UROP Project
You Have Arrived
art based research, autoethnography , performance, climate change, force migration,
Research Mentor: Neda Izadi, She/her
Department, College, Affiliation: dramatci art/fine Arts, Fine Arts
Contact Email: NI24b@fsu.edu
Research Assistant Supervisor (if different from mentor):
Research Assistant Supervisor Email:
Faculty Collaborators:
Faculty Collaborators Email:
Department, College, Affiliation: dramatci art/fine Arts, Fine Arts
Contact Email: NI24b@fsu.edu
Research Assistant Supervisor (if different from mentor):
Research Assistant Supervisor Email:
Faculty Collaborators:
Faculty Collaborators Email:
Looking for Research Assistants: Yes
Number of Research Assistants: 2
Relevant Majors: Find Arts, Dramatic Arts, music, art education, Geology
Project Location: On FSU Main Campus
Research Assistant Transportation Required: Remote or In-person: In-person
Approximate Weekly Hours: five hours, Flexible schedule (Combination of business and outside of business. TBD between student and research mentor.)
Roundtable Times and Zoom Link:
Number of Research Assistants: 2
Relevant Majors: Find Arts, Dramatic Arts, music, art education, Geology
Project Location: On FSU Main Campus
Research Assistant Transportation Required: Remote or In-person: In-person
Approximate Weekly Hours: five hours, Flexible schedule (Combination of business and outside of business. TBD between student and research mentor.)
Roundtable Times and Zoom Link:
- Day: Friday, September 5
Start Time: 5:00
End Time: 5:30
Zoom Link: https://fsu.zoom.us/j/94629008186
Project Description
You Have Arrived is an arts-based research project that uses autoethnography and puppetry to explore climate-induced displacement. Designed as an educational puppet performance for children and youth, it engages audiences with the intertwined issues of environmental change and human migration through an accessible, imaginative, and developmentally appropriate medium.This project addresses a gap in arts-based education: while climate change and migration have been explored separately, few studies examine how puppetry—a multimodal, embodied art form—can foster children’s understanding of climate displacement (Adichie, 2009; Dryden-Peterson, 2016). By combining puppetry with autoethnography, the project situates personal experience at the center of pedagogical inquiry, offering a unique approach that integrates identity, migration, and social justice into arts-based learning.
Grounded in arts-based research (Barone & Eisner, 2012; Leavy, 2015; Inwood, 2010; Anderson, 2017) and critical pedagogy (Freire, 1970; Greene, 1995), the project positions puppetry as both an artistic practice and a tool for critical engagement. Puppetry translates complex scientific and sociopolitical topics into narratives that are emotionally resonant and cognitively accessible. Through storytelling, visual imagery, and performance, children are invited to reflect on the human and environmental dimensions of climate change.
The study is guided by two research questions:
How can puppetry function as a pedagogical medium for exploring climate displacement with children?
How does autoethnography enrich the integration of personal narrative into socially engaged arts-based education?
Methodologically, the project combines performance with structured inquiry. Data include audience responses (children’s reflections, drawings, and discussions), artist-researcher journals and field notes, and documentation such as video recordings, scripts, and sketches. This approach demonstrates how story, image, and performance can render abstract concepts tangible and emotionally engaging for young audiences.
You Have Arrived contributes to scholarship in art education, children’s learning, and social justice education by positioning creative performance as a transformative pedagogical tool. It fosters empathy, critical thinking, and civic awareness around climate justice, while illustrating how personal narrative and embodied art practice can intersect to create socially and environmentally conscious learners. By foregrounding puppetry as both research method and pedagogical medium, the project exemplifies a novel, arts-based approach to teaching pressing global issues.
Research Tasks: 1. Literature Review
Review arts-based research methods, puppetry in education, climate change education, and migration/displacement education.
Identify gaps in existing studies and theoretical frameworks.
Compile relevant sources, including recent publications (last 5–7 years).
2. Research Design & Planning
Develop research questions and objectives.
