Don't pre-empt just go go go!

 

Over the last week, I have felt like the above image, honing in on my data, to start analysing felt like an impossible challenge. Where to start, where do I go and how do I even start. I guess it goes back to my habitual comfort zone, I have worked hard on this, but at moments of vulnerability I try to pre-empt what the future will hold, what I will find out so I can prepare myself. I can admit, I have been overwhelmed with the write up and end of module portfolio, and it's been difficult to see the end. I know we are only half way, but I am an organised planner, and if things aren't in place for me I tend to panic. 

However, I can see the clouds clearing after my mid term discussion with my supervisor, and I feel back on track. I can admit, I got carried away with my data collection, excited about what was taking place, that I forgot the whole point of the project, is to find evidence to support my hypothesis, suggesting evidence that supports but also poses further questions for further exploration (Atkins and Wallace, 2012). I am all or nothing, and feel I need to become an expert in everything to have a better understanding, but the truth is we can never become an expert in a field that is ever growing, and the point of qualitative research is to think beyond substantive facts to see the wider context and develop deeper understanding for my own practice. 

So after a very helpful discussion, I have a clearer understanding of what it means to look through the lenses of my data and explore the relationships of the lenses pedagogically. This got me thinking back to our skype on expectations, critiquing art, from our perceptual understanding of what we see. When I will be analysing my footage, quite a lot of footage, it will be important to follow the method of open coding, a natural flow of going through the data, attaching codes (themes, concepts) to what I see, understand to create a open much more natural process of what the data tells me, and what I understand from this, and what this tells me about my hypothesis from a pedagogical perspective (Urquart, 2012). 

It is an exciting process when you find different interests and questions emerging from areas of research you didn't expect. For example when I chose Greek Dance as my style of dance in the exam, it was only because I knew nothing about it, so it meant the student perspective I was exploring was authentic to the experiment. But now, I have developed a real interest in Ruby Ginner and the historical context behind the style, BUT really that has nothing to do with my experiment. 

After much research into methods of qualitative data analysis, grounded theory approach seems most appropriate, as my study is at the heart of ethnographic research, with the theories produced grounded in the data presented (Urquart, 2012). With constant comparisons it will be interesting to see my analysis from four lenses

1. What does this data tell me about embodied practice?

2. What does this data tell me about physical thinking?

3. What does this then tell me about cognition?

4. What is the relationship between these things?

5. What does this tell me pedagogically?

The amount of data I have is tricky as I have footage from learning the exam, the exam, the interview with the examiner, and the second part of the experiment, making the movement more authentic. Which means I will have to be careful of the data I select in the write up. Considering the following I believe will be useful...

Is the data...

1. Illuminative

2. Indicative

3. Representative

4. Illustrative (Atkins and Wallace, 2012).

I have to change my perspective and allow the data (evidence) to be in control of the conclusions and questions presents, avoiding bias and using language such as suggests, points to, not selecting data that only supports your argument (Atkins and Wallace, 2012). Sometimes our most exciting discoveries are ones we never expected.

Happy analysing! 

Atkins, L. and Wallace, S. 2012. Qualitative Research in Education

Urquart, C. 2012. Grounded Theory for Qualitative Research: A Practical Guide