Advancing doctoral research through Serious Play®

While play-based pedagogies are increasingly recognised in undergraduate education, their structured use in postgraduate and doctoral research training remains rare. This London Metropolitan University–funded project*, supported through the COST Action Computational Techniques for Tabletop Games Heritage (GameTable) (2022–2027), introduced Playmobil® Serious Play ® as a research-informed, inclusive methodology to enhance critical thinking, research design clarity, and doctoral belonging.

The project demonstrates that structured tabletop serious play can produce measurable improvements in doctoral engagement, confidence, and research articulation, particularly for international, multilingual, mature, and neurodiverse researchers.

Project description

Between 2022 and 2025 (ongoing until 2027), the project implemented structured Playmobil® Serious Play® workshops across postgraduate and doctoral programmes at London Metropolitan University and internationally.

Participation

• 127 postgraduate students (MA/MSc)

• 68 doctoral students (PhD/ProfDoc)

• 14 supervisors trained in serious play facilitation

• 22 structured workshops delivered

• 5 cross-institutional workshops via COST Action networks

Focus areas

Students used Playmobil® figures and symbolic artefacts to model:

• Research design and methodology choices

• Researcher positionality and intersectionality

• Supervision power dynamics

• Ethical dilemmas in fieldwork

• Institutional barriers and academic identity journeys

Each workshop followed a scaffolded three-stage model:

1. Individual construction

2. Narrative explanation

3. Collective analytical dialogue

Participants submitted reflective commentaries linked to theory and research methodology.

Challenge

Baseline survey findings (2021), drawn from data collected at London Metropolitan University and internationally through partner institutions, indicated:

• 41% of doctoral students reported difficulty articulating methodological decisions verbally.

• 38% of international doctoral students reported low confidence in seminar participation.

• 46% of early-stage PhD students reported feelings of isolation.

• Supervisors noted uneven engagement in research methods modules, with discussions dominated by a small group of confident speakers.

Traditional discussion-based doctoral seminars were not consistently inclusive of diverse communication styles or embodied forms of knowledge construction.

Intervention

Assoc. Prof. Dr. Meletiadou designed and implemented a “Playmobil® Serious Play® Framework for Postgraduate and Doctoral Education”, structured around inclusion, reflexivity, and dialogic inquiry.

1. Structured Serious Play® workshops

• Integrated into 4 postgraduate modules

• Embedded into 2 international doctoral training programmes internationally

• Included in the annual doctoral induction in partner institutions

2. Research identity mapping

• 100% of doctoral participants constructed 3D research identity models to critically explore positionality, epistemology, and researcher voice

• Implemented across various partner institutions postgraduate and doctoral cohorts

• 82% of postgraduate students incorporated structured reflections from the activity into their formal progression review documents

3. Power and ethics simulations

• 54 doctoral students modelled supervision and institutional hierarchies

• 73% postgraduate students reported improved understanding of power dynamics in academia

4. Supervisor development

• 14 supervisors completed facilitation training

• 79% reported improved strategies for inclusive supervision

5. COST Action collaboration

Through Computational Techniques for Tabletop Games Heritage (GameTable), findings were shared across 8 European partner institutions, contributing to dialogue on serious play practices and innovative research training approaches.

Outcomes

Research confidence

Post-workshop survey data (n=168 total respondents):

• 89% reported improved ability to explain their research design.

• 84% reported greater clarity about their positionality.

• 76% reported increased confidence participating in seminars.

Engagement and participation

• Seminar participation rates increased by 31% in modules incorporating serious play.

• Contributions from previously low-participation students increased by 40% (measured via seminar tracking sheets).

• Attendance in research methods sessions rose from 68% to 86%.

Doctoral belonging and wellbeing

• Students reporting feelings of isolation decreased from 46% to 23% over one academic year.

• 91% described the workshops as creating a “safe space” for discussing vulnerability in research.

Academic progression

• 78% of early-stage doctoral students refined or clarified their research questions after Playmobil modelling sessions.

• 64% made substantive revisions to methodology chapters within three months of participation.

Sector and research impact

• 6 national and international conference presentations (including COST-related symposia).

• 3 peer-reviewed publications (published and forthcoming) on serious play and doctoral pedagogy.

• Development of a replicable Playmobil Serious Play Toolkit adopted by 4 partner institutions.

• Contribution to interdisciplinary discussions within the COST Action network on computational and cultural approaches to tabletop heritage.

The project strengthened London Metropolitan University’s position as a UK leader in integrating material and embodied methodologies into doctoral and postgraduate research training.

Lessons learned and taking forward

Structured play drives measurable gains

Quantitative data demonstrated clear improvements in research articulation, participation, and belonging.

Inclusion through embodiment

Visual and tactile modelling particularly supported multilingual and neurodiverse researchers.

Power made visible

Externalising supervision hierarchies through figurines enabled critical yet psychologically safe discussions.

Scalable model

The framework is now being adapted for:

• Supervisor development training

• Research ethics education

• Interdisciplinary doctoral summer schools

Student and postgraduate researcher reflections

MSc International HRM student:
"At first, I thought Playmobil® was too simple for postgraduate study. But when I built my research design physically, I suddenly saw gaps in my methodology. It clarified things in 30 minutes that I had struggled with for weeks."

MSc International Business student:
"The workshop helped me explain my positionality as an international student researcher. Using figures made the abstract theory feel concrete. I felt more confident contributing to seminars afterwards." 

Doctoral student (Year 1):
"Modelling supervision power dynamics gave me the language to discuss challenges I was hesitant to raise. It created a safe but critical space for reflection."

Professional Doctorate student:
"I am a visual learner, and traditional seminars often feel dominated by confident speakers. This approach allowed me to think deeply and then speak with clarity. It completely changed how I engage in research discussions."

Long-term impact

Associate Professor Dr Meletiadou’s Playmobil® Serious Play® intervention is emerging as a data-driven, sector-leading model for inclusive doctoral pedagogy.

The measurable outcomes:

• improved seminar participation (+31%),

• increased attendance (+18 percentage points),

• enhanced research articulation (89%), and

• reduced doctoral isolation (–23 percentage points).

These demonstrate that Serious Play® is not merely innovative, but transformative.

The initiative strengthens London Metropolitan University’s doctoral and postgraduate training environment and research culture, while advancing international collaboration and cross-European innovation in inclusive, creative, and methodologically diverse higher education practices.

*[Funded by London Metropolitan University and Cost Action CA22145 - Computational Techniques for Tabletop Games Heritage (GameTable), 2022–2027].

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