Research Proposal for Artefacts that will be produced

10/10/2007

Research project for Multimedia.

Overall aim and rationale of the research project.

The purpose of this research project is to investigate how multimedia can be used to help support the learning of people with autism. This study is important because of the growing numbers of children who are being identified as being on the autistic spectrum and who will mostly be educated within the mainstream classroom.

Objectives

The specific question that will be addressed is what digital content is most appropriate for an educational video for children with autism that will keep them interested and help them gain knowledge and understanding.

Methods

This will be determined by producing a series of six videos describing to children with autism how to produce an origami object. Initial research will have been carried out into the learning and thinking style of people with autism to establish what methods are most likely to work taking into account that people with autism have difficulties with communication and social understanding and interaction. Each individual has a different profile but generally people with autism relate best to movement, colour and visual material and multimedia content as opposed to language based verbal material.


The digital variations of the educational video for the six artefacts would be as follows:

1. Voice over and demonstration of making the origami object hence using visual and auditory methods.
2. As number one above but with the addition of complementary background music.
3. Diagrams and images providing a step by step sequential guide on how to produce the origami object.
4. Animated text and demonstration with background music but no voiceover.
5. Freeze frame- animated sequence of the finished product with no sound.
6. Stop animation with music but without voiceover.


Evaluation

Each video will be evaluated using a variety of methods. Most importantly, the children will be videoed as they try to build the origami objects after watching each video. I will also interview their class teachers for their feedback. I may also talk to the children themselves directly although this may be problematic due to their communication difficulties. To accommodate this, it would be necessary to find out the nature and extent of the child’s difficulties beforehand by consultation with the teachers and to work with the children to gain their confidence.

Having established what methods work best for the greatest number of children with autism, a piece of educational software might then be developed incorporating the most appropriate digital format and effects for engaging these children and for supporting their learning.