Ainslie Yardley | Western Sydney University (original) (raw)

Papers by Ainslie Yardley

Forum Qualitative Social Research, May 31, 2008

Like light along a cable, sound down a wire or wind through the grass, new understandings ripple ... more Like light along a cable, sound down a wire or wind through the grass, new understandings ripple through us, flooding our entire body with a shiver of knowing that will change us forever. I can recognise this when it happens in another person. I can see it in their body, this passage of one way of being into another- this magical creative shift. When it happens to another they seem to be somewhere else. When it happens to me I seem to be somewhere else, other than where we usually are. Where do we go for this creative moment to occur? If we go somewhere, if creativity has both a moment and a territory, exists in time and space, in a country of a kind, where is this country between knowing and unknowing? The emerging place of all new thought, all new human construction - all new knowledge that is central to our existence as human beings. In many cultures, being in country describes having entered a place of belonging, of being purposefully within an environment to which one is spiritually connected and to which one has serious obligations, a collective space. It would seem to me that creativity is a space very like that- collective, serious, purposeful, of fundamental importance to us all

Forum Qualitative Social Research, Jul 1, 2008

Narrative inquiry has the advantage of being able to reveal the "inner life" of the analytical te... more Narrative inquiry has the advantage of being able to reveal the "inner life" of the analytical text that is usually obscured-a powerful addition to the researcher's toolbox. The interpretive character of narrative takes us beyond reportage and recording of data.

Child Indicators Research, Jan 28, 2011

This paper reflects on the author’s own experience of the multi-textual performative presentation... more This paper reflects on the author’s own experience of the multi-textual performative presentation created collaboratively by 36 children from years five and six at a Sydney primary school for the pre-conference Symposium at the 2009 ISCI Conference ‘Counting Children In.’ The first section discusses the principles and processes that framed the work undertaken with the children, and the second part

Educational and Child Psychology, Mar 1, 2014

Children are becoming increasingly engaged in the practice of research, either as active collabor... more Children are becoming increasingly engaged in the practice of research, either as active collaborators with adults or as independent researchers in their own right. This paper explores aspects of training and mentoring of children engaged in research practice as independent researchers, and highlights the use of creative methodologies in mixed-method research undertaken by children.Three primary aspects of participation and training are considered in relation to the space children inhabit in the research community: the ways in which children acquire research skills and the ways in which children are mentored in their research practice; the use of creative methods as conceptual and interpretive tools in interdisciplinary mixed-method research and how creative methodologies may benefit and empower child practitioners; and thirdly the importance of dissemination of research undertaken by children, and the quality of the intergenerational dialogue emerging from it. The paper begins with a story.The story is a personal observation translated into narrative and placed here to contextualise (rather than analyse) the research work undertaken by a group of Australian children, concurrent with their counterparts in the UK and Canada, over an 18-month period between April 2011 and September 2012. It introduces a methodological framework that was the underpinning of the project designed by the children and mentored by the author.

Narrative inquiry has the advantage of being able to reveal the "inner life" of the ana... more Narrative inquiry has the advantage of being able to reveal the "inner life" of the analytical text that is usually obscured-a powerful addition to the researcher's toolbox. The interpretive character of narrative takes us beyond reportage and recording of data. This contribution discusses ethical questions emerging from taking a narrative turn in social research, and asks, "Who owns stories once they are told? Can the telling of a 'true' story always be considered ethically sound?" The shaping and ownership of meaning is a crucial consideration for researchers in cross-disciplinary domains and cannot be isolated from aesthetic considerations-whether a story sounds good or adds weight to an argument. This article deals with ethical considerations as they relate to specific work with specific people, and with how engagement in creative processes in research becomes a contributing element in the ethical life of the narrator.

ABSTRACT This contribution looks at the theatre artist as facilitator in the social policy realm.... more ABSTRACT This contribution looks at the theatre artist as facilitator in the social policy realm. The authors discuss alternative interpretive angles and mediating possibilities offered by embodied creative processes, which are not otherwise available to social policy researchers. We discuss why social policy-makers need to be not only 'informed' by applied theatre research and creative processes, but to have embodied creative processes integrated within their professional practice. The methodologies of theatre and policy-making both exist as carefully crafted distillations of thought, external data and experience. The most profound difference between them is that non- discursive artistic materials emerge as 'transcendent configurations' which clarify and make explicit the structure and meaning of 'lived experience'. The authors elaborate on the theoretical underpinnings that place the applied theatre artist at the centre of the collaborative research process, able to guide people through the terrain of creativity country, and bring new ideas to fruition. Résumé

