1. Understanding the place and meaning of physical activity in young girls’ lives through participatory methods Déirdre Ní Chróinín, Mary Immaculate College, University of Limerick Eimear Enright, University of Queensland, Australia

2. Research Question ‘Can a one-off engagement with participatory methods produce different knowledge by facilitating girls to share their understandings around the place and meaning of physical activity, physical education and sport in their lives?’

3. Participatory methods are those that facilitate participants in… “finding their own language to articulate what they know, and help them put words to their ideas and feelings, and share understandings of their worlds, thereby giving participants more control over the research process” (Enright & O’Sullivan, 2012, p.122).

4. Fielding (2004) Students as data source Students as active respondents Students as co-researchers Students as researchers

5. Data Collection 4 all-girls primary schools 102 girls age 11-13 One-off data collection – Individual letter – Group poster

6. 102 individual letters Thematic Analysis (Braun and Clarke, 2006)

7. 21 group posters

8. with accompanying written ‘art’ text 15 hours of voice recordings of the group poster task

9. Key Finding 1 Intrinsic Utilitarian Personal experiences Dominant Social Messages

10. Intrinsic – fun and friends ‘ My favourite things to do is play basketball because its really fun just bouncing the ball around. I also like football because its really fun kicking the football around. My other favourite thing is running around the place I like this because it is just like freedom and fun’ (LM MA). ‘I love swimming because its fun going under the water and going down the slides’ (EOS MA)

11. Utilitarian – fit and healthy ‘people need sport to get fit and it is healthy. Sports is everywhere and it is very important because some people walk, run and they do everything with movements…I like to be fit and healthy’ (PG SAM).

13. ‘In this picture there’s a fat guy who joins a GAA club and with his hard work and dedication and some time he becomes healthy, skinny and handsome and all the girls like him’ (SAM3b).

14. Key Finding 2 ’Don’t give up! Do what you wanna do! Try at least 1 sport!!! Your spoilt for choice!!!’ (SBE 2). ‘The Main message of you poster is sports and activities are fun and everyone should at least do one activity or sport’ (MA1).

16. Using Participatory methods “I Keep Six Honest Serving Men...” I KEEP six honest serving-men (They taught me all I knew); Their names are What and Why and When And How and Where and Who. I send them over land and sea, I send them east and west; But after they have worked for me, I give them all a rest. Rudyard Kipling

18. Using Participatory Methods Accessing ‘meaning’ Recordings of ‘poster construction’ When all you have is a parachute…

19. When all you have is a parachute: Drawing a tree's not a sports person It's not a sports person! Jumping in puddles… Yes, jumping in puddles, playing in puddles Wonderful! Fixed. Ok then, then she's ice-skating… Just change the wellie boot to like, ice-skating… And then the trees could be…Oh I don’t know So she could be like, an outdoor skater What d'ya mean a lake? Yeah, a lake…really good for ice- skating (SBE 5)

20. Conclusion ‘hold huge power and potential in helping us to communicate with and understand both the young people we work with as well as how the world is interpreted through their eyes’ (Pope, 2010: 205).Pope, 2010: 205 Importance of ‘place and meaning’ - Help design experiences that are oriented towards positive outcomes for the participants.

21. Further Information Deirdre.NiChroinin@mic.ul.ie