ETHICS FORM DRAFT
FEEDBACK REFLECTIONS
Feedback I received was generally to to with refining my research method away from a term which is both contested in terms of its validity more generally in social sciences, but more specifically is the research method autoethnography really what I intend to do?
Relfexivity yes, but journaling about my lived experience? Or any of the other research tools which generate the experiential and textual gradients which make autoethnography so relished? I decided no to both.
Definitely not in the way the social sciences mean anyhow, the research method was refined into a broader, yet more specifically appropriate: direct measurement in a auto-quantative, or auto-self-analysis way. Data gathering on myself, but of quantitative numbers rather than positional reflexivity.
The other key point for me, was to broadly weave a pattern to what I want the action to be — as my tutor notes, the data will, for all want and purpose, be broadly invalid as the sample is tiny, empirical impact not empirically known, and thus in no way representative. But as noted in the feedback highlighted below, the potential positive action does not lay in the fallacy of the ‘gold standard’ quantitative study, it lays in my growth of understanding, and how that impacts my teaching, team, and broader school and college, and how we communicate and make actions subsequently as a result from being a little bit more informed.
I also significantly enriched the references and what I intended to read and contextualise the project, at a university and sectoral level, and then specifically looking at how climate justice is inherently intersectional.
ETHICS FORM FINAL
Key points of feedback from tutor, verbatim:
- I know you have questioned your own use of the term ‘autoethnographic’ and this questioning is appropriate. Evaluate what it is allowing you, how it applies or how it is serving you.
- You are not/will not be able to get an actual sense of your impact or be able to do an actual extrapolation. However, the exercise could allow you to understand how it might be useful for individuals or teams to communicate, explore or engage with this subject.
- These are all points that are relevant to your subject. However, they also stake out a massive territory. Make sure you allow the data you gather to be a lens, guide, compass etc through the subject reading.
- Re the use of ‘autoethnographic’ methods, subjectivity which is ever present in research is very much addressed directly within that area. As stated above read further and see if this term is relevant for you. Is your quant gathering a form of diary method? Look at Helen Kara’s Creative Research Methods book when considering the creative combination of methods and approaches.
- The potential positive action lies around understanding, action, communication around this subject.