Class 6 Notes - Innovative Methods in Psychology

Innovative Methods Traditional Research Methods Interviews, focus groups Within traditional approaches to research, researcher decides: The research questions How questions will be asked (methods) Who will be involved How will data be analyzed? How will data be disseminated? Participatory Research Planning conducting research process with those whose life-world & meaningful actions under study (Bergold & Thomas, 2012) Regarded as a methodology that argues in favor of the possibility, significance & usefulness of involving research partners in knowledge-production process (Bergold, 2007) What does this mean in practice? Participants/collaborators actively involved in the different stages of the research They help set the agenda, carry out, analyze & disseminate research Involved in some/all decisions about: The research question How questions will be asked (methods) Who will be involved How will data be analyzed? How will data be disseminated? Why participatory research? Value knowledge produced by suitably qualified academics PR shifts from academic experts towards ordinary people as experts in their own lives Historically, affects people frequently made by those in powerful positions without consulting members PR attempts to equalize the power balance between 'researcher' & 'researched' Involving participants in the research process helps make sure both parties benefit equally from the research Benefits of participatory research Participants are recognized as the 'expert' rather than the academic researcher (in their own lives & issues) 'We both know something, working together we will know more' (Maguire, 1991) Challenges of participatory research Difficult to equalize power imbalance between 'researcher' & 'researched' - acknowledge new relationship is unequal (Guarnieri, 2010) Demanding for researchers to take on role of educator/activist/researcher - i.e., provide participants with skills necessary to do research (Maguire, 1987) Ethical processes - difficult to get ethical approval for a project of 'what questions will be asked'. When is participatory research used? Often used with marginalized groups whose voices are frequently undermined & silenced PR offers ways for marginalized voices to be heard Women, migrants, indigenous peoples, young people Levels of Participation Some participatory research with children has been criticized for claiming 'participation' but involving participants in tokenistic ways. Hart (1992) - Ladder of participation PR in Action Often makes use of creative research methods Creative methods are those that draw on inventive, imaginative processes, i.e. storytelling, drama, drawing (Veale, 2005) Participants have ownership/control over what they create Creative Methods: What do they look like? Innovative methods - introduce creativity into conventional methods - focus groups (Mara, 2015) Endless Possibilities: Performance tasks (Mooney-Sommers et al., 2016) Creative writing prompts (Elbow, 2006) Drawing & writing techniques (Gibson, 2007) Storyboards (Cross & Warwick-Booth, 2015) When are they used? Often used with young or 'vulnerable' people Used to facilitate discussions of sensitive topics (Loiacono, 2007) Creativity, Participatory methods & research with children/young people Creativity in participatory methods takes creative, participatory approach (Libby, Georgia, Chloe, Courtney, Olivia, Rhiannon & Reynolds, 2018) What are the benefits? Meaning-making can be acknowledged without the need for this to be strictly verbal (Pimlott-Wilson, 2012) More people are able to engage with the research Guides research in alternative, unexpected ways (Reynolds, 2018) What are the challenges? Interpreting creative data isolation - intended meaning is lost Combine visual methods with narration to give participants the opportunity to explain their drawings Avoid misinterpretation (Littledyke, 2013)