As my ARP project is small-scale, informal and student-led, I’ve drawn from qualitative and participatory approaches to research. I’ve been particularly interested in practices influenced by ethnography, where the focus is on lived experience, everyday interactions, and flexible forms of documentation. Rather than starting with a rigid structure, I’ve been following where the conversations lead.
Instead of using formal interviews or surveys, I’ve chosen light-touch, conversational methods that feel more aligned with the tone of the project. These include:
- Informal chats during tutorials and studio time
- A Padlet board open to all students to contribute anonymously
- A physical studio whiteboard to gather student ideas but also observe how it is being used/or not used.
- My own written reflections and observations on what’s being shared
- Post event non mandatory reflection questionnaire (if an event was to go ahead)
This process is helping me to capture not just answers but atmospheres such as the gaps, frustrations and ideas that might not surface in traditional settings. It sits somewhere between ethnographic practice and collaborative enquiry, and challenges what counts as valid “data” in an academic research context.
In terms of what I’m collecting, “data” in this project includes:
- Anonymous comments and emerging themes
- Student ideas and feedback
- Observations of how students engage in these conversations and with these methods
- Quotes or paraphrased insights from informal discussions (anonymised)
- My own reflections on the process and my positionality within it
The aim isn’t to produce neat conclusions or measurable outcomes. Instead, I’m using this data to better understand how students imagine community, what they want from it, and what might make them feel more connected. I’m also paying attention to what isn’t said, or what doesn’t happen, including whether students choose to engage at all.
All of this has made me think more critically about what research can look like in creative education. It doesn’t always need to follow formal steps. Traditional evaluation methods often miss the subtleties like who feels comfortable enough to contribute, how students position themselves in social spaces, or how existing friendship groups affect engagement. These more informal observations and student-led conversations are giving me a clearer sense of what community currently looks like on the course and how I can go about creating research methods that optimise the potential for hearing from all student voices.