Category: Research

Proposal to Discuss in Class

So, time to present my idea (ready or not) in 15 minutes, so no better time than the present to summarize it. Wonder what my colleagues will think when they see my blog, especially with some of the outdated content? Perhaps they will not notice . . . I really need to focus on the task  at hand.

I have been processing the potential proposal idea for some time now, and here is where I am.

Interests and Context

I am interested in identity development and how people experience transformative experiences, especially when they struggle through troublesome knowledge. I am interested in how people share this online, through blogs or Twitter. I am interested in how people engage in this as a result of higher education, whether this involves online / distance education or through more traditional face-to-face studies. I am interested in how these experiences change their worldviews, or paradigms, for how they see and make sense of the world (ontological changes). I am interested in how people develop as researchers, how they experience this related to communities of practice, and how this can be expressed through autoethnographic inquiry. I am especially interested in exploring how these experiences affecttheir practice of education, especially with their own current and future students.

Research Questions:

What is the experience of developing researchers engaged in doctoral studies who experience troublesome knowledge and, as a result, experience perspective transformation? How do they express and make sense of this online? What effect does this have on their studies, research direction, and teaching?

Methodology:

I like the possibilities of narrative inquiry to tell an engaging story, but I think I should wait until I attend a workshop on grounded theory that I am scheduled to attend in late May before I really settle on the specific methodologies. The population I hope to study can be in any of the areas of the social sciences (education, technology-enhanced learning, nursing, sociology, and the like), and I will identify this population by requesting participants on email distribution lists and via direct email and Tweeted requests to friends and colleagues.

I am now looking for some feedback on this . . .

Proposal Clarifications, Again

I was up late last night thinking about my research proposal yet again, and have to discuss it later this afternoon. Each time I think I am ready for it, I get a new idea or, better yet, think about something that I thought was clear, but upon further reflection realize it is not as clear as it seemed.

It seems this is part of the natural process, and while I am focusing my attention on this being a learning experience, I am trying to not doubt my abilities, ideas, qualifications, or confidence. I fear lunch will be my opportunity for my final thrust.

Ready or not, 14.30 is coming quickly.

The Refining (Potential) Research Design

I have been thinking about issues in and around identity development so much in the past few days, that I fear I may begin to hear voices that are really there due to their speaking themselves into being!

Where am I right now? Mind you, this is something to present to my cohort colleagues and program tutors, and I am not bound to this for all eternity (or even for the week, as I do not need to actually declare this until next year).

Interests and Context:

I am interested in understanding how developing researchers  in the social sciences experience, process, and share troublesome knowledge via social media, and how it has led them to experience perspective transformation.

Methodology:

I am not sure about the methodology yet. I like the possibilities of narrative inquiry to tell an engaging stoy, but I think I should wait until I attend a workshop on grounded theory that I am scheduled to attend in late May before I really settle on the specific methodologies. The population I hope to study can be in any of the areas of the social sciences (education, technology-enhanced learning, nursing, sociology, and the like), and I will identify this population by advertising on email distribution lists and several email blasts to friends and colleagues.

Let me consider this a little more in the morning.

Research Interests Thus Far

As I am sitting in one of the lounges in the airport, awaiting my trip to the university for the residential, I want to write a bit more about my research ideas thus far as we were asked to do for a discussion this coming week.

Let’s take the first round at this, and revise a bit more tomorrow while en route:

Interests and Context:

I am interested in issues of identity, and how people experience and process transformative (cf. Mezirow) changes in the learning. I am interested in when these things happen within the context of online communities (cf. Wenger), especially when navigating identity while engaged in adult or higher education. I am really interested in exploring threshold concepts (cf. Land). I am not  sure how I may work critical theory (cf. Brookfield, Marcuse, Gramsci) or Postmodernity / post-structuralism (cEdit Post ‹ Silence and Voice — WordPressf. Lyotard, Foucault) in, though I can envision this being the theoretical lens.

Methodology:

I know I need to firm up the above before I speak about methodological implications and possibilities, though after having enaged in case study, narrative inquiry, and ethnography over the past year in the 3 completed modules (with a heavy area of study being around autoethnography and how people experience it / reflective practice), I think the sky can be the limit (though action learning is probably not among the possiblities right now, since I am so interested in the experiences of individuals).

Oh, to have so many juicy options!