Overview and details of the sessions of this conference. Please select a date or location to show only sessions at that day or location. Please select a single session for detailed view (with abstracts and downloads if available).
This symposium delves into the creative methodology adopted whilst engaging in a study with families whose young children were expelled from school and placed in an alternative provision due to social, emotional, and mental health difficulties. The complex needs surrounding these families often lead to them being labeled as hard to reach and therefore challenging to engage in research. These challenges and the ethical dilemmas that emerged throughout our study will be explored during this symposium. A literature review on current research with hard-to-reach populations will be provided. We will also explain how observing the participants' behavior amongst themselves and with the researcher, and adopting a reflexive and flexible stance helped build a connection with the participants. The various creative methods which were adopted as part of the Mosaic approach with the children and their parents, separately and together, and how these played a part in the meaning-making process throughout the research journey will be highlighted. Finally, we will explain how the innovative use of a multi-family group session format provided a safe space for an intergenerational encounter allowing for the children’s and parents' authentic voices to continue to be heard.
Presentations of the Symposium
Using a creative methodology to engage with hard-to-reach populations in research - the scholarly work so far
Angela Abela University of Malta
In the first part of the symposium, a literature review on creative methods and why a creative methodology can help to engage hard-to-reach populations in research will be presented.
Presenting the hard-to-reach populations and the difficulties they encounter to be heard
Angela Abela University of Malta
In the second part, the focus will be on hard-to-reach populations and why their voice often goes unheard in research. The families that took part in the research study will be presented
Working creatively with children and parents independent of each other – the challenges and the resources
Kylie Poppe University of Malta
In the third part of the symposium, the creative methods used throughout the research study with children as well as with the parents will be presented. Challenges around engagement, communication, and the participation of the children and parents independent of each other
The culmination of the research study – bringing children and parents together in research
Kylie Poppe University of Malta
In the last part, the creative methods used when the children and parents were together will be highlighted. The introductory meeting with the participants and the multi-family group format session will be presented.
