Date of Award

1999

Publication Type

Master Thesis

Degree Name

M.A.

Department

Communication Studies

Keywords

Education, Curriculum and Instruction.

Supervisor

Lewis, Richard,

Rights

info:eu-repo/semantics/openAccess

Abstract

This thesis presents a case study of the importance of participation in instructional development. The project began with the assumption that children can have a central decision-making role in changing their playground design, an assumption based in the theory of participatory design. The research goal was to develop a new participatory model for designing school playgrounds. This goal was reached through the education of children in playground design theory and the creation of meaningful opportunities for children to plan and design existing playgrounds. Yael & Schlomo Sharan's Group Investigation was the education method selected to implement a participatory design process with children. In the implementation of the curriculum unit, referred to as the Playground Project, instructional goals were negotiated and modified, certain instructional strategies improvised, and aspects of the Group Investigation method abandoned. The departures from the initial planned unit were a natural feature of participatory planning in which children actively negotiated all aspects of the research and learning process. One outcome of the Playground Project was the development of an instructional unit for teaching children about play and playground design theories. Another outcome was to provide a case study analysis of the Group Investigation process and the issues of participatory research with children. It is hoped that this information will add to the knowledge of Group Investigation and participatory research processes and help to promote their underlying ideals.Dept. of Communication Studies. Paper copy at Leddy Library: Theses & Major Papers - Basement, West Bldg. / Call Number: Thesis1999 .M37. Source: Masters Abstracts International, Volume: 39-02, page: 0325. Adviser: Richard Lewis. Thesis (M.A.)--University of Windsor (Canada), 1999.

Download

Share

COinS