“It was fun…I liked drawing my thoughts”: Using Drawings as a Part of the Focus Group Process with Children

Abstract

Little research in leisure studies has involved the use of drawings as a method of data collection with children. When involving children in qualitative research, one of the major challenges is for the adult investigator to capture the experiences and meanings from the children's perspective. This article discusses four contexts in which drawings can contribute to the research process when conducting focus groups with children: 1) to facilitate a relaxed atmosphere, 2) to gain insight into the children's perspective, 3) to provide structure and focus the discussion, and 4) to recognize and reduce the potential of group-think. The manuscript concludes by recommending that drawings can be used as a methodological technique to help elicit meaningful responses from children.