Research Methodology:

This research adopts a qualitative, reflective approach grounded in my teaching practice as a design tutor at the London College of Fashion, mainly focused on year two students (year two as a curriculum is based on mimicing industry practice through simulated or live projects). The methodology has emerged from a desire to better understand how and why students interpret and perform notions of ‘correct’ visual research, and how non-traditional or alternative forms of visual research might be recognised and validated within design pedagogy. Rather than positioning research as an extractive process, this work is informed by an understanding of inquiry as relational and ethically situated (BERA, 2018).

“The way questions are framed shapes not only the responses given, but the knowledge that is ultimately produced” (Payne, 1951).

Research draws on student feedback relating to the 3×3 visual research project undertaken during the summer of 2025 and more anecdotal evidence gathered through years of teaching practice, where students fail to understand that there is no correct or legitimate visual references for student work and that a wide breadth of visual research formats are acceptable and engaging when it comes to creating original and dynamic fashion collections.

Participants are BA Year 2 Menswear students who engaged with the project voluntarily over a summer break period. Feedback is being gathered through an anonymous online survey. This method allows for student autonomy and honesty. Survey and discussion questions were carefully developed in advance to ensure clarity, consistency, and ethical rigour, informed by qualitative research methods literature that foregrounds care, reflexivity, and power dynamics within educational research (Kvale and Brinkmann, 2009; Finlay, 2002).

Ethical considerations have been central to my thinking over the period of study on the ARP unit. As the project engages directly with participants’ lived experiences rather than object-based or archival material, particular attention has been given to consent, anonymity, and the management of power relations. Participation has been entirely voluntary, and students may choose whether or not to engage with either the survey or focus group discussions, without consequence.

To mitigate the potential influence of my dual role as educator and researcher, the feedback form is anonymous, and there is scope for in-person sessions to be facilitated by academic colleagues rather than myself in the future. In line with established ethical guidance, no raw or identifiable data is shared within this blog; all participant data is stored privately and securely, with only anonymised reflections on emerging themes discussed here (Israel and Hay, 2006; BERA, 2018).

“Education either functions as an instrument of conformity or becomes the practice of freedom” (Freire, 1970, p.34).

Methodologically, this research is informed by critical and compassionate pedagogic frameworks that seek to challenge compliance-driven models of learning. Drawing on Freire’s critique of transmissive education and hooks’ articulation of engaged pedagogy, the research aims to create space for students to articulate their experiences on their own terms, rather than performing assumed institutional expectations (Freire, 1970; hooks, 1994). In this way, the methodology itself becomes part of the pedagogic inquiry, foregrounding care, reflexivity, and ethical responsibility as integral to both teaching and research practice.

References:

BERA (2018) Ethical Guidelines for Educational Research. 4th edn. London: British Educational Research Association.

Finlay, L. (2002) ‘Negotiating the swamp: the opportunity and challenge of reflexivity in research practice’, Qualitative Research, 2(2), pp. 209–230.

Freire, P. (1970) Pedagogy of the Oppressed. New York: Continuum.

hooks, b. (1994) Teaching to Transgress: Education as the Practice of Freedom. New York: Routledge.

Israel, M. and Hay, I. (2006) Research Ethics for Social Scientists. London: Sage.

Kvale, S. and Brinkmann, S. (2009) InterViews: Learning the Craft of Qualitative Research Interviewing. 2nd edn. London: Sage.

Payne, S.L. (1951) The Art of Asking Questions. Princeton, NJ: Princeton University Press.