Journal article
Using water walks as a research method to gather data in water-related social research
- Abstract:
- Water walks are a research method to collect qualitative data conducted in motion with water or water-related infrastructure. The water walk has a range of benefits and is gaining popularity, yet few resources exist for those interested in the method. There is a need to consolidate existing understanding and insights across disciplines and areas of study. This way, the water walk, its applications, and specificities are accessible to and can be critically appraised by diverse researchers and research participants. We respond by offering an entry point for those interested in using water walks in data collection and providing an inclusionary and concise examination of the research method. First, we conceptualize and position our interpretation and use of water walks and the proposed benefits. Second, we discuss the practical and ethical aspects of the method. Third, we examine four water walks from our research according to three planes of variation, including (i) who leads the walk, (ii) the mode of walking, and (iii) the approach to engaging with water during the walk. These planes of variation allow others to embrace water walks as part of a research craft that can be molded to diverse research questions and designs, always with reflection vigor and commitment to their participants at the core. We argue that researchers must take a critical approach to water walks and contextualize the method in relation to the wider socio-political landscape within which our relationship with water, and how we (can) move around and engage with it, is shaped.
- Publication status:
- Published
- Peer review status:
- Peer reviewed
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- Files:
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(Preview, Version of record, pdf, 2.4MB, Terms of use)
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- Publisher copy:
- 10.1002/wat2.1758
Authors
+ Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council
More from this funder
- Funder identifier:
- https://ror.org/0439y7842
- Grant:
- EP/V030515/1
- Publisher:
- Wiley
- Journal:
- WIREs Water More from this journal
- Volume:
- 12
- Issue:
- 1
- Article number:
- e1758
- Publication date:
- 2024-10-20
- Acceptance date:
- 2024-09-05
- DOI:
- EISSN:
-
2049-1948
- Language:
-
English
- Keywords:
- Pubs id:
-
2025639
- Local pid:
-
pubs:2025639
- Deposit date:
-
2024-09-05
Terms of use
- Copyright holder:
- Holstead et al.
- Copyright date:
- 2024
- Rights statement:
- © 2024 The Author(s). WIREs Water published by Wiley Periodicals LLC. This is an open access article under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs License, which permits use and distribution in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited, the use is non-commercial and no modifications or adaptations are made.
- Notes:
- This research was funded in whole or in part by the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EP/V030515/1). For the purposes of Open Access, the author has applied a CC BY public copyright licence to any Author Accepted Manuscript (AAM) version arising from this submission.
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