Pada hari Rabu, 31 Januari 2024 pukul 15.00-17.00 WIB, Center for Life-Span Development (CLSD) menyelenggarakan webinar bertajuk “Children’s Voices: Well-Being for All, Building Student Well-Being through Child-led Initiatives”. Webinar ini terbuka untuk umum dan ditujukan kepada audiens yang beragam seperti siswa sekolah dasar dan menengah, guru, akademisi, praktisi, dan orang tua. Webinar dilaksanakan secara daring melalui Zoom Meeting dan diikuti oleh kurang lebih 320 peserta yang berasal dari Indonesia, Thailand, dan Filipina. Adapun tujuan webinar ini adalah memberikan kesempatan bagi peneliti muda untuk berbagi inisiatif dan hasil penelitian mereka dalam rangka meningkatkan kesadaran publik tentang pentingnya mendengarkan suara anak-anak untuk meningkatkan kesejahteraan mereka.

Acara diawali dengan pembukaan, dipandu oleh MC yang merupakan siswa SD Taman Muda IP Tamansiswa – Yogyakarta, yaitu Tiffany dan Caroline. Mereka menyambut para peserta dan membuka acara dengan penuh semangat. Acara dilanjutkan dengan sambutan oleh Deputy Director (Programme Development) SEAMEO, John Arnold Siena. Beliau menyampaikan pesan dan harapannya terkait acara ini, yang mana menyoroti pentingnya penelitian dan proyek-proyek inovatif dalam dunia pendidikan. Dr. Elga Andriana selaku peneliti yang memperoleh SEAMEO-Australia Education Link Award (SAELA) 2022 dengan judul penelitian “Our (photo)Voice: Children and Young People’s Joint Action Research on Student Well-Being for All” kemudian menambahkan penjelasan mendalam mengenai penelitian yang akan dibahas dalam acara ini. 

Webinar dilanjutkan dengan penyampaian materi atau presentasi yang terbagi ke dalam tiga sesi. Presenter pertama, Ayun Septa Wibawa, siswa SMP Taman Dewasa IP  Tamansiswa – Yogyakarta, membagikan pengalaman penelitiannya yang berjudul “Small Voices, Big Impact.” Ayun berbicara tentang pengalaman menjadi peneliti muda dan hasil penelitiannya, termasuk solusi yang diusulkan dan tindakan yang diambil bersama guru dan orang tua. Selanjutnya, tiga anak dari Anak Rimba WARSI – Jambi yang bernama Melandai, Nanju, dan Becenteng, menyajikan paparan penelitian mereka yang berjudul “From Trash to Treasure“. Penelitian tersebut berfokus pada perubahan dari sampah menjadi barang berharga. Mereka berbagi pengalamannya sebagai peneliti muda dan perubahan yang telah mereka lakukan di komunitas mereka. Presenter terakhir, yaitu Dilbert Thimoty Tansania, siswa SMP Santa Maria Assumpta – Kupang, menyajikan pemikirannya dalam sesi yang berjudul “Bridging Perspectives of Friends and Parents for Student Well-being in an Inclusive“. Dilbert memaparkan proyeknya yang bertujuan untuk memahami dan merangkul siswa berkebutuhan khusus di sekolah inklusif. Ia berbicara tentang temuan dan perubahan yang dihasilkan dari proyek photovoice mereka. Pada akhir setiap sesi presentasi dilanjutkan dengan diskusi yang dipandu oleh para penanggap yaitu Dr. Elga Andriana, Dr. Indra Yohanes Kiling, dan Yohana Berliana Marpaung. Diskusi ini memberikan kesempatan kepada peserta untuk bertanya, berbagi ide, dan berkolaborasi.

Acara mencapai puncaknya pada sesi tanya jawab dengan para peserta. Pertanyaan dari peserta dijawab oleh para presenter dan penanggap dengan memperdalam pemahaman mengenai topik-topik yang telah dibahas. Pada akhir acara, Policy and Planning Specialist SEAMEO, Emiljohn Columna Sentillas, memberikan penutup yang merangkum inti dari acara tersebut. Beliau menyampaikan apresiasi kepada para pembicara, peserta, dan seluruh panitia yang telah berkontribusi dalam menyukseskan acara ini. Selain itu, beliau juga memberikan arahan untuk melanjutkan semangat kolaborasi dan inovasi dalam dunia pendidikan. Semua sesi disampaikan dalam bahasa Indonesia, dengan terjemahan bahasa Inggris yang juga disediakan oleh pihak penyelenggara.Penelitian “Our (photo)Voice: Children and Young People’s Joint Action Research on Student Wellbeing for All” memberikan kesempatan bagi anak-anak, termasuk anak-anak disabilitas dan anak-anak dari komunitas lokal, untuk berperan sebagai peneliti muda dalam memahami kesejahteraan mereka di lingkungan masing-masing. Melalui metode photovoice, peneliti muda dapat mengidentifikasi permasalahan kesejahteraan mereka serta memberikan saran rencana tindakan yang dapat diimplementasikan secara kolaboratif antara anak, guru, dan orang tua.

