Dr Nicole Brown | One six-hour session | Spring: 10:00 - 16:00 Wednesday 11 February

This course accrues 2 training points.

The aim of this interactive workshop is to explore creativity within research, to identify opportunities to use creative methods within the research process and to explore the foundations and theoretical underpinning related to these methods in qualitative research. 

We discuss what creativity is, why we should be creative in research and how we can introduce creativity and creative methods in our existing paradigms and methods. Subsequently, delegates actively experiment with "pick a card" and "diamond 9" activities, photo elicitation, and the process of creating representations of experiences. Delegates also have opportunities to consider creativity within diary methods and observations as data collection. Creative research methods have been found particularly helpful in yielding rich qualitative data and thus provide a deeper insight into research participants' experiences. All tasks are explored in view of 4 guiding questions allowing delegates to focus on practical, methodological and ethical considerations regarding the approaches presented.  

In line with the pedagogical principles of social constructivism the course is delivered as a mixture of interactive group tasks, discussions and lectures to enable active and experiential learning. This workshop can be taken on its own or in conjunction with the workshop "Analysing data from creative research methods".  

Learning outcomes 

• Have knowledge and critical awareness of what creativity in qualitative research is and means 

• Have practical knowledge and personal experience of creative methods for data collection and analysis 

• Have critical awareness of advantages and risks when using creative methods in qualitative research 

• Feel permitted to "experiment" and "try" in qualitative research  

Topics 

• Creativity in research 

• Theoretical underpinning to use of creative methods 

• Practical ideas for data collection  

• Ethical issues to be considered when using creative methods 

• The role of the researcher in data collection   

Course tutor: 

Dr Nicole Brown is Associate Professor at the UCL Institute of Education and Director of Social Research & Practice and Education Ltd. Underpinned by her interpretation of human communication relying on the embodied, metaphorical understanding of the world, she regularly uses participatory and creative approaches to data collection and analysis. Nicole has taught research methods for over ten years, including at the American Association for Public Opinion Research (AAPOR), the Society for Research into Higher Education (SRHE), the Social Research Association (SRA), the National Centre for Research Methods (NCRM), Photovoice Worldwide and the British Medical Association (BMA). For Nicole's publications check her UCL Profile page.