Sandboxing: a creative approach to qualitative research in education

Creative methods in educational research often involve the technologies of the camera (Torre and Murphy, 2015; Voela, 2014; Allen, this volume), and these are the most documented approaches in visual and creative research more widely. However, creative methods are not restricted to the realms of photography and film. As discussed, artefacts, collaging, Plasticine modelling, and drawing have been used frequently in education research, both with children and adult participants (see Abrahams and Ingram, 2013; Anwan, 2007; Darbyshire et al., 2005; Dumangane, 2015; Mannay, 2016; Mitchell, 2006; Ross, 2005). There are now a range of handbooks that outline the application of these low-technology approaches (for example Kara, 2015; Mannay, 2016; Rose, 2016). Consequently, this chapter will focus specifically on the technique of ‘sandboxing’, which is a relatively new and far less documented approach in the field of educational research