Iterative Method for my GP

I’ve use Iterative method to support my GP by consulting with lecturers. Different lecturer has different feedback and suggestion for my project. After each time consult with them I combine the comments and improve my works for next time. 

In my illustration book for kids I want to teach them about private body parts. So I decided to draw body of a boy and a girl. This is my first version of it.

After consult with teacher the first time, they said my illustration was too common. There was nothing special for the kids to remember about it. So I decided to change my character with different style. Here come my second version of it

At the second consultant with lecturers, I asked them whether I should take of the clothes of the character to teach about the private in clear and more intelligible way. Ms Peh said it was a good idea to take out the clothes but I had to be very careful, as my illustration will become more sensitive. I should interview some parents to see what were their feedbacks about it. I were thinking about changing my character into an animal. So that it would be friendlier to children and the parents wouldn’t feel so shy when they teach the children about it, too. Ms Zi Xi agreed it was a good idea, I should consider it.

This time my lectures were quite happy with my idea about using animal to illustrate human body parts. But Mr Den suggested me maybe I want to change the illustration style to my previous illustration style which were using gradient without outline for it. To add in, Ms Zi Xi suggested me to add in some background because currently the white background looked like a boring textbook. So this is my final illustration about the private body parts illustration.

By using iterative method, I’ve improved a lot in my project. After any feedback of my lecturers, I always try to change it by using new style of illustration or add in more idea for it. Imagine if my lecturers were real customers, they would suggested something that the customers were really looking for in a illustration book about sex education for their children. Looking back in my first illustration until the final page for this page, I’ve changed a lot of things. Without the feedback and suggestion from my lecturers, I wouldn’t have improved so far like this.

INTERVIEW FOR MY TOPIC

This week I’ve tried to approach and interview 4 people: Mrs Lee, Mrs Nguyen, Ms Eun Ji and Mr Minh.  Three of them have children age are from 4 to 7 years old, one is still single. Most of them support my idea about the illustration book. Some gave me quite useful suggestion.

During the interview, they seem easy going and interested in this topic. The ladies felt very pity for the victims of child sexual abuse case while the dad seem to be angry at the pedophiles more. According to the parents, sex education is not enough at school and perfect age to start teaching about this topic is preschool age.

Mrs Lee suggested me to use cute illustration and add in more games and activities so that the kids can remember longer. For the part teaching about private body parts, she suggested to draw everything out but don’t use a human body. Change it into an animal body so that the kids will feel friendlier and the parents are not so shy to teach about it.

Mrs Nguyen loved my idea about the illustration book. She suggested the content for the books were: private parts, trusted adults, good touches and bad touches, can not expose your private parts or see other’s, sometimes the people the kid’s know may also do bad things to them, situation of child sexual abuse, what should the kids do, signs and symptom of child sexual abuse, self-protection skills… And she thought that this illustration book would be more suitable for parents to teach children more than teachers.

Ms Eun Ji said there was nothing to be shy when we talked to the kids about private parts, wrong touches etc. She agreed that young kids should know how to protect themselves when the parents were not around. She suggested me the trusted adults should only put family’s member and add in the number or contact of Child Protection Service or some government organization.

Mr Minh admitted that at first he was shy to talk to his son about this topic too but after many child sexual abuse cased happened his mindset had changed. He agreed that parents should be the one who teach their kids how to protect themselves. The perverted could be anyone and harmed any kid. He suggested parents to be friend and talk more to their kids. So that the kids would tell the parents everything.

….

For the complete script of the interview feel free to contact me J

FORMATIVE RESEARCH and INTERVIEW QUESTIONS

Formative research:

INTRODUCTION:

—  Sex education is still a sensitive topic in Asia. Although it has been considered to teach at some schools. However most of the lessons were still cursory and didn’t provide enough information.

—   The age that they provide the lessons about sex education is around 13-15 which I think quite late. The target of those pedophile can be young kids around 5-10. So we need to let them know how to protect themselves from preschool period.

What is sex education?

—  Sex education is a broad term used to describe education about human sexual anatomy, sexual reproduction, sexual intercourse, and other aspects of human sexual behavior

—  For young children sex education is to teach them how to protect themselves from child sexual abuse

What is child sexual abuse?

—  Any sexual activity between an adult and a child. Sometimes it can happen between children

—  Inappropriate fondling, touching or kissing a child

—  Exposing a child to pornographic materials or sexual acts

—  Failure to protect a child from sexual advances

How does sex education is taught at school?

—  Over in Singapore, they do have a sexuality education program, but not a sex education program. Pupils' parents are allowed to opt their children out of it. And frankly speaking the quality of it varies from school to school depending on the teacher handling the program. In some schools it's virtually non-existent. In some schools, they merged it into the Health Ed or P6 Post-PSLE program.

=> It’s something more like a talk conducted by a doctor from some hospital more than a sex education lesson.

·      Meanwhile in Vietnam, they only mention about sex education in grade 8 through biology subject. There’re two or three lessons about it. The lessons are more about the various organs, functions and names and some sexually transmitted diseases.

=> Mostly teacher just teach it cursoryly or maybe skip it.

“Sex education here is non-existent. Besides it should be like that. Sex education is educated by peer bonding and gossip and general chitter chatter, sex education should not be done in a classroom because its kind of weird in that sense. Sex education is best discussed by a group of people of a similar age group.”

Consequences: child sexual abuse, teenager pregnancy and abortion.

Case study: Korean Movie “Hope” 2013

Solution?

—  Sex education is not only about sex, it’s about how to protect yourselves

—  Start to teach children from young age, slowly but steady

—  Be honest! Stork didn’t bring babies to their parents!

—  Different ages curious about different issue of sex. Young children want to know more about pregnancy and how baby was born more than what is puberty

Interview questions:

1.     What do you think about child sexual abuse?

2.     Do you think sex education for young kid (like how to protect yourselves) is enough at school?

3.     What is the ideal age to teach children how to protect themselves?

4.     If there’s a book for children to learn how to protect themselves, what should be the content?

5.     Will you be shy to talk to your children about this problem?

6.     Should this book be taught at school? Or between children and parents?

Research Methods

There are several research methods that I’ve gone through last 8 weeks. Each of the methods has their own pros and cons.  Base on the theme my own opinion, I decided to use the four methods: formative research, target audience profile, iterative and interview. I feel that those are most useful and suitable for my final year project.

For the formative research, from the beginning of the project, I had to do a lot of research for my theme: reference, case study, formation, opinion form other, etc. I used to determine and refine the project planning process, update information to develop my project through out the entire process. The knowledge and information that I collect from formative research are very useful. From there I can have a strong base to build up my project and improve it during the developing process.

The second method is target audience profile. The reason why I chose this is because it’s important to define your target audience for your profile. Different ages they have difference thinking and feeling about the same problem. For example my theme for my graduation project is “Sex education for children”. My target audiences are kids from 4-10 years old and parents who have children in this group age. For “sex education”, kinder garden kids seem to be interested in what is pregnancy, how to protect yourself more than what is puberty and safe sex.

Next is iterative method. Through out the project I’ve consult with several lecturers about the project. From the beginning idea, way to develop the theme to illustration style, final outcomes. Listen to suggest and idea from different people help me to improve my project a lot. During the entire process I keep changing and developing my design after consulting with lectures.

Last but not least is interview. To understand more about how people think about my graduation project product, I’m planning to do some interview with my target audience. The interview is around the topic “Sex education for children”. What they think we should teach for children about how to protect themselves, whether the parents willing to teach their kids about that, what information I should put inside, ect.