Understanding Illness: Using Drawings as a Research Method

Drawing as a research tool is often complemented by verbal research methods that encourage collaborative meaning-making and allow the drawer to give voice to what the drawing was intended to convey.

“As such, drawing as a research tool is often complemented by verbal research methods (Guillemin, 2004) that encourage collaborative meaning-making that allows the drawer to give voice to what the drawing was intended to convey.”

When drawing is used as a research method, it often entails participants' drawing and talking or drawing and writing about the meaning embedded in their drawing.

“When drawing is used as a research method, it often entails participants' drawing and talking or drawing and writing (Backett-Milburn & McKie, 1999; Guillemin, 2004; MacGregor et al., 1998; Mair & Kierans, 2007) about the meaning embedded in their drawing.”

The benefits of using drawings include active engagement of children and adults and visible proof of research findings.

“the benefits of the uses of drawings, as the various chapters in this volume attest, are many and include the active engagement of children (MacGregor et al., 1998) and adults (Guillemin, 2004; Stuart, 2007; Theron, 2008) and visible proof of research findings.”

For a number of decades, psychologists and researchers have engaged children and adults in draw-and-write or draw-and-talk techniques that have facilitated rich exploration of children's and adults' reflections, perceptions, and views on multiple topics and phenomena.

“For a number of decades-possibly from as early as 1935 (MacGregor, Currie, & Wetton, 1998)-psychologists and researchers have engaged children and adults in activities using varied forms of a 'draw-and-write' or 'draw-and-talk' technique that have facilitated the rich exploration of children's and adults' reflections, perceptions, and views on multiple topics and phenomena”