scholarly journals “Plugging In” Epistemology: A Theoretical and Methodological Manoeuvre in Qualitative Research

2015 ◽  
Author(s):  
Genine Hook
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
Qualitative Research ◽  
Critical Incidents ◽  
Research Work ◽  
Academic Research ◽  
Postgraduate Education ◽  
Research Process ◽  
Research Practice ◽  
Institutional Structures ◽  
New Meanings

In this paper I aim to illustrate how an epistemological three-way manoeuvre I propose may work in qualitative academic research. Epistemology is critical to my research because I live the topic that I research and in this paper I chart a three-way manoeuvre between and through an articulation of my researcher self, theoretical framing and the intent of the research project. This paper is my response to Jackson and Mazzei’s (2013) work “Plugging One Text into Another: Thinking with Theory in Qualitative Research.” I have included the paper title here to introduce the reader to Jackson & Mazzei’s work earlier in my paper in which they advocate a “plugging in” of ceaseless variations of ideas and theories. I suggest that a “plugging in” of forthright epistemology in academic research is an important text that can “plug into” theory and data for rich explorations in qualitative research. Articulations of epistemological foundations of research allow researchers to be explicit about their worldview and acknowledge that it is integral to their researcher self and therefore impossible to separate from research practice. In this paper I demonstrate a methodological move through epistemology, drawing on the epistemology section in my own research work which details my researcher positioning and is able to examine how my experiences of sole parenting in higher education has influenced and informed this study. I consider three critical incidents; my initial assumptions and judgement about sole parents, regulatory exchanges I experienced as un-helpful as I transitioned into postgraduate education and the institutional structures of postgraduate timetabling as regulatory and potentially exclusionary. Articulating one’s research positionality infuses research with context and embeds a “thinking with theory” which can open up new meanings in research by foregrounding the epistemological pathway that is fundamental to the research process.

Re-Conceptualising Research

2012 ◽  
pp. 130-141
Author(s):  
Kay Fielden
Keyword(s):  
Qualitative Research ◽  
Information Systems ◽  
Academic Research ◽  
Research Process ◽  
Discussion Paper ◽  
Supervision Training ◽  
Multiple Characteristics ◽  
Mindful Practices ◽  
Socially Situated

Mindfulness is a whole state of being that is not usually linked with academic research in information systems. However if we take Denzin and Lincoln’s (2000; 2003), first qualitative research phase, which is the consideration of the key role of the researcher in socially-situated research, it soon becomes evident that a mindful researcher (Fielden, 2005) is more likely to conduct quality research than one who is not. In this discussion paper the qualities of mindfulness (Fielden, 2005) are explored; Denzin and Lincoln’s (2003) 5-stage qualitative research process is then mapped onto these multiple characteristics of mindfulness; and also onto a timeline for a typical qualitative research process in information systems. The paper concludes with suggestions on how to include mindful practices in research methods and supervision training in information systems, which is a contribution to the literature in this area.

scholarly journals From cartonera publishing practices to trans-formal methods for qualitative research

2020 ◽  
pp. 146879412091451
Author(s):  
Lucy Bell ◽  
Alex Flynn ◽  
Patrick O’Hare
Keyword(s):  
Qualitative Research ◽  
Low Cost ◽  
Collaborative Work ◽  
Academic Research ◽  
Research Process ◽  
Community Relations ◽  
Participatory Action ◽  
Aesthetic Practice ◽  
Activist Anthropology ◽  
The One

Interdisciplinarity, multidisciplinarity and counter-disciplinarity are the hallmark of cultural studies and qualitative research, as scholars over the past three decades have discussed through extensive self-reflexive inquiry into their own unstable and ever-shifting methods (Denzin and Lincoln, 2018; Dicks et al., 2006: 78; Grossberg, 2010). Building on the interdisciplinary thought of Jacques Rancière and Caroline Levine on the one hand and traditions of participatory action research and activist anthropology on the other, we bring the methods conversation forward by shifting the focus from disciplines to forms and by making a case for aesthetic practice as qualitative research process. In this paper, the question of methods is approached through the action-based Cartonera Publishing Project with editoriales cartoneras in Latin America – community publishers who make low-cost books out of materials recovered from the street in the attempt to democratise and decolonise literary/artistic production – and specifically through our process-oriented, collaborative work with four cartonera publishers in Brazil and Mexico. Guided by the multiple forms of cartonera knowledge production, which are rooted not in academic research but rather in aesthetic practice and community relations, we offer an innovative ‘trans-formal’ methodological framework, which opens up new pathways for practitioners and researchers to work, think and act across social, cultural and aesthetic forms.

