Developing a researcher identity of relevance for remote Indigenous language education

2020 ◽  
Vol 37 (5) ◽  
pp. 341-350
Author(s):  
Katarina Parfa Koskinen
Keyword(s):  
Language Education ◽  
Indigenous Research ◽  
Central Feature ◽  
Research Paradigm ◽  
Present Contribution ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Indigenous Epistemology ◽  
Marginalised Groups ◽  
Personal Experiences ◽  
Researcher Identity

PurposeThe study is an elaboration on how a graduate student discursively navigates a research identity through lived experiences as an Indigenous Sámi and writings on Indigenous, as well as other suitable research paradigms informing research on digital technologies in education. The guiding question is how a strategy of inquiry to be used in a PhD study on remote 1–9 Sámi language education can be informed by an Indigenous research paradigm. What philosophical guidelines are needed in navigating a sensitive field of investigation shaped by historical atrocities, discrimination and racist assumptions towards the Sámi people and other Indigenous, marginalised groups?Design/methodology/approachA dialogical approach has been used between readings of mainly Indigenous scholars' writings on the topic and anecdotes illustrating personal experiences from a lived life as Sámi.FindingsThrough this process, a researcher identity has developed, informed by the views from an Indigenous research paradigm that humans are ontologically equal to other entities, and epistemologically knowledge constitutes of relationships between different entities. This makes relationality a central feature of an Indigenous epistemology –not only between people but also including, for example, ideas, history, ancestors, future, artefacts and spirituality – which links epistemology to ontology. The axiological issue of accountability works holistically as “glue”.Originality/valueElucidating underlying arguments and motives behind both an Indigenous research paradigm and the development of researcher identity when designing and planning research is rarely done, which provides the originality of the present contribution.

Reflexivity and the insider/outsider discourse in indigenous research: my personal experiences

2017 ◽  
Vol 13 (4) ◽  
pp. 218-225 ◽  
Author(s):  
Abukari Kwame
Keyword(s):  
Case Studies ◽  
Indigenous Peoples ◽  
Research Methodology ◽  
Indigenous Research ◽  
Research Paradigm ◽  
Research Framework ◽  
Global Flows ◽  
Reflexive Practice ◽  
Personal Experiences ◽  
Indigenous Research Methodology

This article is a contribution to the ongoing discussions on who should conduct indigenous research and problematizes the notion of insider/outsider discourse in indigenous research. Drawing on my personal experiences in the form of case studies, I argue that self-locating in indigenous research is complex given that researcher self-positioning is not normally done by the researcher but through a process of negotiation with the participants. I argue that insofar as indigenous peoples, communities and problems are not islands onto themselves, immune to the current global flows, processes and barriers, indigenous research cannot be reserved only for indigenous scholars and peoples. Instead, I propose a reflexive researching model as a research framework which should be incorporated into an indigenous research methodology which both indigenous and allied non-indigenous researchers could draw upon. This demands a reflexive practice that is guided by the philosophical underpinnings of the indigenous research paradigm.

Family+Stories=Research

2017 ◽  
Vol 17 (4) ◽  
pp. 345-355
Author(s):  
Francis Bobongie
Keyword(s):  
Data Collection ◽  
Research Process ◽  
Indigenous Research ◽  
Research Paradigm ◽  
Research Project ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Family Stories ◽  
Kinship System ◽  
Torres Strait ◽  
Collection Phase

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to draw on the author’s research involving girls who leave their Torres Strait Island communities for boarding colleges in regional Queensland, Australia, and the academic, social and cultural implications that impede the transition process between community and school. While this paper discusses some of the research outcomes, its main focus is the unique indigenous research paradigm “Family+Stories=Research”, devised for and utilised within this project. This paradigm centres on the Australian indigenous kinship system and was implemented in two specific phases of the research process. These were: the preliminary research process leading up to the implementation of the research project; and the data collection phase. In turn, both phases enable the cultural significance of the kinship system to be better understood through the results. Because observations and storytelling or “yarning” were primarily used through both phases, these results also endorse the experience of the participants, and the author – both professionally and personally – without requiring further analysis. Design/methodology/approach The indigenous research paradigm and methodology unique to this research project implements the kinship system, allowing the researcher to access the appropriate resources and people for the project. Prior to the data collection phase, contact with significant community members in both boarding colleges and the Torres Strait Region was made. The methodology implemented for the research project was ethnographic and used observations, individual interviews and focus groups. The views and experiences of 26 past and present students, and 15 staff, both indigenous and non-indigenous, across three different boarding colleges were recorded. Findings Through both phases of the research project, the kinship system played a significant role in the ethnographic research process and data collection phase, which focussed on two key areas encompassed within the kinship system: “business” and the “care of children”. Stories from the researcher and the participants confirm the significant role that the kinship system can play within the indigenous research paradigm: Family+Stories=Research. Originality/value The paper introduces an indigenous research paradigm and methodology designed around two factors: family and stories. This paper brings to light the impact of the kinship system used within communities of the Torres Strait Islands and explains how this system advantaged the research process and the data collection phase by enabling the researcher to freely access stories specific to the research project.

