Researcher as Facilitator: Designing and Running “Playshops” to Explore Participants’ Relations With Technology and Science

Abstract

In this case about the methodologies employed in my PhD research within social studies of technology, I describe my experience developing and delivering “playshops,” as part of a multi-method approach. Playshops are adaptable and purposeful spaces for the study and promotion of engagement in do-it-yourself inquiry using playful hands-on learning. In these playshops, I took on the role of “researcher as workshop facilitator.” Rather than focusing on the results of my research, I will discuss the design of the playshops and the process of delivering them, highlighting some of the potential outcomes and limitations of using playshops as a research method. I briefly present how the role of “researcher as workshop facilitator” forms part of a multi-method approach, complementing two additional research methods, namely, participant observer and researcher as observer.

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