By Dr Sarah McLaughlin, University of Bristol
Recently, I had the pleasure of facilitating a hands-on workshop titled “Using Play-Doh as a Creative Research Method” for an audience of doctoral students, educators, and researchers. This was organised by the Language, Literacies and Education Network (LLEN) as part of the Bristol Conversations in Education series at the School of Education. The workshop introduced participants to the possibilities of using Play-Doh not just as a pedagogical strategy, but also as a legitimate method for qualitative research.
This idea stems from my background in teaching sociology to adult learners. I first began experimenting with Play-Doh as a way to help students explore abstract concepts and theories in tangible and embodied ways. It sparked dialogue, creativity, and critical thinking — often among students who were initially hesitant to speak up in class, or had negative experiences and associations with classroom environments. Creating models to depict their learning was a visible way of assessing their understanding. By explaining what their model represented to a peer, students were able to think about what they understood, and identify gaps in their knowledge, in a fun and relaxed way.
Building on this classroom practice, I later incorporated Play-Doh into my doctoral research project, Educating the Ritas: A Narrative Enquiry into the Lived Experiences of Working Class Women on an Access to Higher Education Course. Alongside narrative interviews, I incorporated Play-doh as a creative method. Visual and creative methods require participants spending time creating something symbolic or metaphorical which they subsequently reflect upon. Participants used Play-Doh to model salient aspects of the meaning of their educational journeys. These models served as powerful metaphors, surfacing stories and emotions through deep discussions and reflections.
During the workshop, we discussed considerations to be made when choosing these tools. I shared insights into the data my participants had created through their creations which, alongside the coding of the interview transcripts, were also documented and theorised.
Attendees were then invited to get stuck in and we simulated a research scenario. They explored the method for themselves as ‘participants’, generating rich ‘data’ through creative modelling. They then shared their insights and analysed the ‘data’ as ‘researchers’ to identify some themes. It was great to see how meanings were drawn not just from what was said, but from what was made, shaped, and shared.
The session was relaxed, engaging and genuinely insightful. Delegates commented on how this method encouraged reflection and helped them think differently about both pedagogy and research practice.
Play-Doh may be playful, but this workshop demonstrated its serious potential for deepening our understanding of people’s stories. It reminded us that creativity and criticality are not opposites — they are partners in the research process.
Thanks goes to Frances Giampapa and Seekan Hui for their support in organising and facilitating this event.
About the Author
Dr Sarah McLaughlin in the MSc. Health Professions Education CO-Lead and lecturer at Bristol University.