Sandboxing in Practice - (Creative Research Methods in Practice) by Dawn Mannay & Victoria Timperley (Hardcover)

Book Synopsis

This is the essential guide to the innovative qualitative research technique of sandboxing.

Originating from play therapy, sandboxing enables children, young people, and adults to create three-dimensional scenes using miniature figures and everyday objects in a sand-filled tray. Creating these sand scenes offers opportunities for individuals and groups to reflect on and represent memories, everyday experiences, and ideas about the future, which are then shared and discussed.

Offering an invaluable resource for students, researchers, and practitioners, this comprehensive book:

- introduces a creative and engaging approach to qualitative data generation;

- features key international case studies, real-world examples, and thoughtful reflections on the method's strengths and limitations;

- equips readers with the tools needed to effectively implement sandboxing in their research journey.

By drawing on creativity, reflexivity, ethics and expertise this book unlocks sandboxing's potential to transform your research with an inventive and imaginative approach.

Review Quotes

"This captivating guide leads readers by the hand through the world of sandboxing. Offering invaluable insights, including the often-neglected area of data analysis, it is a must-read for qualitative researchers." Lisa Morriss, Lancaster University

"Mannay and Timperley invite the reader to think of sand, figures, and their potential in an innovative and accessible manner, honouring Indigenous knowledges and modern adaptions for qualitative research." Adriana Haro, University of Newcastle, Australia

"I have always maintained that psychotherapy serves as a research method for psychotherapists. Therefore, I welcome the adaptations of psychoanalytically informed techniques presented in Sandboxing in Practice to qualitative researchers with appropriate training." Del Loewenthal, Emeritus Professor, University of Roehampton

"This practical guide provides an accessible, reflective introduction to sandboxing, suggesting useful examples and open possibilities for using sand, objects, and figures to creatively enhance qualitative, participatory, and multimodal research." Su-ming Khoo, University of Galway

About the Author

Dawn Mannay is Professor of Creative Research Methodologies at Cardiff University.

Victoria Timperley is Lecturer in Education at Cardiff University.