Since March 2023, 31 child and young researchers from Yogyakarta, Kupang, and Jambi have been actively involved in various stages of action research as part of the “Our (photo) Voice: Children and Young People’s Joint Action Research on Student Wellbeing for All” project. Through this project, these child and young researchers are driven to amplify their own voices and those of their peers by sharing insights into the psychological well-being of students in their schools. One of the ways they’re doing this is by showcasing their research findings in this virtual exhibition.

This virtual exhibition features over 30 images accompanied by explanations provided by our child and young researchers. Within each image, they vividly portray their experiences with inclusive education at school and shed light on the factors, both supportive and detrimental, affecting their psychological well-being in the school environment.

This virtual exhibition is open to the public and accessible at any time. We invite you to visit and immerse yourself in the voices of our young researchers!

https://www.artsteps.com/view/64ef2c058b8b54d2b4f08616

On Wednesday, April 12, 2023, nine students from SMP Taman Muda Ibu Pawiyatan Tamansiswa participated in training as young researchers. Zata Wafy and Ukhtina Duhi Anindita I., co-researchers in the Our (photo) Voice: Children and Young People’s Joint Action Research on Student Wellbeing for All project, led the training. The project’s goal was to investigate the psychological well-being of students with disabilities and typical students in inclusive schools through the eyes of child and young researchers, so the training was designed to familiarize the students with the Photovoice method that will be used in the research.

The training was divided into two sessions, with the first at 8 a.m. for four grade 7 students and the second at 10 a.m. for five grade 8 students. According to one of the co-researchers, Zata, all of the students were eager to be trained as young researchers. Because both sessions were conducted in a relaxed and cheerful manner, all students were eager to participate actively in the training, allowing them to grasp all of the important points that were presented throughout the sessions. It is hoped that through this training, the students will be able to perform successfully as young researchers in the actual project.

On Tuesday, 20 June 2023, 5 child researchers visited the Faculty of Psychology, Universitas Gadjah Mada to conduct a data analysis session. The session was led by co-researcher of Our (photo) Voice: Children and Young People’s Joint Action Research on Student Wellbeing for All project, Mlathi Anggayuh Jati and assisted by another co-researcher and three research interns. Dr. Elga Andriana was also there to attend the data analysis session.

The 5 child researchers were given a colorful worksheet, the worksheets were different from one another. Each worksheet consisted of several narrations of their previous photovoices, and they were asked to give comments on what the narration is saying, and their feelings towards the narration. Overall, the researchers were able to finish all of the worksheets, for students with difficulty in reading, the narrations were read by the research assistants. After the worksheet, the researchers were given quizzes, the co-researcher were saying one word and the child researchers were asked to answer with anything that they think associated with the word given. 

After the data analysis session, we did a campus tour around Gadjah Mada University and had lunch together at the university’s Wisdom Park. Overall, the sessions were a lot of fun and the child researcher said that they were very happy. 

On Tuesday and Wednesday, 4 and 5 April 2023, co-researchers from Our (photo) Voice: Children and Young People’s Joint Action Research on Student Wellbeing for All project, Mlathi Anggayuh Jati and Nawang Chrismangesti, conducted research training sessions for child researcher at Taman Muda Ibu Pawiyatan Tamansiswa (elementary school). The purpose of this training session is to prepare the child researchers prior to joining the actual photovoice research project. 

During the training sessions, our co-researchers introduce 3 core materials to our child researchers: introduction to general research, the photovoice method, and discussion regarding psychological well-being. In total, there are 5 students from grade 4 and 5 who attended the sessions. Even though the materials were relatively new to students their age, they were very enthusiastic throughout the sessions and attracted the younger students who didn’t participate in the program to also participate in practicing the photovoice method. Overall, the training for our child researchers received positive feedback from the child researchers themselves and the school as a whole.

On the 17th of February 2023, as part of the research titled Our (photo) Voice: Children and Young People’s Joint Action Research on Student Wellbeing for All conducted under SEAMEO-Australia Education Link Award (SAELA) 2022, Dr. Elga Andriana conducted a photovoice training session for co-researchers from Yogyakarta, Kupang, and Jambi. The training was conducted in order to increase the understanding of using photovoice as a data collection tool in research involving children from the three mentioned regions.

In summary, the training discussed about:

1. Photovoice’s Theoretical Framework

Photovoice is not just a way to obtain data but more than that, photovoice is also a tool to empower the participants. Therefore, researchers must have the mindset of “educating” and not solely aim to collect the needed data. 

