Cultural.Explorers!
Cultural.Explorers!
Accompanying evaluation of Cultural.Explorers!
Abstract
Cultural.Explorers! is a joint programme of the German Children and Youth Foundation (GYCF) and the PwC-Foundation Youth-Education-Culture that is evaluated by EDUCULT.
Funding and support is provided to a total of 24 schools ready to take their students, teachers, and at least one external partner on a research expedition into culture.
Based on students’ questions and with the help of teachers and experts from media-related professions, music, arts, libraries and other cultural institutions, each school develops its own 2 ½-year “Cultural.Explorers!” project. The idea is to establish long-term collaborative ties with external partners that will continue to exist beyond the duration of the programme.
Working on their projects, children and young people act as “Cultural.Explorers!” observing everyday phenomena with a fresh outlook and gaining new knowledge about cultural phenomena in their immediate environment. Each school implementing its project idea receives extensive support in terms of scientific advising, professional development, networking opportunities with other “Cultural.Explorers!” schools, and financial support of up to 5,000 euros per year.
The accompanying evaluation by EDUCULT aims at the systematic analysis of the programme and the generation of models for practice. Dialogue between the ones involved and the joint learning process is at the centre of the research process.
Please find more information (in German) here.
Approach
A mix of qualitative and quantitative methods ensures that all questions relevant to the evaluation are dealt with. Dialogue and exchange is key: For example, EDUCULT conducts 5 Round Tables with teachers, partners form the arts and culture and pupils. Also, a text-based survey taking place twice among the teachers is designed in a way that it can be discussed and worked on in a team. Thus, we do not only receive important data for the evaluation, but we also initiate a reflection process. Other parts of the research are: ongoing monitoring with the process tutors, questionnaire-based survey among the pupils and school directors, observations, school visits, analysis of the Cultural.Explorers! text books. Regular presentations and interim reports ensure that the results can be integrated in the ongoing work process.
INFORMATION
Duration: March 2009 to October 2011Client: Deutsche Kinder- und Jugendstiftung
Contact: tanja.nagel(at)educult.at
DOWNLOAD
Evaluation von Kultur.Forscher!. Abschlussbericht 2011. Kurzfassung. Nagel/Schad/Wimmer, 2011
