Mair2007

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Mair2007
BibType ARTICLE
Key Mair2007
Author(s) Michael Mair, Ciara Kierans
Title Descriptions as data: developing techniques to elicit descriptive materials in social research
Editor(s)
Tag(s) description, social research, drawing, EMCA
Publisher
Year 2007
Language
City
Month
Journal Visual Studies
Volume 22
Number 2
Pages 120–136
URL Link
DOI 10.1080/14725860701507057
ISBN
Organization
Institution
School
Type
Edition
Series
Howpublished
Book title
Chapter

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Abstract

This article examines some general issues around the use of data in social research by taking an extended look at how drawings and text have been used in 'draw and write' research. With reference to a split between positivist and interpretivist studies, the authors argue that the problems generated by draw and write research reflect what has been described as a 'crisis of representation' in social research more broadly. With reference to descriptive material collected for a study of smoking initiation among young people in Liverpool, England, they argue that researchers must rethink the uses to which data, particularly descriptive data, are put within orthodox social research. The modified version of the 'draw and write technique' outlined in the article represents the authors' attempt to achieve that re-orientation.

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