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Walking interviews – a relational research method
Why would we do inside what can better be done outside? For my research into relational outdoor learning, I do walking interviews with my research participants.
I invite them for a walk in an area where meaningful learning experiences have taken place, where memories have been built. Being in that place again, elicits memories and emotions related to past experiences in the same area. I start with a meditation exercise that brings participants into contact with the surroundings and that invites the body as well as the body-environment interaction to the interview. It makes participants share stories not only from their conscious mind, but also include the subconscious body-mind. Participants feel more comfortable talking while walking in the forest than while sitting in an office or behind a screen, which results in more open and deeper conversations. Moreover, the movement of walking, especially in nature, is in itself conductive of thinking and creativity.
Want to know more about my research or relational research methods? Please reach out to me via Reineke.vantol@wur.nl and/or check out my research page.