scholarly journals A critical review of qualitative research into the experiences of young adults leaving foster care services

2014 ◽  
Vol 9 (4) ◽  
pp. 263-279 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sarah Parry ◽  
Stephen Weatherhead
Keyword(s):  
Young People ◽  
Personal Narratives ◽  
Psychological Impact ◽  
Young Person ◽  
Aging Out ◽  
Therapeutic Approaches ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Care Services ◽  
Client Group ◽  
Personal Experiences

Purpose – Due to the emergence of rich personal narratives within recent research, the purpose of this paper is to review and to explore the experience of transition from care and consider how these accounts can inform care services. Design/methodology/approach – This meta-synthesis follows from several quantitative and mixed method reviews examining how young people experience aging out of the care system. Findings – Three themes emerged from an inductive analysis: navigation and resilience – an interrelated process; the psychological impact of survival; and complex relationship. Research limitations/implications – The findings of a meta-synthesis should not be over generalised and are at least partially influenced by the author's epistemological assumptions (Dixon-Woods et al., 2006). However, a synthesis of this topic has the potential to provide greater insight into how transition can be experienced through the reconceptualising of the personal experiences across the studies reviewed (Erwin et al., 2011). Practical implications – This synthesis discusses the themes; their relationship to existing research and policies, and suggestions for further exploration. The experience of transition is considered critically in terms of its often traumatic nature for the young person aging out of care but also the ways in which the experience itself can build essential resiliencies. Social implications – Reflections for clinical practice are discussed with importance placed upon systemic working, accommodating likely challenges and considering appropriate therapeutic approaches for the client group and their systems. Originality/value – No review thus far has qualitatively examined the narratives told by the young people emerging from care and how these narratives have been interpreted by the researchers who sought them (Hyde and Kammerer, 2009).

Verstaanbaarheid als interactioneel en contextgebonden fenomeen

2021 ◽  
Vol 26 (2) ◽  
pp. 147-170
Author(s):  
Ellen Simon ◽  
Chloé Lybaert
Keyword(s):  
Second Language ◽  
Native Speakers ◽  
Language Teaching ◽  
Language Education ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Context Sensitive ◽  
Second Language Education ◽  
Communicative Success ◽  
And Migration

Abstract As a result of growing mobility and migration flows, the number of non-native speakers of Dutch in Belgium and the Netherlands have gradually increased over the past decades and so have the number of people enrolled in Dutch as a Second Language education. While there is huge variation in the profiles of these non-native speakers, they almost exclusively have in common that their Dutch sounds, in some way and at some stage, accented. In line with worldwide trends in foreign language teaching, the pronunciation goal in Dutch as a Second Language education has shifted from native-like to intelligible. Indeed, the notion of intelligibility has become prominent in language teaching and assessment. In this paper, we discuss the complexity of this notion and set it off against related terms like ‘comprehensibility’ and ‘foreign accent’. Through a literature review, we argue that intelligibility is an interactional and context-sensitive phenomenon: it is as much a responsibility of the speaker as it is of the listener or conversational partner(s) in general, whose attitudes will have an impact on the intelligibility and thus on the conversational flow and communicative success. After reviewing literature on the intelligibility of Dutch as a Second Language, we end by formulating some promising lines for future research.

