Researchers under the spell of the arts: Two decades of using arts-based methods in community-based inquiry with vulnerable populations

Abstract

Please cite this article as: Coemans, S., Hannes, K., Researchers under the spell of the arts: Two decades of using arts-based methods in community-Based inquiry with vulnerable populations, Educational Research Review (2017Review ( ), doi: 10.1016Review ( /j.edurev.2017 This is a PDF file of an unedited manuscript that has been accepted for publication. As a service to our customers we are providing this early version of the manuscript. The manuscript will undergo copyediting, typesetting, and review of the resulting proof before it is published in its final form. Please note that during the production process errors may be discovered which could affect the content, and all legal disclaimers that apply to the journal pertain. A C C E P T E D ACCEPTED MANUSCRIPT RESEARCHERS UNDER THE SPELL OF THE ARTS 2 AbstractIn the last decade, we have witnessed a growing number of published articles featuring artsbased methods. These methods have been picked up by researchers interested in education in, through and for communities. This scoping review focuses on the use of arts-based methods in community-based research. It was undertaken to provide an overview of how these methods are applied in research practice. Different databases were systematically searched, covering literature published over twenty years . We identified different types of arts-based methods. We described the reported rationales, benefits and limitations, and presented a definition of arts-based methods as used in community-based inquiry. Four challenges were reported: the need to support researchers to explore alternative analytical approaches, the need for methodological reflections, the need to reflect on the voicecomponent in this work, and the need to push the boundaries of what counts as 'the' academic standard. Despite the challenges involved in working on the thin line between art and research, the learning curve it creates for researchers, its value in terms of creating understanding and its capacity to engage participants makes it a worthwhile endeavor to invest in.

A Course-Based Qualitative Inquiry: What Relational-Centred Practice Looks Like When in a Power-Over Position of Authority

“…Qualitative research is used to capture in-depth information about a phenomenon (Schwandt, 2000). It is a form of social inquiry that focuses on the way individuals interpret and make sense of their experiences and the world in which they live by employing meaning-making (versus measurement) oriented methodologies through interviewing as well as observational and increasingly expressive arts-based techniques (Coemans & Hannes, 2017: Finley, 2001). According to Myers (2009), such inquiries allow understanding both the complexities of the different contexts within which the participants act and the way their contexts influence their actions.…”

Bridging different perspectives for biocultural conservation: art-based participatory research on native maize conservation in two indigenous farming communities in Oaxaca, Mexico

“…Participatory methods have long been acknowledged as important for performing research that is community centred and inclusive rather than extractive, acknowledging participants' expertise and granting them ownership over the work (Reed 2008). By incorporating artbased approaches, we were also able to encourage new types of creative reflection and easily catalyse discussions (Coemans and Hannes 2017). By using a stepwise design in our participatory art-based method, we could first work with specific groups on their own to document heterogeneous perspectives and then bring them together to discuss these differences and work to build common understandings and shared strategies.…”

“…In step two of our research process, we adopted an art-based participatory research approach to help participants consider and discuss their ideas concerning the challenges and solutions in a way that was independent of their knowledge and status in the community (Coemans and Hannes 2017). For this, we developed a unique method that builds on and extends the Photovoice method (Wang and Burris 1997).…”

“…Our participatory art-based research design aimed to facilitate participants' reflections on their experienced realities regarding native maize farming, their contribution to this reality and their potential to create social change by encouraging a critical consciousness (Carlson et al 2006;Freire 1970). Using art also helped participants share their thoughts about maize farming with a wider audience in or outside the community and thereby also strengthened the transformative potential of the participatory research by acting as a reflection catalyst in the community (Coemans and Hannes 2017). In what follows, we describe our participatory art-based research methods and our findings across the different age, gender and community groups.…”

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“…Participants were given a choice to draw an image, create a word map, or take a photo. Creative and arts-based research methods are increasingly used to highlight the ontological, epistemological, theoretical, methodological, and representative elements of qualitative research (Angelides and Michaelidou, 2009;Bagnoli, 2009;Leavy, 2009;The Coemans and Hannes, 2017;Woodgate et al, 2017)…”