As of October 2017 the Civic Integration Act (WI 2013) (Rijksoverheid, 2017) states that all non-EU newcomers that want to integrate in The Netherlands have to participate in the Participation statement procedure (PSP). As part of this procedure newcomers have to sign that they understand and respect the Dutch core values: freedom, equality and solidarity. A fine of €340 is the consequence if the statement is not signed within one year after being housed in a municipality. This report describes the graduation project at the Delft University of Technology that aimed answering the following research question:
Can the Dutch core values be conveyed to newcomers in The Netherlands?
By developing an intervention that helps to convey values to newcomers this question is answered using a Research through Design approach. A discussion and recommendations for policy are presented based on the answer. On top of that, newcomers and PSP trainers have been involved in all stages of the project in order to create a human-centered design. The project is done in collaboration with Christa Nieuwboer, senior researcher at Apparent.
The three phases Reveal, Create and Evaluate can be recognised throughout the report.
Reveal
Information about the current context is collected in the Reveal phase. Moreover, it states a strong foundation on which the project is built. Last, prototype interventions activities with newcomers are done in order to find out what is appropriate.
The analysis of the current context revealed information about the values workshop. Moreover, the definition of the three values freedom, equality and solidarity as described in the booklet Core values of the Dutch society (Ministry for Social Services and Employment, 2014) is adopted. A lecture by Tamar de Waal (Toeset, Hobbelink and Dorresteijn, 2017) motivated to respect the fact that the meaning of values should be viewed in relation to their context. Additionally, the four educational principles currently used in the values workshop are used as guidelines for concept development. These are: (1) make use of visualisations, (2) build on personal preferences and experiences, (3) include team and individual assignments and (4) facilitate group discussion and reflection.
The foundation exists of four pillars. First, the learning cycle of Kolb (1984) proved to be suitable for approaching abstract values through concrete experiences. The cycle follows the stages of (1) concrete experience, (2) observations and reflections, (3) abstract concept and (4) test implications of this concept after which the cycle starts over again. Second, the adopted vision on integration is that acknowledging and respecting the pluriformity of the Dutch society can stimulate social cohesion, rather than aiming at sharing all values. The third pillar consists of three additional educational principles: (1) focus on intrinsic motivation, (2) make use of active learning methods and (3) involve of a role model. Last, all newcomers are defined as the target group for the project. Although the initial focus was on Syrian newcomers, involving people with different cultural backgrounds is more suitable when talking about the meanings of values in different contexts in an equal way.
The intervention studies showed the importance of time, roleplay, discussing both similarities and differences and involving concrete information and multiple topics when aiming at understanding values. The design brief was devised in accordance with Nieuwboer using all previous findings. The following design goal was agreed upon:
Design an experience-based intervention that enables newcomers in The Netherlands to understand the three Dutch core values following an experiencing, reflecting, understanding-approach while at the same time supporting the newcomers in discussing the differences and similarities between different culture’s values and practices.
The design brief functioned as the closing document of the Reveal phase and the starting point of the Create phase.
Create
The aim of the second phase was to create a suitable intervention. Ideation sessions led to the game idea direction. It was decided to design for structured play, incorporating a clear goal and rules. Moreover, the choice for an analogue game was made to provide the best circumstances for dialogue and roleplay. Last, the aim to explore cultural issues and provide dialogue about these clearly indicated the game would be expressive.
Game elements and mechanisms found in other games were combined into the game concept. Through seven gameplays with different user groups the elements and mechanisms have been tested and improved which resulted in the intervention WAARDEN?! Het spel. The goal of the game is to earn the most value points. Twelve participants play in four teams and sit around the three-values symbol, which is laid down on the floor. A game facilitator guides the gameplay.
Each turn either a roleplay or a question card is played. With a roleplay card two teams enact a situation. One team from the perspective of their own cultural background, the other how they think it would happen in The Netherlands. The question card presents a question about a law that the teams have to answer. By playing the cards teams can earn points. After that, the game facilitator asks reflection questions about the differences, similarities, participants’ opinions and possible consequences of the enacted situations. Finally, the played card has to be linked to one or more of the three Dutch values by placing it on the three-values symbol. The game ends by reviewing the three-values symbol and appointing a winning team. Through this procedure, the participants follow the phases of the learning cycle of Kolb (1984).
Evaluate
In the last phase of this report the conclusion and discussion are presented. The game is a very effective intervention for helping newcomers to understand the Dutch core values. The answer on the research question is that the values are too abstract, too dynamic and too ambiguous to capture and convey. These conclusions have resulted in following recommendation for policy making:
Discard the abstract and contradictory Participation statement. Rather, regard the values workshop as an introduction to a lifelong intercultural values dialogue to reach a pluriform society in which people respect each other’s values.