‘I want to be a hope champion!’ – Research as hope intervention with rural South African children

Abstract

This study explored how visual participatory research-as-intervention enabled a strengthening of hope among a group of South African primary school children. Twelve learners aged 9–13 years from a rural village in the QwaQwa region of South Africa participated in the study. Data on the children’s experiences of hope were co-constructed with them, applying various visual participatory approaches, while data on their engagement in the research itself was generated using group discussion, individual interviews, and notes captured in a research journal. Thematic analysis of the data revealed a strengthening of the children’s hope on personal, relational, and collective levels from engaging in hope-oriented visual participatory processes. The findings suggest that research-as-intervention has hope-enhancing value for rural South African children.

Keywords:

• hope
• research-as-intervention
• rural children
• visual participatory methodology

Acknowledgements

As partners in this study, we thank the board members and staff of St. Kizito, as well as the Office of Batlokoa Traditional Council, without whose guidance and support this hope journey would not have happened. We also extend gratitude to the twelve Hope Champions who were so excited about teaching the primary researcher about their world.

This work is based on research supported by the National Research Foundation (NRF) of South Africa (Grant UID number: 78783). The primary researcher, as a student funded through a grant-linked bursary, acknowledges that opinions, findings, and conclusions or recommendations expressed in this publication generated by the NRF-supported research are those of the author, and that the NRF accepts no liability whatsoever in this regard.

Notes

1 The Board of St. Kizito Children’s Programme has waived anonymity, and requested that the participation and collaboration of its staff members in this study be fully acknowledged in all publications and forms of dissemination.