This contribution looks at the theatre artist as facilitator in the social policy realm. The auth... more This contribution looks at the theatre artist as facilitator in the social policy realm. The authors discuss alternative interpretive angles and mediating possibilities offered by embodied creative processes, which are not otherwise available to social policy researchers. We discuss why social policy-makers need to be not only ‘informed ’ by applied theatre research and creative processes, but to have embodied creative processes integrated within their professional practice. The methodologies of theatre and policy-making both exist as carefully crafted distillations of thought, external data and experience. The most profound difference between them is that non-discursive artistic materials emerge as ‘transcendent configurations ’ which clarify and make explicit the structure and meaning of ‘lived experience’. The authors elaborate on the theoretical underpinnings that place the applied theatre artist at the centre of the collaborative research process, able to guide people through t...

Abstract: The idea of the body being ‘inside creativity country’ when engaged in creative work is... more Abstract: The idea of the body being ‘inside creativity country’ when engaged in creative work is central to the ideas explored in this article. The discussion will focus on the importance of the whole body-mind in the spatio-temporal experience of creativity – on creativity as embodied space, creativity as ‘country’. The relationship between extended consciousness and creativity, and the part that emotion plays in that interaction is also crucial to the discussion. Insights will be offered into the role creativity plays in maintaining dynamic equilibrium in human life – the ecology of embodied mind. Keywords: Creativity – creativity as country – embodied learning – relational space – creativity and consciousness – duration – dynamic equilibrium.

At the time that ACWA initiated this piece of research it was felt that there was a dearth of Aus... more At the time that ACWA initiated this piece of research it was felt that there was a dearth of Australian specific material available on which coherent policy could be based. Since that time there has been growing academic interest in the area. The number of children deemed to be in Out of Home Care (OOHC) has burgeoned at an alarming rate in NSW. A proportion of this increase can be attributed to some kinship carers now receiving payments from the NSW Government, although not formally constituting a child protection concern. The many developments on the OOHC front in NSW in recent times, and its enmeshment within the broader child protection system, has brought into sharp focus the nature of what gets classified as kinship care. What then do we know of the kinship carers’ experiences? Where do they see themselves in the scheme of things? Is it realistic to aspire to definitional clarity around the term beyond that which relates to familial ties? Therein lies the primary aim and dile...

We would like to extend our warm and appreciative thanks to all the participants in this research... more We would like to extend our warm and appreciative thanks to all the participants in this research. They opened their hearts, and often their homes, to share their experiences and stories of caring. This was not always easy. Talking about intimate, emotional and important experiences and issues takes time and courage. We thank you deeply for taking the time and for having the courage to talk to us. Niki Read was our extremely capable research assistant for three years of this project. We thank her for her tenacity, her attention to detail, her humour and her sheer hard work. We appreciated her multiple skills and warm, inclusive sense of humanity. Niki coordinated and supported all of us throughout. She was our anchor. Research Assistant Sally Galovic joined the team to help with the recruitment and the beginning of the data analysis. Thank you! Artist and researcher Hayley West joined the research team to curate the final exhibition of photographs and to organise the launch of the report. We were extremely fortunate to have such a talented creative person join us in this important final stage.

Abstract: Narrative inquiry has the advantage of being able to reveal the "inner life "... more Abstract: Narrative inquiry has the advantage of being able to reveal the "inner life " of the analytical text that is usually obscured—a powerful addition to the researcher's toolbox. The interpretive character of narrative takes us beyond reportage and recording of data. This contribution discusses ethical questions emerging from taking a narrative turn in social research, and asks, "Who owns stories once they are told? Can the telling of a 'true ' story always be considered ethically sound?" The shaping and ownership of meaning is a crucial consideration for researchers in cross-disciplinary domains and cannot be isolated from aesthetic considerations—whether a story sounds good or adds weight to an argument. This article deals with ethical considerations as they relate to specific work with specific people, and with how engagement in creative processes in research becomes a contributing element in the ethical life of the narrator.

