Method Meets Art: Arts-Based Research Practice

by Patricia Leavy PhD

Overview

Ideal for courses in multiple disciplines, the third edition of this award-winning text has been revised and updated with new topics, examples, and guiding questions to introduce each chapter’s sections. Patricia Leavy presents a practical guide to the full range of arts-based research (ABR) genres—narrative inquiry, fiction-based research, poetry, music, dance, theatre, film, and visual art. Each genre-specific chapter is paired with an exemplary research article or online video link (at the companion website). Following a consistent format, chapters review how the technique was developed, explore its methodological variations and the kind of research questions it can address, and describe diverse sample studies. Checklists and practical advice help readers harness the power of these innovative techniques for their own studies or dissertations.

New to This Edition
*Covers additional ABR practices: concrete research poetry, musically enhanced narrative inquiry, community music projects, musical spoken word, scored transcripts, comics/graphic novels, wordless narrative research, and installation art.
*Discussions of research design, collaborative ABR, and ways to overcome common ABR challenges, plus tips for getting started.
*Numerous new research examples, including three new end-of-chapter exemplars.
*Increased attention to the impact of research, with a heightened focus on ethics, public scholarship, and issues of audience.

Pedagogical Features
*Checklists of issues to consider when deciding how to use a particular method.
*Discussion questions and activities for in-class use or assignment.
*Annotated lists of suggested readings and websites, including links to online performance pieces.
*Compelling research examples from multiple disciplines.
*Chapters follow a consistent format and can be read independently or in sequence; new guiding questions introduce sections within chapters.

Winner—2021 USA Best Book Awards, Art category

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781462538973
Publisher:	Guilford Publications, Inc.
Publication date:	08/12/2020
Edition description:	Third Edition
Pages:	344
Product dimensions:	6.00(w) x 9.00(h) x 0.62(d)

About the Author

Patricia Leavy, PhD, is an independent sociologist, novelist, and former Chair of Sociology and Criminology and Founding Director of Gender Studies at Stonehill College in Easton, Massachusetts. She is the author, coauthor, or editor of 40 nonfiction and fiction books, which have received numerous awards and have been translated into multiple languages. She has served as the creator and editor of 10 book series and is cofounder of the journal Art/Research International. For her work in the field of research methods, Dr. Leavy has received honors including the Distinguished Service Outside the Profession Award from the National Art Education Association, the New England Sociologist of the Year Award from the New England Sociological Association, the Special Achievement Award from the American Creativity Association, the Significant Contribution to Educational Measurement and Research Methodology Award from Division D of the American Educational Research Association (AERA), the Outstanding Achievement in Arts and Learning Award from the Arts and Learning Special Interest Group of the AERA, and the Special Career Award from the International Congress of Qualitative Inquiry. The School of Fine and Performing Arts at the State University of New York at New Paltz has established the Patricia Leavy Award for Art and Social Justice in her honor. Dr. Leavy delivers invited lectures and keynote addresses at universities and conferences. Her website is www.patricialeavy.com.

Table of Contents

1 Social Research and the Creative Arts: An Introduction 1

Pushing on the Borders of an Alternative Paradigm: Historical Context for Arts-Based Research 5

Arts-Based Research Practices: An Alternative Paradigm 11

The Organization of This Book: From Word to Image 33

2 Narrative Inquiry and Fiction-Based Research 43

Background 44

Narrative Inquiry or the Narrative Method 50

Fiction-Based Research/Social Fiction 59

Special Considerations 67

Conclusion 70

Film (EXCERPT), Patricia Leavy 79

3 Poetic Inquiry 84

Background 85

Poetic Inquiry or Poetry as Method 87

Uses of Poetry in Social Research 97

Special Considerations 102

Conclusion 105

Appendix 3.1 111

Children's Poetic Voices, April R. Mandrona 114

4 Music as Method 128

Background 130

Music as a Model for Qualitative Research 135

Music as Method 138

Special Considerations 147

Conclusion 149

The Beauty of Song (Gonna Sing My Way to a PhD), Danny Bakan [online]