Plan the integration of autoethnography and puppetry in a performance-based study.
Design ethical protocols for working with children and youth (consent, assent, safety).
3. Creative Development
Script and storyboard the puppet performance.
Design puppets, sets, and visual elements.
Pilot test story elements for clarity and age-appropriateness.
4. Data Collection
Conduct puppet performances for children and youth audiences.
Collect audience responses: drawings, written reflections, discussions, and interviews.
Maintain reflexive journals and field notes as the artist-researcher.
Record performances for documentation and later analysis.
5. Data Analysis
Analyze audience responses for themes related to understanding climate change, migration, empathy, and civic awareness.
Conduct reflexive analysis of the artist-researcher’s journals and observations.
Integrate visual, textual, and performance-based data using multimodal analysis techniques.
6. Reporting & Dissemination
Write research findings in the form of articles, papers, or chapters.
Present at conferences, workshops, or school programs.
Share creative outputs (puppet performance, documentation) with broader audiences.
Skills that research assistant(s) may need: Required Skills: Basic drawing, painting, sculpting, and performing arts abilities for visual and performance-based documentation and creative activities; attention to detail in creating or recording materials; data collection (interviews, surveys, observations); data entry and organization; basic computer literacy (Word, Excel, Google Suite); understanding of research ethics and confidentiality.
Recommended Skills: Experience with multiple artistic mediums (e.g., clay, mixed media, watercolor) and performance methods; ability to translate concepts into visual, three-dimensional, or performative forms; creative problem-solving through art and design; qualitative data analysis (coding, thematic analysis); literature review and summarizing academic sources; note-taking and transcription; familiarity with research software (e.g., NVivo, SPSS); experience conducting participatory or arts-based research.
Mentoring Philosophy
I believe mentoring is a collaborative, creative, and dynamic process that empowers mentees to grow as reflective, resilient, and socially engaged individuals. My approach begins with understanding each mentee’s goals, motivations, talents, and learning style, as well as evaluating their current skills and knowledge. This allows me to provide guidance that strengthens their abilities, addresses areas for growth, and inspires independent thinking.I cultivate relationships founded on mutual respect and trust, creating a safe and interactive environment where experimentation, risk-taking, and learning from mistakes are embraced as essential parts of growth. Mentees are given ownership of their work, promoting accountability, decision-making, and leadership, while I share my own experiences in arts-based practice and research—including successes, failures, and lessons learned—to provide practical insights and encouragement.
I engage mentees in inquiry-driven, hands-on learning through arts-based methodologies such as storytelling, puppetry, visual arts, and performance. These experiences foster critical thinking, creative problem-solving, collaboration, authentic self-expression, and reflective practice. I encourage mentees to connect their work to broader social, cultural, and ethical contexts, supporting them in developing both artistic and civic awareness.
By balancing encouragement with challenge, I help mentees build confidence, resilience, curiosity, and independence. My ultimate goal is to prepare mentees to navigate complex creative and professional environments, cultivate innovative thinking, and contribute meaningfully as reflective practitioners, capable artists, and engaged citizens.
Additional Information
The outcome of this research is a puppet show presented in public schools that engages young audiences with the complex topics of global warming and climate change. Pre- and post-performance surveys will evaluate how the show enhances students’ understanding, providing both quantitative and qualitative insights into learning and engagement.This project uniquely integrates arts-based methods with educational research. Research assistants and participants explore puppetry techniques, storytelling strategies, and the blending of creative practice with scholarly inquiry. Research assistants gain hands-on experience in visual and performing arts, support data collection, and engage in critical reflection on educational outcomes, while students experience climate education in a dynamic, interactive format.
Findings will be disseminated through peer-reviewed journal publications, academic conferences, and may inform future arts-based climate education programs, offering a model for combining performance, pedagogy, and research. By merging creative practice with inquiry, this project advances scholarship in arts-based pedagogy and environmental education while fostering environmental awareness, creative problem-solving, and active citizenship among students.