Children are becoming increasingly engaged in the practice of research, either as active collabor... more Children are becoming increasingly engaged in the practice of research, either as active collaborators with adults or as independent researchers in their own right. This paper explores aspects of training and mentoring of children engaged in research practice as independent researchers, and highlights the use of creative methodologies in mixed-method research undertaken by children. Three primary aspects of participation and training are considered in relation to the space children inhabit in the research community: the ways in which children acquire research skills and the ways in which children are mentored in their research practice; the use of creative methods as conceptual and interpretive tools in interdisciplinary mixed-method research and how creative methodologies may benefit and empower child practitioners; and thirdly the importance of dissemination of research undertaken by children, and the quality of the intergenerational dialogue emerging from it. The paper begins wit...

Forum Qualitative Sozialforschung Forum Qualitative Social Research, 2008

Narrative inquiry has the advantage of being able to reveal the "inner life" of the analytical te... more Narrative inquiry has the advantage of being able to reveal the "inner life" of the analytical text that is usually obscured-a powerful addition to the researcher's toolbox. The interpretive character of narrative takes us beyond reportage and recording of data.

Forum Qualitative Sozialforschung Forum Qualitative Social Research, May 31, 2008

is a performative social scientist and associate member of Social Justice and Social Change Resea... more is a performative social scientist and associate member of Social Justice and Social Change Research at the University of Western Sydney. She has a PhD from the University of Western Sydney and a Master of Creative Arts from the University of Wollongong. She is a novelist, theatre artist, and multi-media essayist. Her research, teaching and academic publications incorporate new methodologies and multidisciplinary approaches including embodied creativity and narrative theory. Her current research is focused on children, creativity, wellbeing and family, and includes collaborative work in diverse communities. Leonie Gibbons Leonie Gibbons has qualifications in social work, psychology, information technology and mathematics. She has worked in social research for over 30 years and was a lecturer in research methods (both qualitative and quantitative) at the University of Western Sydney for 16 years. She provided training courses for UWS Research Office and research advice to academic staff and graduate students. Leonie has run her own research consultancy for clients in government, not-for-profit organisations and universities in fields including child welfare, local government, health and education.

Child Indicators Research, Apr 1, 2011

This paper reflects on the author’s own experience of the multi-textual performative presentation... more This paper reflects on the author’s own experience of the multi-textual performative presentation created collaboratively by 36 children from years five and six at a Sydney primary school for the pre-conference Symposium at the 2009 ISCI Conference ‘Counting Children In.’ The first section discusses the principles and processes that framed the work undertaken with the children, and the second part

Forum Qualitative Social Research, May 31, 2008

Like light along a cable, sound down a wire or wind through the grass, new understandings ripple ... more Like light along a cable, sound down a wire or wind through the grass, new understandings ripple through us, flooding our entire body with a shiver of knowing that will change us forever. I can recognise this when it happens in another person. I can see it in their body, this passage of one way of being into another- this magical creative shift. When it happens to another they seem to be somewhere else. When it happens to me I seem to be somewhere else, other than where we usually are. Where do we go for this creative moment to occur? If we go somewhere, if creativity has both a moment and a territory, exists in time and space, in a country of a kind, where is this country between knowing and unknowing? The emerging place of all new thought, all new human construction - all new knowledge that is central to our existence as human beings. In many cultures, being in country describes having entered a place of belonging, of being purposefully within an environment to which one is spiritually connected and to which one has serious obligations, a collective space. It would seem to me that creativity is a space very like that- collective, serious, purposeful, of fundamental importance to us all

Forum Qualitative Social Research, Jul 1, 2008

Narrative inquiry has the advantage of being able to reveal the "inner life" of the analytical te... more Narrative inquiry has the advantage of being able to reveal the "inner life" of the analytical text that is usually obscured-a powerful addition to the researcher's toolbox. The interpretive character of narrative takes us beyond reportage and recording of data.

Child Indicators Research, Jan 28, 2011

This paper reflects on the author’s own experience of the multi-textual performative presentation... more This paper reflects on the author’s own experience of the multi-textual performative presentation created collaboratively by 36 children from years five and six at a Sydney primary school for the pre-conference Symposium at the 2009 ISCI Conference ‘Counting Children In.’ The first section discusses the principles and processes that framed the work undertaken with the children, and the second part

