Chapter 15: Researcher–Participant Relationships in Different Settings: Theoretical and Methodological Issues Within the Framework of Semiotic-Cultural Constructivism

The relationship between the researcher and the research participant(s) is of essential concern in science, as shown by Bibace, Young, Herrenkehl, and Wiley (1999, Chapter 1). In this chapter, we will focus on the process of partnership construction through verbal interactions in different settings, taking into account the dialogical tensions that are inherent within self-other-world relationships (Simão, 2012). After a brief introduction of basic ideas anchored in semiotic-cultural constructivism, we will present three recent investigations following different methodological strategies: one experimental study as well as two field studies, each of which mediated researcher-participant relationships. In one field study, the researchers interviewed members of a circus, and in the other, members of the Nonam indigenous community. We then discussed theoretical and methodological implications for understanding the meaning of partnership within the framework of semiotic–cultural constructivism in psychology.