5 Dance and Movement as Inquiry 158

Background 160

Dance as a Methodological Innovation 165

Special Considerations 174

Conclusion 177

Gender Icons, Jack Migdalek [online]

6 Theatre, Drama, and Film 183

Background 184

Theatre- or Drama-Based Practices 191

Film 203

Special Considerations 209

Conclusion 211

Blink, Mary E. Weems 219

7 The Visual Arts 236

Background 237

Visual Arts-Based Research Practices 242

Special Considerations 259

Conclusion 261

Low-Fat Love Stories (Excerpt), Patricia Leavy and Victoria Scotti 268

8 Evaluation Criteria for Arts-Based Research 273

Evaluation Criteria 275

Final Comments on Evaluation: On Messiness, Balance, and Artist-Researcher Positionality 296

9 Bridging the Art-Science Divide 302

The Arts as Research 303

Collaborative Arts-Based Research 309

Challenges Doing Arts-Based Research: Practical Advice 314

Exploding Myths and Building Coalitions: Crossing the Art-Science Divide 318

Author Index 323

Subject Index 330

About the Author 341

Contributors 343

Editorial Reviews

"An excellent introductory text for arts-based research (ABR)….It is time for the arts as research to reside in the research methods classroom and in research proper....Leavy adeptly relates the most basic techniques in ABR—giving them away to students and researchers alike. In addition, she exceeds the introduction of techniques by presenting excellent examples of ABR research by experienced ABR methodologists….It is an excellent resource for students, for beginning researchers, and for academicians in the arts, literature, and social and behavioral sciences." (on the first edition)

PsycCRITIQUES

"My students always love reading this book! This is often the first encounter that educators have with the idea that research could be different than the traditional science model or the less-traditional qualitative approaches more common in social science research. It has given some of my students a voice when they couldn’t find it themselves. With this text, I have a way to introduce students to more possibilities for doing and analyzing and sharing their work, often giving them permission to pay attention to the very parts of their research they thought they would need to omit. It is a paradigm shift—a real game-changer."—Mindi Rhoades, PhD, Department of Teaching and Learning, The Ohio State University

"Renowned editor, author, and scholar Leavy has created an outstanding third edition of Method Meets Art that articulately captures the breadth and depth of ABR. This highly readable and accessible book guides the understanding of the integral nature of this essential form of inquiry. Leavy has managed to achieve the impossible—a seminal work that should be a required text in research courses across a wide range of disciplines, including fine arts, social sciences, mental health, and education."—Cathy A. Malchiodi, PhD, Trauma-Informed Practices and Expressive Arts Therapy Institute, Louisville, Kentucky

"Leavy’s contribution to ABR is nothing short of extraordinary, and her third edition of Method Meets Art is no exception. She continues to update the genre and subgenres by providing new exemplars that advance both theory and practice. I look forward to adding this volume to Leavy's other publications on my ‘go-to’ shelf. The third edition reflects some major developments of the methodology, including the growing number of researcher/practitioners and Leavy’s expansion of complex theoretical, aesthetic, ethical, and pedagogical issues. In her search to find joy in her own research, Leavy has developed, supported, and promoted such joy within the ABR community and beyond."—Joe Norris, PhD, Department of Dramatic Arts, Brock University, Canada

"Since the first edition, I have assigned this text in all my graduate research courses. It is required reading for each class session, paired with written responses applying the concepts and practices. I especially appreciate the third edition's additional coverage of research design, which is a powerful aid in helping students understand research holistically. Discussions and examples of a variety of research questions and practices are most useful, as is the modeling of ways to communicate ABR findings to a diversity of stakeholders. The practicality, and, I have to say, beauty of this text lie in its accessibility for the student who is new to the world of research. It reinforces traditional research genres and protocols while giving researchers the courage, inspiration, and means to conceive of new questions and realize previously unseen realities."—Candace Jesse Stout, PhD, Department of Arts Administration, Education, and Policy (Emerita), The Ohio State University

