Research methods.

Inquiry

For my research method, I was more focusing on qualitative method rather quantities. This is because it’s such a delicate subject that I must be careful who I’ll ask and if it would be harmful.

Interview.

My target participants

• Who’s in charge of the orphanage
• The carers
• Foster parents
• Some people that works for the rights of this children

The questions that I was thinking to ask are.

1.         What age are the children that you accept in this Institute?
2.         How many children, the institute holds?
3.         How much old is the building?
4.         How many times the building was refurbished?
5.          There were different system changing over the years?
6.          What is the common emotional effect you see on children?
7.         What do they do in the children’s free time?
8.        What activities they like to do?
9.         Do you thing the environment they live in, affects them?
10.      If yes, in which way?

There answer will help me developed my design further.

Observation.

To document and analyse what the children are doing I was thinking of using the method of participant observation.

This systematic observation and recording are critical, documenting not only what is physically evident in the environment, but the behaviours, interactions, language, motivations and perceptions of the participants.

I was thinking the full participant.
These children go through a critical situation, so when they see a stranger taking photos, asking questions or just looking at they you can make them feel unsafe. So, the best thing is to became complete member of that institute. I was thinking voluntary work.

With this why is liking putting yourself in their user’s shoes. By using and experience the space. By putting myself in the user’s shoes, I can developed a better understanding of the issues that my client is facing.

Site analyses.

Observe and analyse the space trough

• Sketches and drawing of the space
• Dimensions
• Take note on what type of materials there is.
•  Placement of windows and doors.

Identify different zoning and take note on the current divided and the way its being used.

To analyse accessibility, I will ask these questions.

1.          Are there any problems related to accessibility?
2.          Are all the windows and doors accessible?
3.          Can the space be accessed by everyone?

Analysing natural light

•        Like how the sun is entering
•        At what time of the day

At Artificial light.

Which the specific area is located.

And analyse the human behaviour in the existing environment.

This is the plan on how I’m going to do my research method. 

Proposal title

My proposal is to make a better living environment for the local orphanages.

Researching about orphans reveals that when children are detached from their parents, they can suffer from traumas. This was verified due to John Bowlby's attachment theory focuses on a child’s behaviour and attitude toward their adulthood. How this affects their adult care giving due to their lack of parental attachment. Children who for some reason are not with their parents. Whether it be that their parents have died, abandoned them, abused them or could not afford to sustain their life.

I want to tackle their psychology issues using colours, textures, patterns and nature. I believe that bettering their environment, would lead to them adapting easier and faster to their new life, in an orphanage.

First, I came up with the title "To improve the interior space of a local orphanages." However there was something wrong with the title. As I analysed the title I thought that maybe the title was too elaborate. Maybe I needed to emphasise exactly on what I was going to tackle.

I brainstorm some keywords on what I needed to tackle in this proposal.
What was the problem I'm solving?
Then I came up with my new title.

"The impact of interior design on the emotional wellbeing of children as applied to local orphanages"

I prefer this title because I'm pointing out exactly what I'm focussing on. The emotional wellbeing of orphans!

The Problems that we have in Orphanages in Malta.

I visited three orphanages. One of them was designed and planned well where the other two lacked any interest in the building.  There were some negative things about these orphanages that I will mention later.

Some orphanages are placed in a big monastery, this is because orphanages in Malta are all religious orphanages.  This is a drawback for orphans because it is not a “family” looking environment.

Here we see that this wasn’t design according to the user.   Maybe they only thought of how many children they could fit here rather than the comfort of the children. 

Some of the orphanages have big problem with hygiene.  This is created because of crowded small space orphanages that many children live in.  There is also poor ventilation which leads to poor natural light entering the building.  Giving the environment a sad and lonely feel.

Something else that I notice is that some things where thought of after the building was already built and weren’t correctly planned.

Colours and patterns don’t exist. My belief is that to live better and thrive, you need to have a suitable environment. 

Why did I choose this topic?  Because I know that some orphanages in Malta lack the correctly planned environment for children to grow happily.

More detailed summery about Bowlby's Attachment Theory

John Bowlby born in 1907 and died in 1990.  He was a psychoanalyst who says that mental health and behavioural issues begin from a small age. 

Bowlby’s theory relates to children’s attachments with their mother that forms automatically when they are born. This attachment helps them to survive.

Bowlby theory was influenced by Lorenz’s “Study of imprinting.” In his theory, Lorenz used ducklings with their mother to prove his theory. 

He believed that the attachment behaviour, came naturally at birth and with the feeling of closeness the attachment is immediately activated.

Most babies are born with a certain innate behaviour that’s called “Social Releasers” which help them become close with their mother or other attachment modes such as crying, smiling and crawling, which are part of specific behaviours.

Bowlby says that hypothesised, mother and baby can’t be without each other.

“Social Releaser” behaviour like crying and smiling, will attract those who are caring for the baby.  Not only feeding achieves attachment but also respect and care.

This type of attachment will continue working for a future relationship, so if something goes wrong during the earlier attachment, there will be future consequences.

Main Points of Bowlby’s Theory

1. A child by nature when born is needed to be attached to the caregiver.

Bowlby mentions that sometimes the baby is bonded with a specific person (normally it’s the mother) this is called “monotropy.”

 2. “A child should receive the continuous care of this single most important attachment figure for approximately the first two years of life.”

Up to 12 months, children are in a critical period.  Critical period, is a period during someone’s development.  If for some reason the mother abandon her child during the critical two year’ period, the child could go through long-term consequences, which could continue to affect  them till the age of 5.

Bowlby used the phrase “Maternal Deprivation.” Maternal Deprivation refers to separation or loss of their mother and the lack to form an attachment.

