Qualitative Research Designs
After you have defined your research questions, aims, or goals, the next step is to identify your research design. Your research questions or goals inform the type of research design that you will use. There are some research designs that are informed by a particular field of study and expanded to other settings and disciplines. Other research designs are informed by theory.
Arts-based and Arts-informed Designs
What is it? There are two options that you can u
se when you are considering a qualitative project that consists of the arts: arts-based and arts-informed designs. In this context, the arts represent diverse forms of creative expression, such as, dance, drama, music, writing, and visual art.
Arts-based research consists of when one or more forms of art are used as the central focus of a topic. It is the dual exploration of the process of creating and expressing different forms of the arts by participants and the researcher. An example of this may be the experiences of an artist-in-residence at a psychiatric hospital who paints in the presence of or with hospital patients.
Arts-informed research is the inclusion of one or more artistic forms that is not the main focus of the topic, but it is a method of inquiry on a topic. Similar to arts-based, arts-informed research could include the researcher’s self-reflection. Researchers who undertake this method focus on the aesthetic ways to highlight information on a research project to make it accessible in non-academic settings.
You may be interested in exploring some form of creative expression or complement other types of data with information that can be experienced through creative forms. This type of information collected through arts-based and arts-informed designs may be different from the traditional verbal data found in interviews and focus groups, however, it could provide rich information that you cannot gather from verbal data. Our consultants can offer hands-on and technical support if you are interested in arts-based and arts-informed designs for your project.
How can we help you?
- Differentiate between conducting arts-based and arts-informed research
- Assist in using appropriate language applicable to your type of research in the arts
- Provide guidance on how to analyze and interpret data from the arts
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Learn MoreArticles and White Papers About Arts-based & Arts-informed Designs
Arts-Based Approaches in Healthcare Research: Enhancing Patient Engagement
Introduction In recent years, healthcare research has increasingly recognized the importance of patient engagement in improving health outcomes. Traditional methods often rely on quantitative data, which, while valuable, can overlook the nuanced experiences and emotions of patients. Arts-based approaches are emerging as powerful tools to bridge this gap, fostering deeper...
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Arts-Based Research in the Nonprofit Sector: Measuring Impact and Outcomes
Introduction The nonprofit sector plays a crucial role in addressing social challenges, fostering community development, and enhancing cultural enrichment. As these organizations work to demonstrate their effectiveness, there is a growing demand for innovative methodologies to measure impact and outcomes. Arts-based research (ABR) has emerged as a valuable approach that...
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Engaging Communities with Arts-Informed Research: An Overview for Researchers
Introduction Engaging communities through arts-informed research serves as a powerful bridge, connecting the realms of artistic expression and scholarly inquiry to foster understanding, empathy, and positive societal change. This multifaceted approach recognizes the unique strengths that both the arts and research bring to the table, creating an inclusive platform where...
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Top 10 Arts-Informed Techniques for Corporate Innovation Research
Introduction In the fast-paced corporate world, innovation is often hailed as a critical driver of success. Traditional methods of research, while effective, can sometimes stifle creativity and limit the range of insights generated. This is where arts-informed techniques come into play. By integrating artistic approaches into corporate innovation research, organizations...
Read MoreFAQ About Arts-based & Arts-informed Designs
Every qualitative research project is unique. There are several issues that inform the length of arts-based and arts-informed research, e.g. recruitment of participants, type of data collected. Both types of research in Qual Research Design: Arts-Based/Arts-Informed have similar length of time. Some can be as long as 8 years and other projects could be as short as 3 months.
Each arts-based or arts-informed research is unique due to the nature of qualitative research as a method of inquiry on topics that have little to no research. A researcher may choose to focus on oneself or one participant or have over 25 participants. Some research in Qual Research Design: Arts-Based/Arts-Informed have no participants.
Anyone interested in arts-based or arts-informed research does not need to be an artist. However, familiarity with the types of arts that is important. Knowledge and history of using the artistic modality, e.g. painting, photography, performances, aid in defining how the data should be analyzed and collected.
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