Legitimate ways of knowing: reconsidering process drama as an effective methodology for promoting children’s active participation in health research

Abstract

ABSTRACT The power of process drama as a dynamic tool for exploration and learning is well documented. Far less is known about its potency as a qualitative research methodology. This article aims to address that deficit, drawing on lessons learnt from a collaborative project investigating the causes of dental anxiety in children. It argues that process drama can serve as a democratic methodological tool that invites multiple ways of knowing. It reconsiders process drama as an art form that has hitherto been overlooked by researchers committed to pursuing participatory methodologies with children that encourage distributed power-sharing and co-produced knowledge.