Participatory methods

Participatory methods combined creative activities with semi-structured discussion to answer specific research questions and can be used in interviews and focus/ discussion groups. These methods are seen to engage and involve participants in research and to work with them to solve problems. Participatory methods are most commonly used by researchers in rural settings in less economically developing countries; however we have found them to be effective in accessing the views of groups in our research and are increasingly using them in the qualitative strands of our projects.

Our research team is skilled and experienced in designing and facilitating participatory methods. In our topic guide design we combine semi-structured group discussions and a range of visual diagrammatic techniques including mapping and ranking exercises. We have also developed an awareness of specific issues and ways of tailoring methods to different groups, for example we have facilitated successful consultation groups with people with mental health problems and elderly people.

We feel that the benefits of using participatory methods in our research are that they:

• Place more emphasis and importance on the role of participants in research;
• Help us to develop a picture of service user perspectives or journeys;
• Enable an easier flow of consultation and feedback between service users and policy-makers;
• Are an inclusive research method; the use of exercises involving diagrams and pictures can be used to access the views of disadvantaged groups such as people with low literacy levels, and those with language barriers;
• Provide positive experiences for participants by allowing them to be creative and to interact with one another.