Evelyn Thorne
Research Proposal Design
10/28/13
Drafted Research Instruments
I. Research Question(s)
A. Does digital storytelling cultivate safe space for creative expression?
i. What facilitation practices used for digital storytelling positively affect safe space for
creative expression?
ii. What aspects of the digital storytelling process build safe space for creative
expression?
iii. What ethical guidelines are necessary for building safe space for creative expression?
II. Conceptual Framework
III. Research Methodology
A. Social Constructivism/Interpretivist: examining a theory based on human interaction; looking
at multiple viewpoints.
B. Qualitative research design based on:
i. Literature review presenting theory
ii. Interviews of expert facilitators in digital storytelling field on opinions of theory in
practice
iii. Interviews of participants in digital storytelling workshops on experiences of theory in
action
C. Grounded Theory
i. Will examine if interviews do or do not support theory
ii. Will ask open ended questions of participant experiences to compare with more
specific questions of facilitators
iii. Will construct new conceptual framework based on interview data
D. Interview Selection
i. Will gain access to facilitators and participants through the Center for Digital
Storytelling; referential sampling
ii. Conduct 3 interviews with expert digital storytelling facilitators
iii. Conduct 3 interviews with participants who have experienced multiple workshops
E. Ethics
i. Names of facilitator interviewees will be stated but not linked directly to quotes
ii. Participant interviewees will be anonymous
iii. Member checks will be conducted with all interviewees
F. Documentation
i. Interviews will be audio-recorded and transcribed
G. Validity
i. Construct validity: testing whether theory is experienced in the field
ii. Triangulation: comparing multiple points of view to literature review
iii. Prolonged engagement: researcher has been trained as a facilitator of digital
storytelling and has facilitated multiple workshops
iv. Member checks: interview data will be checked with interviewees
IV. Research Instruments
A. Sample interview questions for facilitators:
1. Based on your experience as a facilitator, do you think digital storytelling builds safe
space for creative expression? Why or why not?
2. In regards to facilitation methods, how do you think shared authority – authority over
project shared by facilitator and participant – affects safe space for creative expression?
3. In regards to facilitation methods, how do you think individual guidance – one-on-one
facilitation throughout process– affects safe space for creative expression?
4. In regards to facilitation methods, how do you think individual process– approaching
the process differently for each individual– affects safe space for creative expression?
5. In regards to the digital storytelling process, how do you think accessibility—the
approachability of the process—affects safe space for creative expression?
6. In regards to the digital storytelling process, how do you think a focus on process—
versus product focus—affects safe space for creative expression?
7. In regards to the digital storytelling process, how do you think instructions—a step by
step process—affects safe space for creative expression?
8. In regards to ethics, how do you think consent—a participant’s right to informed
choices and ownership over project—affects safe space for creative expression?
8. In regards to ethics, how do you think comfortability – the participant’s comfort in
addressing personal stories—affects safe space for creative expression?
9. In regards to ethics, how do you think confidentiality—a participant’s right to keep his
or her story within the workshop—affects safe space for creative expression?
10. Are there any other facilitation methods, digital storytelling components or ethical
guidelines that could affect safe space for creative expression?
11. Are there other factors outside of these three areas that affect safe space for
creative expression?
12. Can you provide examples of experiences in the field that demonstrate positive and
negative impacts on building safe space for creative expression?
B. Sample interview questions for participants:
1. What is your artistic background: education, engagement, practice?
2. On a scale of 1 to 10, where would you place your creative agency – your confidence
in your ability to create?
3. Do you think your creative agency was affected by taking digital storytelling
workshops? How?
4. Based on your experience as a participant in digital storytelling workshops, do you
feel that the process allowed you express yourself creatively? Why or why not?
5. In the digital storytelling workshops, did you feel safe to express yourself creatively?
Why or why not?
6. Can you provide examples of workshop experiences that positively or negatively
affected your feeling of safe space in regards to creative expression?
7. How did the facilitators positively or negatively affect your feeling of safe space in
regards to creative expression?
8. How did the digital storytelling process—the steps, guidelines and tools—positively or
negatively affect your feeling of safe space in regards to creative expression?
9. Did you feel that ethical practice—a focus on participant’s rights—affected your
feeling of safe space in regards to creative expression?
10. Are there other factors that affected your feeling of safe space in regards to creative
expression?