Research Questions

There are four main research questions:

1 What kind of youth voice initiatives are being undertaken by Creative Partnerships schools?

Under this heading we will aim to map and to describe different CP initiatives, at different stages of the creative learning process. What different definitions and understandings of ‘participation’, ‘voice’ or ‘consultation’ are being mobilised in these initiatives? How is ‘voice’ constructed within different projects, through what methods and technologies (e.g. questionnaires, surveys, students’ own research, consultation events), with what audiences in mind, and how does this affect what young people are able to say? What obstacles exist to young people’s participation and what are the conditions that help make participation successful?

2 Creativity: is there a necessary relationship between the aspiration to develop creative learning projects and to engage young people?

In the process of mapping existing projects, we will seek views on how far participative approaches are essential aspects of creative learning. Does participation mobilise young people’s creativity in different, more productive ways? Does it help maintain CP’s dynamism and sustainability (as CP hopes), if so how? Do different stakeholders differ in their views on this?

3 Access: which ‘stakeholders’ (students, teachers, creative practitioners, wider community members) are involved in CP projects that attempt to harness student participation?

The research will establish a profile of who is involved, and then explore whether there are any noticeable patterns of inclusion / exclusion. How far are young people engaged in these projects able to build on and capitalise on their access to voice (for instance, through credentialising it or otherwise benefiting from it in other areas of their life)? What are the power relations that create voice?

4 Learning: (How) does participation offer new forms of identity and relationships to schools, teachers, creative practitioners and students in the creative learning process?

What skills, experiences, identities and relationships are developed through participation, for students, teachers and creative practitioners? How can the impact of this work be evaluated and by whom? (How) does participative work link to other areas of the curriculum? How do these identities relate to other social identities outside school and to peer group cultures within school?
The research will draw on conclusions from each of these areas to consider how we might make sense of the wider project of creating ‘participating individuals’.