Integrating Indigenous enterprises into the Australian construction industry

2017 ◽  
Vol 24 (5) ◽  
pp. 788-808 ◽  
Author(s):  
George Denny-Smith ◽  
Martin Loosemore
Keyword(s):  
Construction Industry ◽  
Scale Up ◽  
Social Enterprises ◽  
Indigenous Populations ◽  
Indigenous Research ◽  
Business Networks ◽  
Barriers To Entry ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Construction Enterprises ◽  
Normal Work

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to explore the barriers to entry for Indigenous businesses into the Australian construction industry. Design/methodology/approach A national survey was conducted with 33 Indigenous businesses operating in the Australian construction industry. Findings The findings show that Indigenous enterprises face similar challenges to many small non-Indigenous enterprises wishing to enter the industry. These include adjusting to unique construction industry cultures and practices, breaking into existing business networks and building social capital and being under-cut by industry incumbents and competitors when tendering for projects. These barriers are similar to those faced by other non-Indigenous social enterprises, although Indigenous enterprises do appear to experience relatively greater difficulty in starting-up their businesses and in securing sufficient capital, finance and assistance to enable them to scale-up and tender for normal work packages at a competitive price. Research limitations/implications The results are limited to Australian Indigenous businesses. The survey does not allow a comparison of non-Indigenous and Indigenous businesses, although comparison of results with existing non-Indigenous research into small to medium-sized firms in construction does allow some tentative insights. These need to be explored further. Practical implications These results indicate that there are significant barriers to be addressed within the Australian construction industry if government indigenous procurement policies are to achieve their stated aims of increasing the number of Indigenous firms in the industry. The results also have important implications for Indigenous businesses and for non-Indigenous firms operating in the Australian construction industry. Social implications This is an important gap in knowledge to address if countries like Australia are to redress the significant inequalities in income and health suffered by Indigenous populations. Originality/value In countries like Australia, with significant Indigenous populations, governments are seeking to address persistent disadvantage by using new social procurement initiatives to create quasi construction markets for Indigenous enterprises to participate in the construction industry. While there is an emerging body of research into the barriers facing mainstream small to medium-sized enterprises and, to a lesser extent, social enterprises in construction, the barriers to entry facing Indigenous construction enterprises have been largely ignored.

Unlocking the value of HR to drive a change-ready culture

2017 ◽  
Vol 16 (4) ◽  
pp. 171-176
Author(s):  
Campbell Macpherson
Keyword(s):  
Real World ◽  
Culture Change ◽  
Design Methodology ◽  
Lessons Learned ◽  
World Culture ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Large Organization ◽  
The Real ◽  
Personal Experiences

Purpose This paper aims to present a case study focused on developing a change-ready culture within a large organization. Design/methodology/approach This paper is based on personal experiences gleaned while driving an organization-wide culture change program throughout a major financial advisory firm. Findings This paper details over a dozen key lessons learned while transforming the HR department from a fragmented, ineffective, reclusive and disrespected department into one that was competent, knowledgeable, enabling and a leader of change. Originality/value Drawing on the real-world culture change intervention detailed here, including results and lessons learned, other organizations can apply similar approaches in their own organizations – hopefully to similar effect.

Doing indigenous research in Vietnam public sector organisations: challenges and recommendations

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Tho Alang
Keyword(s):  
Public Sector ◽  
Indigenous People ◽  
Data Access ◽  
Indigenous Populations ◽  
Employee Voice ◽  
Indigenous Research ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Indigenous Voice ◽  
The Government ◽  
Sensitivity Data

PurposeThis paper provides critical insights into the contextual challenges of researching indigenous people in Vietnam's public sector organisations.Design/methodology/approachDrawing on a study of indigenous employee voice and inclusion in public sector organisations in three locations in the Central Highlands region, the researcher engages in self and methodological reflections to explain the challenges faced.FindingsThis paper identifies and discusses the challenging issues of political sensitivity, data access, availability and consistency of quantitative data, and characteristics of indigenous participants in the context of Vietnam.Practical implicationsThis paper benefits directly those who are interested in researching Vietnam's indigenous people in future. Further, it contributes to the global conversation on the challenges of conducting indigenous research, particularly in reaching out to indigenous populations and obtaining reliable data in order to capture indigenous voice and experiences.Originality/valueThere is a dearth of knowledge of indigenous research in non-Western countries where indigenous people are not recognised officially by the government. This paper addresses this knowledge gap by focusing on cultural, political and societal issues of indigenous research from Vietnam.