Muddling Through the Passage of Qualitative Research: Experiences of a Novice Researcher

2017 ◽  
Vol 21 (3) ◽  
pp. 314-322 ◽  
Author(s):  
Richa Saxena
Keyword(s):  
Qualitative Research ◽  
Data Analysis ◽  
Data Collection ◽  
Research Study ◽  
Research Work ◽  
Research Process ◽  
Research Proposal ◽  
Independent Research ◽  
Research Experiences

The article is written as a travelogue by the author while exploring the passage of qualitative research in her maiden independent research work—her dissertation. The author describes in the article how her journey of qualitative research took shape right from the take-off point: the choice of topic and methodology to the data collection, analysis and presentation of the findings. The article also throws light on the various experiences of the researcher during the journey including the issues and challenges faced by her in different stages of the study like the research proposal stage, data collection stage and the data analysis stage. The objective of the article is to familiarize the qualitative researchers, who are currently at the beginner stage, with the possible issues and pitfalls of qualitative research process. For that the author has used her own experiences to explain the nuances of the process. In the article, the author also highlights that irrespective of the challenges faced in the process how the research study helped her in developing herself as a better researcher and a wiser person, making her efforts fruitful and providing her a sense of achievement.

scholarly journals Use of Online Citation Tools by Students and Research Scholars of Department of Library and Information Science, University of Delhi

2016 ◽  
Vol 36 (3) ◽  
Author(s):  
Margam Madhusudan
Keyword(s):  
Information Science ◽  
Research Work ◽  
Academic Research ◽  
Research Process ◽  
Formal Training ◽  
Library And Information Science ◽  
Science Students ◽  
Online Tools ◽  
Survey Results

This paper finds out the citation management and the needs of students of Department of Libary and Information Science, University of Delhi, and how online citation tools fit into their academic and research process. The results indicate that all the respondents are aware of online citation tools and using them occasionally. EasyBib was the popular online citation tool among respondents. The survey results show that most of the respondents learned the online citation tools through department’s website. The main purpose of using online citation tools was for their academic/research work. Most of the respondents were accessing online citation tools from the Delhi University Computer Centre. They had not received any formal training for creating online citations. Simplified and easy bibliography and automatic creation of references list are two major benefits of online citation tools. The most obvious impediment is that they have never used the online tools before. Meagre respondents wanted training in using online citation tools for creating efficient references. The findings of the study will not only help the Library and Information Science students about knowing what a citation is and understanding the concepts of citation styles and formatting, but also help citation-related competencies and skills in recognising citations and understanding their functions in research.

scholarly journals Using Indigenous Research Frameworks in the Multiple Contexts of Research, Teaching, Mentoring, and Leading

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Darryl Reano
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
Academic Research ◽  
Modern Science ◽  
Indigenous Communities ◽  
Research Process ◽  
Indigenous Research ◽  
Spiritual Values ◽  
Multiple Contexts ◽  
Indigenous Perspectives ◽  
Research Frameworks

Indigenous research frameworks can be used to effectively engage Indigenous communities and students in Western modern science through transparent and respectful communication. Currently, much of the academic research taking place within Indigenous communities marginalizes Indigenous Knowledge, does not promote long-term accountability to Indigenous communities and their relations, and withholds respect for the spiritual values that many Indigenous communities embrace. Indigenous research frameworks address these concerns within the academic research process by promoting values such as: relationality, multilogicality, and the centralization of Indigenous perspectives. Indigenous research frameworks provide a framework that can be used in multiple contexts within higher education to bring equitable practices to research, teaching, mentoring, and organizational leadership. In this article, as a researcher who uses Indigenous research frameworks, I utilize autoethnography to engage in critical, reflexive thinking about how my perspective as an Indigenous researcher has developed over time. The purpose of this autoethnography is to reveal how Indigenous research frameworks may enhance higher education, especially for Indigenous students.