From the Publisher

"Leavy enables her readers to gain a sense of how a particular art form might suit their research needs and skills-set, while simultaneously validating each methodology and providing guidance over how specific research practice might be emulated." (on the first edition)

Qualitative Research

In reading Leavy's book I can now see that all forms of research can inform, perform, reform, and transform what we think we know about the world around as well as ourselves as researchers and readers." (on the first edition)

Weekly Qualitative Report

"A breath of fresh air....The contribution of this book to the field of research methods is invaluable....Leavy successfully establishes the legitimacy of arts-based research in social science research and succinctly explains how pivotal arts-based research is to the future of academic research." (on the first edition)

International Journal of Education and the Arts

"I found the book interesting and one I believe will be useful for those wanting to embark on using a different approach to research....For those practicing counseling and psychotherapy, whether engaged in therapy and/or research and not familiar with using alternative methods of enabling people to capture experience I believe this book could offer fresh insights to support and further their endeavors." (on the first edition)

Counselling and Psychotherapy Research

Reviewer: Kyle Downey, MLIS (Seton Hall University)
Description: In this third edition, author Patricia Leavy once again provides thorough detail of arts-based research (ABR) practice to readers of various art-based backgrounds. It is a practical guide to understanding ABR and how it can be used within various types of genres. Along with practical advice to help guide readers, each chapter is also paired with examples, research articles, and links with furthers examples to view. This edition presents new, updated, and reorganized content on ABR practices, including an entirely new section on research design, research reviews, research purpose statements, and research questions.
Purpose: The author does a great job of describing ABR and its purpose for research and practicality. The purpose of her book is to provide novice researchers, such as students, and more experienced researchers with an in-depth introduction to ABR. Leavy reviews all the major genres of ABR, which include topics in poetry, dance, theater, film, and drama, just to name a few. Regardless of one's discipline or training, Leavy hopes to inspire readers to try the approaches she has outlined and to think of new concepts to be incorporated in this emerging field of research. Leavy shares her experiences in the field while also providing detailed examples on how ABR can be used in the real world.
Audience: The intended audience of this book is diverse. Leavy states the book will appeal to both novice researchers such as undergraduate and graduate students, as well as those well versed in research such as scholars and practitioners. The book can be used in various courses including (but not limited to) art, education, social work, health studies, sociology, theater, and gender studies. However, the book is not only intended for those who are trained in the arts. It can also be used in methodological courses that focus on qualitative research or research methods. With that in mind, the book does not need to be read from cover to cover. If a researcher is interested in a particular genre, they can just read that particular chapter. Every chapter follows a consistent format providing readers with end-of-chapter research examples as well as citations, suggested readings, and links to more information. I found the examples at the end of the chapters to be extremely helpful and insightful.
Features: This book provides in-depth insight into ABR genres with research examples from leading scholars in the field. Leavy details each arts-based practice while providing great examples for readers to use. New features to this edition include additional ABR genres, research design discussions, discussions of collaboration within ABR, and end-of-chapter exemplars. Leavy has also included new citations as well as new suggested readings for readers to follow up with. Each chapter is excellently written and Leavy presents numerous examples of key terms and major research practices for each specific genre. Each chapter ends with a checklist of considerations to keep readers engaged and encourage them to develop their own research content and design strategies. Discussion questions and activities add pedagogical value and can be used by professors in research classes. These pedagogical features, along with suggested readings, journals, and websites, give readers many tools to discover even more ABR sources of information.
Assessment: This is an exceptionally well-written and informative book. Leavy writes in a clear and informative manner that is easy to follow. She provides background information, sources, and examples that are sufficient even for readers with little to no knowledge of ABR. I, for one, did not know much about this topic, but was able to get an idea of what ABR is and how it can be implemented by being able to skip around various topics in the book. This field is still growing and Leavy's textbook has contributed to its advancement in many ways. The book is great for any kind of research methods, social science, or research courses. Again, some chapters may appeal less to others based on interest or experience, but Leavy's passion for ABR is inviting and encouraging to read. While educating readers about ABR, Leavy also wants to inspire others to try approaches developed in this book and possibly create new ones, whether they have artistic training or not.

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