This workshop aligns with the research within the Gender and Education Network as part of the European Educational Research Association. More specifically it responds to the call; ‘Tackling crises and generating hope: including transforming intersectional gender relations through education’. The workshop is designed to ignite hope in those whose work considers the intersectionality between gender, disability and education. The aims of the workshop are two-fold; for attendees of the conference to practically explore the suitability for Arts-based methodology for educational research and to consider their positionality in relation to gender and school experience. The methods of this workshop are similar to those that I intend to use during my PhD and builds on those I used during my Masters and Bachelors projects. My research uses Arts-Based methodology to encourage Autistic women and girls to reflect on their school experiences. 

My project is an important contribution to the field of educational research as it provides an alternative method of sharing and understanding lived experiences of Autistic women and girls. My PhD research works on the recommendations of my Undergraduate Dissertation (Clarke, 2020). The recommendations suggested that the women and girls with special educational needs, such as Autism, may experience school differently to their peers. This could be a result of masking (Happé, 2019, p.13). Masking is a term used to describe the act of consciously, or unconsciously, suppressing Autistic ways of being to socially conform to expected stereotypes within society (ibid). One of such stereotypes is the presentation of being a woman or girl. My previous research findings suggest that women and girls within the school environment are often described as passive and ‘silent’ (Hartman, 2006, p.82). This is reflected within current literature. My PhD research uses Arts-based methodology to explore the embodied nature of Autistic women and girls lived experiences of school. Similarly, the workshop that I will host at the European Conference of Educational Research will encourage attendees to reflect on their embodied experiences of school. More specifically, they will create Arts-based pieces to reflect their understanding of gender identity and consider how this may have influenced their school experience. 

An Arts-Based methods workshop is both apt and pivotal to include within both my PhD research and at the ECER. Within my own research it provides an alternative method of sharing and gathering data from traditional, and often verbal techniques, such as interviews. This is important to consider when working with Autistic people given that additional communication needs are a key component of the Autistic lived experience (van Kessel and colleagues, 2019). By including this practical workshop as part of the ECER, I will introduce attendees to recognise the value of Arts-based methods for educational research. This includes the respectful nature of Arts-based research for appreciating the embodied nature of experiences. This is particularly important when working with disabled or other marginalised groups to explore their experiences of school. For example, women, girls and marginalised genders. 

Consequently, this workshop introduces an innovative methodological approach to working with Autistic people and exploring gendered experiences of school. It supports the growing body of research within Europe regarding the need for further contribution from Autistic people, particularly within ‘central and eastern Europe’ (Rolska and their colleagues, 2018). It responds to the Gender and Equality Strategy in an effort to provide academics with creative and alternative skills to ‘prevent and combat gender stereotypes and sexism’ (Council of Europe; Gender and Equality Commission, 2022, p.4) particularly within schools and educational research.

This workshop aims to provide an opportunity for attendees of the ECER to practically engage with Arts-based research methods and to reflect on Arts-based methodology for educational research. The participants will be encouraged to think about the intersection between school experiences and gender. This will contribute to the growing work within the Gender and Education Network as part of the EERA. This workshop will last 90 minutes and asks the participants to create an original piece that represents their gendered school experience. The workshop will be split into 4 timeframes. As the chair of the workshop, I will use the first 15 minutes to present the key concepts of Arts-based research, discuss current discourse within the field, and explain how this methodological stance may apply to educational research. For example, projects that explore gender and disability. The second session of the workshop will last 50 minutes and will have two tasks. Task one provides time for the participants to practically engage with a method that contributes to Arts-based research. For example, through ‘literary’ (Leavy, 2018, p.4) means such as creating a poem or short-story or ‘visual arts’ through painting and collage. I will provide resources for participants to use to create such pieces, such as paper, collage material and pencils. ‘Loose parts’ objects (Anna, 2019) will be provided for manipulation and contribution of ‘performance’ based creations (Leavy, 2018, p.4), such as drama sketches. To allow participants time to freely explore the materials and methods they have chosen, I will allow them to dictate how much time they spend on task one before moving to task two. Task two will encourage the participant to reflect and think critically on how their piece reflects their gendered experience of school. 10 minutes will then be afforded to tidy the workshop area to respect the resources used and environment provided at the conference. I will host an opportunity for the participants to share their creations and experience of the workshop in the final 25 minutes. I will encourage attendees to share how their pieces reflect their gendered experiences and provide space for questions. I recognise that some Arts-based methods require ethical considerations for the attendees physical and emotional well-being. Therefore, physical opportunities such as dance methods will not be provided but will be discussed. Participants will be free to leave the session without reason when needed.

This workshop is an important contribution to the ECER and the Gender and Education network as it responds to their call; ‘Tackling crises and generating hope: including transforming intersectional gender relations through education’. This workshop is anticipated to provide hope to academics currently working with Autistic pupils (van Kessel et al, 2019) and those of marginalised genders within Europe (Happé et al, 2019) by offering an opportunity to develop practical skills related to Arts-based research. It is hoped that the attendees will understand the value of Arts-based methodologies for educational research that considers embodied knowledge (Snowber, 2018) and intersections of gender and disability. This workshop will provide an opportunity for academics to critically reflect on their own positionality and use of methods to enable holistic experiences to be shared. Acting as the chair for this workshop will encourage my professional development as an Early Careers Researcher, more specifically my confidence in speaking to large groups of academics. In addition, I will be able to develop my understanding of how others interpret Arts-Based Research and the opportunity to practically engage in creative methods. This experience will be helpful for developing my own methodological stance and when considering the data gathering methods for my PhD research. This workshop is essential to the ECER as it provides an opportunity for the attendees to develop their academic and professional skills in relation to Arts-based research and critically consider their understanding of gender and own positionality. This opportunity will support my professional development as an Early Careers Researcher and add to the growing and critical work of the Gender and Education Network by responding to its call for ‘tackling crises and generating hope’.

Anna. (2019, March 26). Getting to grips with loose parts play. Retrieved from PACEY: https://www.pacey.org.uk/news-and-views/pacey-blog/2019/march-2019/getting-to-grips-with-loose-parts-play/ Carpenter, B., Happé, F., & Egerton, J. (2019). Where are all the Autsist girls? In Girls and Autism (pp. 1-17). Oxon: Routledge. Clarke, C (2020) The Good Girl. The University of Sheffield. Unpublished Dissertation. Council of Europe; Gender and Equality Commission. (2022). Activities and measures at the national level contributing to the achievement of the objectives of the Council of Europe Gender Equality Strategy 2018-2023. Council of Europe. Happé, F. (2019). Girls and Autism. Oxon: Routledge. Hartman, P. (2006). Loud on the inside: working-class girls, gender and literacy. Research in the teachings of English, 82-117. Leavy, P. (2018). Handbook of Arts-Based Research. New York: The Guilford Press. Roleska, M., Roman-Urrestarazu, A., Griffiths, S., V. Ruigrok, A., Holt, R., van Kessel, R., . . . Czabanowska, K. (2018). Autism and the right to education in the EU: policy mapping and scoping review of the United Kingdom, France, Poland and Spain. PLOS, 1-17. Snowber, C. Living, Moving and Dancing. In Leavy, P. (2018). Handbook of Arts-Based Research. New York: The Guilford Press. van Kessel, R., Walsh, S, Ruigrok, A., Holt, R., Yliherva, A., Kärna, E., . . . Roman-Urrestarazu, A. (2019). Autism and the right to education in the EU: policy mapping and scoping review of Nordic countries Denmark, Finland and Sweden. Molecular Autism, 1-15.