Re-Conceptualising Research

2010 ◽  
Vol 1 (1) ◽  
pp. 44-55 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kay Fielden
Keyword(s):  
Qualitative Research ◽  
Information Systems ◽  
Academic Research ◽  
Research Process ◽  
Discussion Paper ◽  
Supervision Training ◽  
Multiple Characteristics ◽  
Mindful Practices ◽  
Socially Situated

Mindfulness is a whole state of being that is not usually linked with academic research in information systems. However if we take Denzin and Lincoln’s (2000; 2003), first qualitative research phase, which is the consideration of the key role of the researcher in socially-situated research, it soon becomes evident that a mindful researcher (Fielden, 2005) is more likely to conduct quality research than one who is not. In this discussion paper the qualities of mindfulness (Fielden, 2005) are explored; Denzin and Lincoln’s (2003) 5-stage qualitative research process is then mapped onto these multiple characteristics of mindfulness; and also onto a timeline for a typical qualitative research process in information systems. The paper concludes with suggestions on how to include mindful practices in research methods and supervision training in information systems, which is a contribution to the literature in this area.

Conducting health research with resettled refugees in Australia: field sites, ethics, and methods

2019 ◽  
pp. 230-244
Author(s):  
Celia McMichael ◽  
Caitlin Nunn
Keyword(s):  
Qualitative Research ◽  
Health Research ◽  
Psychosocial Health ◽  
Research Process ◽  
Qualitative Research Methods ◽  
Capital City ◽  
Research Practice ◽  
Research Projects ◽  
Rigorous Research ◽  
Key Aspects

Research involving resettled refugees presents many complexities. In particular, how do we engage ethically with research participants and also ensure that the data we produce is rigorous and makes a productive contribution to knowledge about refugee health? This chapter reflects on two qualitative research projects involving people from refugee backgrounds who have resettled in Victoria, Australia: one project with refugee-background women living in the capital city, Melbourne; another with refugee-background youth living in Bendigo, a regional city. Both projects focused on refugee settlement and psychosocial health. Focusing on three key aspects of the research process: conceptualizing the field site, ethics in practice and qualitative research methods, we suggest that the dual imperatives of refugee research—significance to people with refugee backgrounds and relevant agencies, institutions and governments, and ethical and rigorous research practice—are best served by a reflexive, sensitive and creative relationship with both the research process and with refugee-background participants.

scholarly journals Studying Higher Education Internationalization: New Methods and Approaches

2021 ◽  
Vol 25 (2) ◽  
pp. 123-140
Author(s):  
Hong Xu ◽  
Jiahui Zhang
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
Academic Research ◽  
Postgraduate Education ◽  
Teaching Quality ◽  
University Education ◽  
Historical Background ◽  
University Management ◽  
Visualization Technology ◽  
Higher Education Internationalization

This research paper studies trends and hotspots of management internationalization in the sphere of higher education. The survey is based on CiteSpace visualization technology and on the corpus approach to studying keywords and annotations for 2010–2021 publications in 25 major higher education journals. Keywords analysis by CiteSpace showed that the hotspots of the management internationalization research are focused on postgraduate education management, on the projects «Double First Class University Plan», «Greater Bay Area», «Cooperation in Running Schools», etc. The future possible areas of investigation are the «local internationalization» of university management, the internationa lization of management in terms of international-level specialties and first-class universities’ nationalization, as well as the contradiction of the «spillover effect» between university management and cross-university cooperation. The corpus-based analysis showed that over the past 12 years the studies of internationalization of higher education and its mana gement have been carried out within the large-scale project «One Belt – One Road» and economic globalization. These studies include the modules of universities’ development, university education, academic research, school management strategy, etc. To effectively address the challenges faced by higher education internationalization management, the aut hors propose to take advantage of consistent teaching quality and to leverage regional and local resources, so as to create a multidimensional platform that would interconnect talents and ways to use them. Of no less importance, when summarizing such experience, is it to take into account the historical background, so that this platform, certainly engaging state policy, would allow a reform of higher education globalization for its further development.