Ethnic Tension of the Bangladeshi Santal

2022 ◽  
pp. 208-226
Author(s):  
Parimal Roy ◽  
Jahid Siraz Chowdhury ◽  
Haris Abd Wahab ◽  
Rashid Bin Mohd. Saad
Keyword(s):  
Social Justice ◽  
Critical Discourse Analysis ◽  
Ethnic Groups ◽  
Indigenous Community ◽  
Critical Discourse ◽  
Indigenous Research ◽  
Research Paradigm ◽  
Historical Ontology ◽  
Indigenous Groups ◽  
Ethnic Tension

This chapter aims to do a critical discourse analysis (CDA) of ethnic tension in Bangladesh and the constitutional provisions on the Santal Indigenous community in establishing social justice. First, why are Indigenous groups instead ethnic groups in Bangladesh, and how many are groups? This chapter then tries to answer who is justifying whose social justice in ethnic tension, and, essentially, what is the guiding philosophy. This chapter picks education policy and the constitutional provision of state inventions policy on ethnic groups in Bangladesh the Santal's space in it. Along with CDA, the argument leans on bio-politics, historical ontology (Foucault), Indigenous research paradigm. The findings show that this community is historically subjugated under ontological guidance and understanding. So, it recommends adopting Santal Indigenous standpoint for establishing a right-based harmonized society.

Unsociable speech

2019 ◽  
Vol 15 (3) ◽  
pp. 349-369
Author(s):  
Kristin S. Williams
Keyword(s):  
Critical Discourse Analysis ◽  
Organizational Context ◽  
Critical Dimension ◽  
Experimental Manipulation ◽  
Self Report ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Non Profit ◽  
Personal Experiences ◽  
The Impact

Purpose Cyber incivility is a form of unsociable speech and a common daily workplace stressor. The purpose of this paper is to explore the impact of cyber incivility on non-profit leaders in Canada and share an intimate portrait of their personal experiences and perceptions. Design/methodology/approach The study advances our understanding of how qualitative methods can be introduced into the study of a phenomenon which has been broadly examined in a positivist tradition. The paper draws epistemologically and methodologically on a fusion of critical discourse analysis and auto-ethnography to present emic and experiential insights. Findings The findings offer three conceptual contributions: to introduce a novel qualitative method to a dynamic field of study; to advance a critical dimension to our understanding of cyber incivility; and to explore the challenges which emerge when qualitative research must draw largely on positivist, quantitative literature. Additionally, this paper makes three contributions to our understanding of cyber incivility: by introducing organizational context conditions which encourage incivility; by identifying commonalities between incivility and bullying, by challenging the existing taxonomy; and by examining the personal experiences of non-profit leaders in Canada (in operationalized settings). Originality/value Quantitative analysis has been limited to the relationship between supervisor and employee and consisted mostly of cross-sectional self-report designs, online surveys and experimental manipulation in simulated workplace environments. This study serves up a deeper analysis from within organizational environments.

Reinterpreting the value chain in an indigenous community enterprise context

2019 ◽  
Vol 13 (3) ◽  
pp. 242-262 ◽  
Author(s):  
Merata Kawharu
Keyword(s):  
Value Chain ◽  
Indigenous Communities ◽  
Value Chains ◽  
Indigenous Research ◽  
Small Community ◽  
Deep Dive ◽  
New Approach ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Indigenous Research Methods ◽  
Research Findings

Purpose Research in the field of indigenous value chains is limited in theory and empirical research. The purpose of this paper is to interpret values that may inform a new approach to considering value chains from New Zealand Maori kin community contexts. Design/methodology/approach The paper derives from research that develops Indigenous research methods on positionality. By extending the “included researcher” (Kawharu, 2016) role, the research recognises the opportunity of being genealogically connected to one of the communities, which may enable “deep dive research” relatively easily. Yet practical implications of research also obligate researchers beyond contractual terms to fulfil community aspirations in innovation. Findings Research findings show that a kin community micro-economy value chain may not be a lineal, progressive sequence of value from supplier to consumer as in Porter’s (1985) conceptualisation of value chains, but may instead be a cyclical system and highly consumer-driven. Research shows that there is strong community desire to connect lands and resources of homelands with descendant consumers wherever they live and reconnect consumers back again to supply sources. Mechanisms enabling this chain include returning food scraps to small community suppliers for composting, or consumers participating in community working bees, harvesting days and the like. Social implications The model may have implications and applicability internationally among indigenous communities who are similarly interested in socio-economic growth and enterprise development. Originality/value The apper’s originality, therefore, derives from addressing a research gap, showing that indigenous values may provide a new approach to conceptualising value chains and developing them in practice.

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