Presenter(s):

Vera Roos, North-West University, South Africa

Abstract

A clear directive of the Madrid International Plan of Action is that older adults should be able to participate in research conducted in an enabling research environment and benefit from the findings. This 2-hour workshop in two parts, aims to demonstrate how older people actively participate in creating visual representations of their experiences of hope using the Mmogo method. Mmogo is a Setswana word (one of the 11 indigenous language of South Africa) and means “together”, “as one”, or “building together”. In the first part of the workshop, volunteering older adults (n = 8) will participate in a group setting while more attendees can observe the demonstration. The demonstration of the method will be applied in four phases. In Phase 1, researchers create a context for optimal participation by introducing group norms to facilitate interpersonal safety. In Phase 2, each participant is presented with a standard set of materials: malleable clay, beads or buttons in different colours, dried grass stalks (or suitable substitute), and a circular piece of cloth, packed in a container. Following an open-ended prompt, participants construct visual images representing the phenomenon that is the focus of the demonstration. The images are photographed (visual data). In Phase 3, each individual explains her or his visual representation (visual and textual data), and group members discuss individual participants’ interpretations of the images they have made (observational data), augmenting content with their views (textual data). Researchers take a phenomenological stance when probing and interpreting participants’ visual representations. In Phase 4, the data-gathering session is concluded by debriefing participants as well as researchers (textual data). Part 2 of the workshop will adopt a reflective approach by asking the older participants to reflect on their participatory experiences and attendees on their observations. The discussion will be used by probing for knowledge obtained from the experiential learning exercise by reflecting on the following: (1) The method as an other-centered approach, respectful interaction, and being mindfully attuned to participants); (2) How research conducted in this participatory visual data-collection method is bounded by ethical considerations; and (3) How the method could be used to enact socially transformative practices. The workshop is concluded with a discussion on the limitations of the method, such as that it excludes people who have been traumatized recently or struggling to deal with reality and those who prefer not to participate in a group. Examples of the different application possibilities will be shared. For example how the multiple data sources obtained could be used to explore and describe social phenomena and to develop theories or interventions.

Bio(s):

Vera Roos is Professor in the Ageing and Generational Dynamics in Africa (AGenDA) programme in the Optentia Research Unit at North-West University, and an Affiliate Research Fellow of the Institute of Population Ageing at the University of Oxford. As a socio-gerontologist, she focuses on relational experiences and on the contributions of older individuals in challenged contexts. Vera presented her research on topics related to enabling interpersonal contexts, loneliness, friendship, and intergenerational relations at national and international conferences, and has published widely, including four edited books. Vera developed the Mmogo-method®, a projective visual data-collection tool to enable research participation despite age, language, or cultural barriers. Findings from this visual method informed the development of self-interactional group Theory (SIGT). Her commitment to promoting the well-being of older people prompted the development of an information and communication eDirectory system, Yabelana, with context-specific information for use on smart and older generation mobile phone devices.