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What if planning education research started with the people, not the method? Drawing on two recent research studies in medical education, I argue that when we choose methods that genuinely align with participants’ lived realities and everyday practices, we produce more nuanced, inclusive and contextually grounded insights. This matters not only for methodological fit but also because it speaks directly to ongoing debates about how to design more inclusive research (see for example Walmsley et al., 2018; Nind, 2020).

Designing research that fits the people we study

Our methods do more than gather data. They shape what can be seen, said and shared. Too often, we might start with the tool (an interview or focus group, for example) and maybe later consider whether it makes sense for the people whose experiences we hope to understand. These methods can be effective but may become limiting if used as a default without deeper critical consideration.

What happens when we flip that logic? If we begin with participants, then choose methods that fit?

Study 1: Reflective journals

This principle guided a I led with undergraduate medical students taking a teaching-focused elective. Participants were asked to use reflective journalling, a practice trainee medics know well, to make sense of their emerging identities as medical professionals. Three structured reflections were submitted (before, during and after the elective) and analysed using reflexive thematic analysis. Participants reflected on their elective choices, professional identity development and what helped or hindered their learning.

Reflective writing faces methodological challenges such as varying depth of reflection and participants tailoring their writing to perceived expectations. However, because reflection was aligned with their existing practices, they produced detailed, emotionally reflexive accounts that showed how their thinking evolved over time, which might be lost in a single focus group or interview.

‘Because reflection was aligned with their existing practices, they produced detailed, emotionally reflexive accounts that showed how their thinking evolved over time, which might be lost in a single focus group or interview.’

Study 2: Journey mapping

A explored the learning journeys of eight health profession educators with dyslexia, during postgraduate teacher training. We began by thinking more deeply about participants’ cognitive strengths and challenges. Dyslexia can affect working memory, processing speed, word retrieval and verbal articulation. dyslexia with strengths in visualisation, pattern recognition, creativity and oral communication. Although there is variability among individuals, we selected a method to align with these strengths.

We used journey mapping, a creative method that visually captures participants’ experiences over time. Participants created timelines, drawings or diagrams to represent salient moments, emotions and context. They prepared ‘journey maps’ ahead of semi-structured interviews. The maps served as visual scaffolds, reduced cognitive load, supported organisation of memories and strengthened verbal articulation. Participants described the approach as a fun and engaging way to tell their stories in personally meaningful ways. This approach embodies a more inclusive, strengths-based perspective on research design, selecting methods that acknowledge and engage with participants’ ways of thinking and expressing themselves instead of bypassing them. It aims to foster a research environment where participants can share and contribute on their own terms. Journey mapping requires clear instructions to participants and reassurance regarding creative confidence.

What these studies share

Both projects started with people, not tools. The first used a method matching students’ reflective practice. The second aligned with participants’ cognitive strengths. This achieved three outcomes.

1. Lowered barriers to participation – Familiar or cognitively congruent methods reduce effort and anxiety, leaving more room for meaning making.
2. Deepened the data – Methods that align with participants’ natural ways of expressing themselves enable more nuanced, detailed accounts.
3. Shifted the power – While method alignment alone does not redistribute power fully, it can create more enabling conditions for agency and ‘voice’.

A practical takeaway for researchers

If you’re planning qualitative research, try asking these three design questions:

1. What practices already help these participants make sense of experiences?
2. What strengths or practices are common among participants? (Choose methods that let those strengths/practices shape the inquiry.)
3. What scaffolds will support agency? (Integrate prompts, visuals or pacing accordingly.)

Good education research is not only rigorous: It’s responsive

When our methods resonate with our participants’ experiences, we foster deeper engagement, generate richer data and create considerate, participant-centred research environments. In these studies, reflective journalling and journey mapping worked not because they are inherently superior methods, but because they resonated with these participants.

This calls for more reflexivity in research design, focusing on aligning methods with experiences and ways of knowing. Such alignment is vital for inclusive approaches that better support participant voice and agency. Methods should fit participants, not the other way around!

References

Nind, M. (2020). Inclusive research: Research methods. Bloomsbury Publishing.

Walmsley, J., Strnadová, I., & Johnson, K. (2018). The added value of inclusive research. Journal of Applied Research in Intellectual Disabilities, 31(5), 751–759.