Creative research approaches

The article explores the possibility of developing and using creative research approaches and methods in social work research. The article starts by introducing the opposing positions in the on-going science wars between evidence-based and non-evidence-based approaches. It argues that if research is to understand and capture the complexity of social problems and social work, more effort must be devoted to developing qualitative studies – especially at a time when evidence-based approaches hold such a strong position. Research also needs to focus much more on creative tools. The article suggests Forum Theatre as a good participatory method as it allows a more power-sharing and open dialogue between researchers and informants, and it presents an example of Forum Theatre used in a research process. The article ends with a comparison of creative social work research approaches to what has been characterized as the science of the concrete: a context-dependent science, oriented more towards subjects than objects, and in which judgements and decisions are based on values.