3. When there is a long Maternal Deprivation the consequences could be these

·                 Delinquency

·                 Reduced intelligence

·                 Increased aggression

·                 Depression

·                 Affection less psychopathy.

These children have “Affection less psychopathy.” Affection less psychopathy is when you have a lack of concern about others.  It’s hard for them to form a meaningful and lasting relationship.

4. Robertson and Bowlby in 1952 found that when there is a short-term separation from the caregiver it could lead to distress.

Robertson and Bowlby found that there are three stages of distress.

·                 Protest: When the parents are leaving, the child to stop them he/she cries, screams and protests angrily.

·                 Despair: After the protest stops, they will be calmer although still be upset.  The child refuses to have attention or care from others.

·                 Detachment: If the separation continues, they will start to engage again. I f the care giver returns, the child will reject him/her and show anger.

5. Bowlby in 1969 believed that the child’s attachment relationship with their primary caregiver leads to the development of an internal working model.

The internal working model is part of a framework that is created by mental representation like memories and expectations. This helps them understand the world, themselves and others.

Schore in 2000 believed that around the age of 3 this becomes a primary factor of a child’s personality and it can help them understand the world and future collaboration with others.

As Bowlby said in 1969 the primary caregiver is the main person for the future relationships due to the internal working model.

The “Internal Working Model” is separated into 3 main factors.

1.               A model of others as being trustworthy,

2.               A model of the self as valuable

3.               A model of the self as effective when interacting with others.

It is the internal working model that guide the children through behaviours and future relationship towards others.

Thieves study by Bowlby in 1944.

Bowlby believes that the first five years of a child are important due to relationship between the child and the mother and socializing.
When there is a failure to this primary relationship, it could lead the child to commit a crime, emotional and antisocial behaviour.

 Reference.

simplypsychology, 2007. Bowlby's Attachment Theory. [online] Available at: <http://www.simplypsychology.org/bowlby.html> [Accessed 14, January 2017].

Bowlby's Attachment Theory

I read about Bowlby's Attachment Theory. As I was reading it I realised that this information is going to be useful for my design?

This article was about the attachment of a child with his mother.  The bond between the caregiver and the child.  He talked about the child’s problem when they loose or are separated from their mother.

This information is not going to help me directly in the design, however it will help me develop my knowledge about the requirements for these children so that when I am designing,  I could be more familiar with the subject and make my designs to suit.

This theory will also  help me  when I’m interviewing.  I will be more knowledgable on what the interviewee is talking about and I will be able to ask questions the right questions..

My clients for this thesis are going to be the orphans, so the more background knowledge I have the more suitable environment that I can create for them.

More detail information about Bowlby's Attachment Theory in the next blog.

Reference:

simply psychology, 2007. Bowlby's Attachment Theory. [online] Available at: <http://www.simplypsychology.org/bowlby.html> [Accessed 14, January 2017].

Brainstorming on the literature review.

My main subject was Orphanages. To start building my literature review,  I asked myself what I want to know about this subject.

The psychology studies and theories. 
To know more about the psychology, effects on some children.  What is affecting them and how?  This could help in my design and when I go for interviews. I can understand what they would be talking about.

Colour theories.
How colours affect us or others and in which way?

Shapes theories.
If some shapes effect our environment we live in and how it affects us?

Finally, I choose some case studies that are related to my subject.  It was difficult to find someone who is doing or had done something similar to my subject, so, I decided to find different elements from different buildings.  For example I found hospital buildings and facilities, such as clinics.  Interaction buildings for children. Buildings that involve colours and pattern theories.

Then from these subjects I divided them in themes.

1.               Basic information about orphans and orphanages.

2.               Thesis of others.

3.               The psychology effect in interior design.

4.               Case studies.

And this is how I divided my literiture review research.

Brainstorming of the Subject.

Ms Abela told us that it should involve solving a problem.  Solving a problem!  I immediately thought of society.  How can I help society with my design?
So, I began brainstorming. The main focus was people and I began thinking about what are the problems in today’s life.

First, I thought about those children that has ADHD.  To create a class which focused more on the light, colours, patterns, shapes, circulation of space and ventilation.  But I scrapped this idea immediately as soon as I was told that someone is doing something similar in this year’s dissertation.

Nowadays, all around the word religious people are fighting each other.  For example Muslims are not accepted in our countries and we are not accepted in their countries.  These passed couple of weeks,  there has been a controversial issue because of the idea of building another temple in Buggiba.  So, I thought why I not make a spiritual building where all religions could meet and interact.  But that idea was scraped because someone else had the same thought and its doing it this year also.

I was thinking about these teens that are losing excessive amounts of weight or gaining weight.   There could be a place that through interaction can create awareness.  But I thought that the subject is too vast and I didn’t see a future in this project. So, that was eliminated too.

Low self esteem people. There could be a place which through colours, patterns and lights would create a better environment for them.  Although while looking for case studies I couldn’t find much,  so I thought about something else.

Busy life a place in a busy street where you could stop from this crazy life and relax and just reflect only on yourself, it’s like meditation.  But then I thought there are many things to do to stop from this busy life like stop and have a coffee or tea, go have a massage or facial and maybe go home take a bath.  It’s not ideal because there are many things to do to stop this busy life just people keep on going to fit more things in a day.

Then finally I was thinking about homes.  Homes for homeless people, arrange there interior and as I was thinking about this I thought about orphans.  I like children a lot and so if I re-arranged an orphanage I would be doing something I like. I could work on colours, patterns, lighting, circulation of the space and many more.  In this topic, I should go more in detail, due to phycological emotions and behaviour.  So from there I decided to recreate the interior of an orphanage.