Using a social labs methodology to research Wise Phones

Using a social labs methodology to research Wise Phones

We are finding more and more opportunities to engage students in research projects, and seeing students in the roles of instigators and investigators, not just as participants. This approach brings to life the commonly heard phrase, ‘nothing about me, without me’. But more than simply having presence in decision making in a school, assuming a social labs methodology brings voice and power to some of the most complex problems facing society today.

In our case, we’re preparing to invite students to lead their own research into the Pymble Wise Phones project, which is now underway. In November 2024, Pymble Ladies’ College gave a Wise Phone – being a non-smartphone, non-brickphone – to every student in Year 4 to 8 whose parents wanted them to have one. We had the following levels of uptake:

Year 4 and 5 – 70 per cent

Year 6 and 7 – 98 per cent

Year 8 – 40 per cent

As the project was initially only for Year 5 to 7, the interest from parents with daughters in other grades was of great interest to us, and we expanded the program to meet this need. However, as the majority of Year 8s had been using smartphones for some time, we expected this number to be low and the smartphone-to-Wise Phone group will be an important one to research.

The first phase of data collection in the Pymble Wise Phone Research Project has opened with an online questionnaire inviting all parents and students of Years 4 to 8 to share their feedback. We look forward to taking readers on the research journey with us in future newsletters.

Will survey data be sufficient to hear the complexity of students’ views and, more importantly, how can we transform student feedback into sustainable action and change?

We will shortly be working through a large set of survey data, but we need to be honest and ask – what will this achieve? Even through publishing and presentations, which we look forward to doing, our core goal of helping our students to reclaim their childhoods will go unfulfilled if sustainable change is not achieved.

How can research contribute to this important goal?

To achieve a deeper and richer understanding of what students feel about the change from smartphone to Wise Phone, we’re using a Social Labs methodology. Social labs focus squarely on, ‘seeking solutions to today’s societal challenges’ (Marschalek et al., 2023, p. 147). Think science laboratories where problems are experimented upon, but think about how this occurs with people and their communities, behaviours and understanding. In a social labs methodology, the lab takes place in real-time with the people whom the issue is affecting and it asks these same people to do the experimenting in their own lives. Social labs also encourage networking and communication strategies which let many more people whom the issue is affecting know about the experiences of others and what can be done. Through a social labs methodology, we hope to learn much more about the lived realities of the phone and social media worlds of our student cohort than might otherwise be revealed.

How does a social lab work?

Social labs are based on three core principles explained by Hassan and Ito (2014); social – they are about people and their communities; experimental – they involve the iteration of a number of innovations; and, systemic – they address large scale processes that go beyond the individual.

The key ingredients of a social lab is thinking and working strategically about real-life challenges (whole picture), rather than tactically (in parts), and that they create space for complex societal issues to be explored (Hassan & Ito, 2014). They are diverse in makeup and use their members to prototype solutions which can further affect whole systems. Marschalek and colleagues (2022, p. 421) explain, ‘a social lab approach brings together intentionally diverse teams of stakeholders and gives them time to experiment and to iterate solutions. The teams do not meet around a project but a shared problem … [and] provide participants with a specific setting and formats to experiment with developing and discussing solutions to complex technological, societal and ecological challenges’.

How will we use social labs for the Pymble Wise Phone Research Project?

The following steps explain the process.

  1. Bring together a range of students interested in this topic to form a social lab
  2. Research and discuss the issues students are experiencing
  3. Clarify the goal of our social lab project
  4. Share the message behind the social lab and its project with other students – what are we concerned about? What do we want to do about it? What actions will we take?
  5. Ask students and teachers to network so that more people hear about what the lab is aiming to do and spread awareness of our project
  6. Involve more willing students in the intervention or initiative
  7. Plan the initiative: What input do we need? What learning will we do? What experimentation will we conduct?
  8. Put the initiative into action
  9. Research the initiative
  10. Repeat, as needed.

Conclusion

We do not know what our student researchers will opt to research, let alone discuss and initiate in the area of phone usage, social media and technology, but their exploration in this area will be invaluable for building understanding between teachers and students, and parents and children. The students’ research has the potential to influence policy decisions in our school and information and guidance we can share with students and parents alike. It is our hope that informed decision making in this important area of life can make a difference in the experiences of our children and young people and we are looking forward to hearing what our students want to bring to our attention.

References

Hassan, Z., & Ito, J. (2014). The social labs revolution: A new approach to solving our most complex challenges. Berrett-Koehler Publishers, Inc.

Marschalek, I., Blok, V., Bernstein, M., Braun, R., Cohen, J., Hofer, M., … Kumar Thapa, R. (2022). The social lab as a method for experimental engagement in participatory research. Journal of Responsible Innovation, 9(3), 419–442. https://doi.org/10.1080/23299460.2022.2119003

Marschalek, I. Seebacher, L.M., Unterfrauner, E., Handler, K., & Hofer, M. (2023). Social labs in public engagement processes for RRI. In V. Blok (Ed.), Putting responsible research and innovation into practice: A multistakeholder approach (pp. 147-170). Springer.