were doing at the time.
I: OK. And what was it like working with the artists?
R: What… like the stonemason and stuff?
I: Yes, and the people who came about the bench.
R: Yes, it was good.
SOURCE: A SECRET
11. “Participating in arts projects has a positive
impact on the mental health of participants by
raising self esteem, and reducing social
isolation.” Report from ‘important’ people
such activities motivate engagement because they are
social and fun – and above all give people the
opportunity to develop skills, self confidence and
engage in creating something beautiful.
Being part of something bigger
than yourself is also important.
It’s not about you as an
individual creating something.
It’s about being a part of
something bigger that allows
you to let go and be yourself.
it puts me in a place where I am able to see
how I fit in. If you don’t fit into society for
whatever reason or feel awkward or
anxious, the camera can give you a real
sense of purpose
It’s like being ‘accepted’. I love the positive attention rather
than the negative attention that I used to get.
Creative activities bring
people together,
encourages cooperation
and reminds us all of
what it is to be human.
Anonymous
participants
from an
unnamed
’important’
report
12. Logic models
Logic modelling can support the
development of an outcomes
framework to enhance
programme planning,
implementation, and
dissemination activities (Kellogg
Foundation, 2004). A logic
model helps map the resources
and the sequence of events that
connect the need for a
programme with its results. In
the example below (Figure 1),
the model distinguishes
between outputs, outcomes and
impacts of a proposed singing
project for older people.
13. Clearly the first time these two had talked so
openly.
Given expressions of enjoyment tended to
refer to the fact that participating in the
research = 1st opportunity for these groups to
‘chat’
Are the socio-cultural qualities of participation
as simple as spending time with people, or are
there certain types of being-with people that
present better well-being effects?
Can these be broken down by participation
forms?
OR do we want to think about participation
differently?
Participation to escape loneliness
How do you manage loneliness?
the overwhelming feeling of
loneliness
14. Are we too keen to prove the value of
participation, that we default to thinking
of participation as forms of activity
Are we ignoring relational qualities
which ‘make less noise’ in participation
research, even though they are staring
us in the face?
15. I’m not arguing that it is conversation as a form of participation
‘that matters for well-being’ as a ‘special case’
Instead more interested in how the conversations in the focus groups
useful to understand participation as a medium for well-being,
& how people use conversation as methods for participation,
or in participation, and how that affects well-being effects
Hinweis der Redaktion
So I’m going to play with ideas of conversation.
Whose methods
Whose participation
When looking at the everyday
To addres ways of participating which exceed the existing fields of study
AND the transcational qualities assumed of participation
Whether it is the value of social exchange; social cohesion; or contributions to well-being
I am interested in a particular aspect of value: well-being effects
Traditionally find well-being effects in evidence from an intervention / impact
So how a performance affected you
Or whether being made unemployed has an impact on your wellbeing – and how
INSTEAD of looking for evidence of well being effects in narratives and data about participation
U am interested in finding evidence of the positive impact of participation and cultural life when people talk about their well-being, when NOT DIRECTLY ASKED about participation
So I decided to ‘perform’ my own mini debate.
For some time, months and months, ONS refused access to any of their archived data. Different excuses, anonymity, we don’t have it, we didn’t think any one would want to look at it
Different relations to ideas of wellbeing or happiness.
Rural, urban
Why onteresed in discourse communities, rather than conversation analysis?
Pranee Limputtong – a great book on focus group methodologies
She explained that
ONLY ASKED ONE QUESTION, LIKE THE ONS LIVE EVENTS: WHAT MATTERS TO YOU?
When I spoke to people in their discourse communities, or rather, listened to them talk in groups which they were accustomed to participating in, at the end of each focus group, one or a number of participants would explain how much they enjoyed the session.
1st thought not much of it
But it occurred to me how much these testimonies of enjoyment felt familiar
ALL QUOTES ARE FROM ONE REPORT FROM A MAJOR SYSTEMATIC REVIEW OF THE EVIDENCE.
I NEITHER WANT TO MENTION THE REVIEW NOR THE PROJECTS THEY CITE AS I DON’T WANT THE FOCUS OF THIS TO BE TAKING DOWN THE STRAW MAN OF PARTICIPATION RESEATCH
WHAT I WANT TO DO IS TO THINK ABOUT HOW REFRAMING THE ‘SPECIAL’ QUALITIES OF ARTS PARTICIAPTION, CULTURAL PARTICIPATION OR ORGANISED SOCIAL PARTICIPATION IS PERHAPS WHAT IS PROBLEMATIC FOR UNDERSTANDING THE TRUE NATURE OF THE RELATIONSHIP
I am not artistic, but (artist’s) enthusiasm for her art was so infectious that I really enjoyed the session
(Artist) came to us and turned our day into a surprising treat of information, skills and fun. I stopped saying “I can’t do that” and did it and was pleasantly surprised by the finished article
(FF: 5.4.5 Older Adults Day Unit Textiles workshop, Callington Road Hospital) from http://www.ahsw.org.uk/userfiles/Research/MovingOnEval_Jan08.pdf
ALL OF THESE QUOTES COULD BE QUOTES FROM MY FOCUS GROUPS ABOUT THEIR FORMS OF PARTICIPATION WHICH AREN’T ARTS AND CULTURAL
TRANSPORT WAS IDENTIFIED AS AN ENORMOUS PROBLEM WHICH IMPACTED ON THE WELLBEING OF MANY WHERTH THIS WAS RELATED TO AGE, INCOME OR ABLE-BODIED RESTRAINST.
IT IS WORTH POINTING OUT OF COURSE, THAT THIS IS ONE OF THE REASONS THAT WELLBEING AND PARTICIPATION ARE OFTEN CORRELATED.
YOU OFTEN HAVE TO BE WELL AND NOT OVERLY RESTRICED IN TERMS OF CPACITY TO MMOVE ABOUT IN ORDER TO ATTEND, IN ORDER TO PARTICPATE
Many of those who attended the group discussions, did so to escape loneliness.
One of my participants admitted they had only turned up to ‘manage loneliness’ and asked his friend of 40years how she managed lonlienss.
And another described ‘the overwhelming feeling of loneliness’ as she shut her door of an everning, having spent the day vociferously participating
Such admissions might seem to reinforce the assumed socio-cultural benefits of participation. However, the expressions of enjoyment tended to refer to the fact that the research session had presented the first opportunity for these groups who have been participating together for some time, to ‘chat amongst themselves’ or ‘get to know each other better’. This raises questions regarding the presumed beneficial qualities of participation. Is participating with people enough, or do people need to engage with each other meaningfully to effect the positive affective qualities of participation?
The focus groups indicate that research on the social effects of forms of participation as they are currently understood in relation to well-being currently overreach in their claims. I want to argue that this is because we look for well-being effects from particulat interventions, which means we default to thinking about participation in forms, rather than the affective experience of participation, no matter what you are participating in.
The presentation of less formal, more apparently incidental relations as would be found in common participation settings, such as a yoga class or computer class, for example, tend to be described in terms of the utility of social capital, the political gains of social cohesion, or the correspondence of loneliness to premature death
Are we too keen to prove the value of participation, that we default to thinking of participation as forms of activity
Are we ignoring relational qualities which ‘make less noise’ in participation research, even though they are staring us in the face?