Educational and Child Psychology, Mar 1, 2014

Children are becoming increasingly engaged in the practice of research, either as active collabor... more Children are becoming increasingly engaged in the practice of research, either as active collaborators with adults or as independent researchers in their own right. This paper explores aspects of training and mentoring of children engaged in research practice as independent researchers, and highlights the use of creative methodologies in mixed-method research undertaken by children.Three primary aspects of participation and training are considered in relation to the space children inhabit in the research community: the ways in which children acquire research skills and the ways in which children are mentored in their research practice; the use of creative methods as conceptual and interpretive tools in interdisciplinary mixed-method research and how creative methodologies may benefit and empower child practitioners; and thirdly the importance of dissemination of research undertaken by children, and the quality of the intergenerational dialogue emerging from it. The paper begins with a story.The story is a personal observation translated into narrative and placed here to contextualise (rather than analyse) the research work undertaken by a group of Australian children, concurrent with their counterparts in the UK and Canada, over an 18-month period between April 2011 and September 2012. It introduces a methodological framework that was the underpinning of the project designed by the children and mentored by the author.

Narrative inquiry has the advantage of being able to reveal the "inner life" of the ana... more Narrative inquiry has the advantage of being able to reveal the "inner life" of the analytical text that is usually obscured-a powerful addition to the researcher's toolbox. The interpretive character of narrative takes us beyond reportage and recording of data. This contribution discusses ethical questions emerging from taking a narrative turn in social research, and asks, "Who owns stories once they are told? Can the telling of a 'true' story always be considered ethically sound?" The shaping and ownership of meaning is a crucial consideration for researchers in cross-disciplinary domains and cannot be isolated from aesthetic considerations-whether a story sounds good or adds weight to an argument. This article deals with ethical considerations as they relate to specific work with specific people, and with how engagement in creative processes in research becomes a contributing element in the ethical life of the narrator.

ABSTRACT This contribution looks at the theatre artist as facilitator in the social policy realm.... more ABSTRACT This contribution looks at the theatre artist as facilitator in the social policy realm. The authors discuss alternative interpretive angles and mediating possibilities offered by embodied creative processes, which are not otherwise available to social policy researchers. We discuss why social policy-makers need to be not only 'informed' by applied theatre research and creative processes, but to have embodied creative processes integrated within their professional practice. The methodologies of theatre and policy-making both exist as carefully crafted distillations of thought, external data and experience. The most profound difference between them is that non- discursive artistic materials emerge as 'transcendent configurations' which clarify and make explicit the structure and meaning of 'lived experience'. The authors elaborate on the theoretical underpinnings that place the applied theatre artist at the centre of the collaborative research process, able to guide people through the terrain of creativity country, and bring new ideas to fruition. Résumé

This contribution looks at the theatre artist as facilitator in the social policy realm. The auth... more This contribution looks at the theatre artist as facilitator in the social policy realm. The authors discuss alternative interpretive angles and mediating possibilities offered by embodied creative processes, which are not otherwise available to social policy researchers. We discuss why social policy-makers need to be not only ‘informed ’ by applied theatre research and creative processes, but to have embodied creative processes integrated within their professional practice. The methodologies of theatre and policy-making both exist as carefully crafted distillations of thought, external data and experience. The most profound difference between them is that non-discursive artistic materials emerge as ‘transcendent configurations ’ which clarify and make explicit the structure and meaning of ‘lived experience’. The authors elaborate on the theoretical underpinnings that place the applied theatre artist at the centre of the collaborative research process, able to guide people through t...

Abstract: The idea of the body being ‘inside creativity country’ when engaged in creative work is... more Abstract: The idea of the body being ‘inside creativity country’ when engaged in creative work is central to the ideas explored in this article. The discussion will focus on the importance of the whole body-mind in the spatio-temporal experience of creativity – on creativity as embodied space, creativity as ‘country’. The relationship between extended consciousness and creativity, and the part that emotion plays in that interaction is also crucial to the discussion. Insights will be offered into the role creativity plays in maintaining dynamic equilibrium in human life – the ecology of embodied mind. Keywords: Creativity – creativity as country – embodied learning – relational space – creativity and consciousness – duration – dynamic equilibrium.

At the time that ACWA initiated this piece of research it was felt that there was a dearth of Aus... more At the time that ACWA initiated this piece of research it was felt that there was a dearth of Australian specific material available on which coherent policy could be based. Since that time there has been growing academic interest in the area. The number of children deemed to be in Out of Home Care (OOHC) has burgeoned at an alarming rate in NSW. A proportion of this increase can be attributed to some kinship carers now receiving payments from the NSW Government, although not formally constituting a child protection concern. The many developments on the OOHC front in NSW in recent times, and its enmeshment within the broader child protection system, has brought into sharp focus the nature of what gets classified as kinship care. What then do we know of the kinship carers’ experiences? Where do they see themselves in the scheme of things? Is it realistic to aspire to definitional clarity around the term beyond that which relates to familial ties? Therein lies the primary aim and dile...