2. The Goal of Photovoice

Photovoice aims to encourage participants to reflect on their surroundings as well as to address issues in their communities with the hope of generating solutions and creating a change in the community. 

3. Step by Step of Conducting Photovoice

In general, after assessing the participants and obtaining consent, researchers need to:

• Pose the initial theme for taking photo
• Introduce basic photography method
• Provide the time for participants to take photos
• Discuss the photographs with the participants 
• Plan the ways to communicate the photos and result to the stakeholders

The training ended with a sharing session about Dr. Andriana’s previous Photovoice research as well as discussing possible problems that may arise during the research in Yogyakarta, Kupang, and Jambi. 

A research entitled Our (photo) Voice: Children and Young People’s Joint Action Research on Student Wellbeing for All is currently held by Dr. Elga Andriana and team for SEAMEO-Australian Education Link Award (SAELA) 2022. In order to gain deeper understanding on the topic, an initial training was conducted on February 4th, 2023 with two amazing source persons who shared their knowledge that relates to the topic of the research. The two people are Dr. Annie Gowing, whose presentation focused on wellbeing, specifically in the context of the school, as well as on peer support and its role in student wellbeing, and Professor David Evans whose presentation was entitled “Inclusive Education: Inclusive for Whom?”

The first presentation was delivered by Dr. Annie Gowing. She described several definitions of wellbeing, but specifically, student wellbeing is defined as a sustained state of positive mood and attitude, resilience, and satisfaction with self, relationships, and experiences at school. This concept has multiple dimensions, and this presentation covered four of them: cognitive, social, emotional, and physical. Below are the efforts that school can put to promote all four aspects of wellbeing of the students:

1. Cognitive

• Nurture competence
• Nurture autonomy
• Support relatedness

2. Social

• Promote positive relationships and connectedness
• Promote pro-social behavior

3. Emotional

• Create safe classrooms, playgrounds, spaces and online learning environments
• Teach social-emotional skills
• Developing and supporting school-wide strategies

4. Physical

• Promoting physical activity
• Creating a safe environment
• Good nutrition and sleep
• Adopting a whole school approach

In addition to support from the school, peer support is also important in promoting students’ wellbeing. Peer support allows students to interact with one another in a safe and encouraging environment. It can be formal or informal, organized or spontaneous. It can especially help students with disabilities and those who have experienced bullying or trauma, as it can increase levels of interaction with peers, academic engagement, progress on individualized social goals, social participation in class and the formation of new friendships, and a sense of belonging at school.

The training session was then continued by a presentation by Professor David Evans on the topic of inclusive education, which was still related to the context of learning and education. Professor David Evans first explained the topic’s foundation, which is inclusion, before delving too deeply into it. Inclusion is “the action or state of being included within a group or structure”. Meanwhile in the context of education, education is the right of all students that is needed to be worked on using all the resources in the community. This aligns with the fourth goal of UN Sustainability Goals, which is to ensure inclusive and quality education for all and promote lifelong learning. In short, build a learning environment that allows all students to not just participate in schools but also allows them to actually learn regardless of their backgrounds.

To achieve the goal of inclusion, we must go through a process that includes several steps. The first one is to embrace diversity and build a sense of belonging which is rooted in the belief that every person has value and potential and should be respected. Next is to change and modify content, teaching methods, approaches, structures, and strategies in education to overcome barriers with a vision of providing all students the resources they need corresponding to their needs and preferences. Not only that, we also have to transform culture, policy, and practice in all education settings to accommodate differences among students and remove barriers that impede that possibility. Finally is to focus on full and effective participation, accessibility, attendance, and achievement of all students.

Professor David Evans additionally provided two frameworks that may serve as a guide for stakeholders in education in supporting the development of inclusive education, which are:

1. Inclusive Pedagogical Approach in Action (IPAA) proposed by Florian (2014)

• Assumption 1: Differences is accounted for as an essential aspect of human development in any conceptualisation of learning
• Assumption 2: Teachers must believe they are qualified/capable of teaching all children
• Assumption 3: Teachers continually develop creative new ways of working with others

2. Universal Design for Learning proposed by Hall and Johnson (2015)

• Assumption 1: Learning is the dynamic interaction of the individual with the environment or context 
• Assumption 2: Learner ability and disability is at the intersection of the individual and the environment or context
• Assumption 3: Learners in any learning environment represent a range of variability
• Assumption 4: “If we design our instruction for the ‘average’ learner, we’re designing for no one.”

The training ended with a very inspiring closing statement from Professor David Evans, “but, where are the students in the discussion of inclusive education?” So far, “talk of ‘including’ can only be made by those occupying a position of privilege at the center” (Graham & Slee, 2006, p.20). Therefore, Children and Young People’s Joint Action Research on Student Well-being for All can put students in the center of the discussion of inclusive education and listen to their voice.