Evaluating the impact of digital library database resources on the productivity of academic research

2019 ◽  
Vol 47 (1) ◽  
pp. 42-52 ◽  
Author(s):  
Muhammad Rafi ◽  
Zheng JianMing ◽  
Khurshid Ahmad
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
Linear Regression ◽  
Digital Library ◽  
Research Productivity ◽  
Research Work ◽  
Academic Research ◽  
Outcome Variable ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Independent Variables ◽  
The Impact

PurposeDigital library database resources have a significant impact on stimulating the research culture in higher education. The use of digital databases makes it possible to understand intellectual growth, research productivity, planning and identification of user information needs. Evaluating the effectiveness of user database resource utilization and research, the purpose of this study is to assist management in developing an excellent academic policy.Design/methodology/approachThis study establishes a quantitative method to analyze the productivity of academic research using digital databases. The secondary data extracted from the databases of 52 universities provided by Higher Education Commission (HEC) and the literature published on the Institute of Scientific Information (ISI) Web of Science. The statistical technique simple linear regression was used to analyze the data for understanding the impact of independent variables the “digital databases” on the dependent variable “research productivity”.FindingsThe result of the coefficient of multiple determination,R-squared,R20.679, indicated 67 per cent impact of the predictor on the outcome variable. However, the standardized coefficient Beta 0.824 revealed 82 per cent impact of the individual predictor on the outcome variable. Overall, the result of linear regression showed a significant effect of independent variables on the dependent variable. Besides, the result of correlation and the strength of association between the database resources and the academic publication was significant (p< 0.005).Practical implicationsThis research work is a supportive tool for managing gaps and promoting the development of necessary measures to develop strategies and solutions to create a better academic environment. The ultimate use of standard database resources can foster higher academic research to develop innovative ideas and improve researchers’ cognitive abilities.Originality/valueFrom Pakistan’s point of view, this study is the first one that gives insight into the intellectual growth of young researchers in higher education. The study provides first-hand information on the use of database resources and their significant impact on the productivity of academic research.

scholarly journals Learning from faculty voices on information literacy

2016 ◽  
Vol 44 (3) ◽  
pp. 237-252 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sophie Bury
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
Information Literacy ◽  
Cognitive Skills ◽  
Research University ◽  
Research Work ◽  
Academic Research ◽  
Digital Information ◽  
Academic Literacies ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
Content Type

Purpose This paper aims to investigate faculty conceptions of information literacy (IL) in a digital information landscape by examining faculty definitions of IL in the context of undergraduate education, as well as faculty perceptions of, and expectations for, undergraduate IL knowledge and abilities. Design/methodology/approach This is a qualitative research study with 24 semi-structured interviews of faculty in different disciplines at a large public research university in Toronto, Ontario. Findings Faculty view IL as fundamentally intertwined with other academic literacies and as central for the successful pursuit of much undergraduate academic research work including developing autonomous, engaged learners. Faculty place special emphasis on fostering higher-order cognitive skills, especially developing a questioning disposition and the ability to evaluate, contextualize and synthesize information sources. Faculty see considerable scope for improvement of undergraduate IL capabilities, and a large majority see a role for themselves and librarians here. Practical implications Findings of this and other studies align well with core elements in the new IL guidelines and frameworks for higher education both in North America and the United Kingdom. This includes highlighting a need for a strong faculty role in shaping IL in higher education in the future, a need for a holistic lens in developing multiple academic literacies, an emphasis on high-order cognitive abilities and a recognition of the importance of affective dimensions of learning IL. Originality/value This paper fills a gap in the literature where there is an absence of studies, especially of a qualitative nature, which explore faculty conceptions of IL. A majority of studies published focus instead on librarian conceptions and practice.

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