We would like to extend our warm and appreciative thanks to all the participants in this research... more We would like to extend our warm and appreciative thanks to all the participants in this research. They opened their hearts, and often their homes, to share their experiences and stories of caring. This was not always easy. Talking about intimate, emotional and important experiences and issues takes time and courage. We thank you deeply for taking the time and for having the courage to talk to us. Niki Read was our extremely capable research assistant for three years of this project. We thank her for her tenacity, her attention to detail, her humour and her sheer hard work. We appreciated her multiple skills and warm, inclusive sense of humanity. Niki coordinated and supported all of us throughout. She was our anchor. Research Assistant Sally Galovic joined the team to help with the recruitment and the beginning of the data analysis. Thank you! Artist and researcher Hayley West joined the research team to curate the final exhibition of photographs and to organise the launch of the report. We were extremely fortunate to have such a talented creative person join us in this important final stage.

Abstract: Narrative inquiry has the advantage of being able to reveal the "inner life "... more Abstract: Narrative inquiry has the advantage of being able to reveal the "inner life " of the analytical text that is usually obscured—a powerful addition to the researcher's toolbox. The interpretive character of narrative takes us beyond reportage and recording of data. This contribution discusses ethical questions emerging from taking a narrative turn in social research, and asks, "Who owns stories once they are told? Can the telling of a 'true ' story always be considered ethically sound?" The shaping and ownership of meaning is a crucial consideration for researchers in cross-disciplinary domains and cannot be isolated from aesthetic considerations—whether a story sounds good or adds weight to an argument. This article deals with ethical considerations as they relate to specific work with specific people, and with how engagement in creative processes in research becomes a contributing element in the ethical life of the narrator.

Children are becoming increasingly engaged in the practice of research, either as active collabor... more Children are becoming increasingly engaged in the practice of research, either as active collaborators with adults or as independent researchers in their own right. This paper explores aspects of training and mentoring of children engaged in research practice as independent researchers, and highlights the use of creative methodologies in mixed-method research undertaken by children. Three primary aspects of participation and training are considered in relation to the space children inhabit in the research community: the ways in which children acquire research skills and the ways in which children are mentored in their research practice; the use of creative methods as conceptual and interpretive tools in interdisciplinary mixed-method research and how creative methodologies may benefit and empower child practitioners; and thirdly the importance of dissemination of research undertaken by children, and the quality of the intergenerational dialogue emerging from it. The paper begins wit...

Forum Qualitative Sozialforschung Forum Qualitative Social Research, 2008

Narrative inquiry has the advantage of being able to reveal the "inner life" of the analytical te... more Narrative inquiry has the advantage of being able to reveal the "inner life" of the analytical text that is usually obscured-a powerful addition to the researcher's toolbox. The interpretive character of narrative takes us beyond reportage and recording of data.

Forum Qualitative Sozialforschung Forum Qualitative Social Research, May 31, 2008

is a performative social scientist and associate member of Social Justice and Social Change Resea... more is a performative social scientist and associate member of Social Justice and Social Change Research at the University of Western Sydney. She has a PhD from the University of Western Sydney and a Master of Creative Arts from the University of Wollongong. She is a novelist, theatre artist, and multi-media essayist. Her research, teaching and academic publications incorporate new methodologies and multidisciplinary approaches including embodied creativity and narrative theory. Her current research is focused on children, creativity, wellbeing and family, and includes collaborative work in diverse communities. Leonie Gibbons Leonie Gibbons has qualifications in social work, psychology, information technology and mathematics. She has worked in social research for over 30 years and was a lecturer in research methods (both qualitative and quantitative) at the University of Western Sydney for 16 years. She provided training courses for UWS Research Office and research advice to academic staff and graduate students. Leonie has run her own research consultancy for clients in government, not-for-profit organisations and universities in fields including child welfare, local government, health and education.

Child Indicators Research, Apr 1, 2011

This paper reflects on the author’s own experience of the multi-textual performative presentation... more This paper reflects on the author’s own experience of the multi-textual performative presentation created collaboratively by 36 children from years five and six at a Sydney primary school for the pre-conference Symposium at the 2009 ISCI Conference ‘Counting Children In.’ The first section discusses the principles and processes that framed the work undertaken with the children, and the second part