Who+Am+I?

 //This is a repost of my contribution, along with Trish's response and my reply:// Well this is me hanging from a great height! So how does this relate to emerging methodologies?



I think on courses like this there are so many new ideas to grapple with that it's a little like being at the top and looking down - vertigo!

The hardest part is always going over the edge and trusting that the rope will hold, and perhaps this is the same with emerging methodologies. These are very new ideas, and for me the ropes are untested. There's a sense of trepidation as I contemplate leaning back and putting my full weight on the rope.

We have come across the idea of 'trustworthiness' already, and I think this image exemplifies the need for this.

Trish: So my question for you...do you think you are more of a traditional researcher then? is the jumping off the wall hoping it will work out - out of you comfort zone and you would prefer to opt for e.g. mixed methods traditional research? or if not what one sparks your interest the most? 

// Thanks Trish, good question. I suppose I'm still exploring my 'methodological identity'! At this stage I probably would call myself a pragmatist when it comes to methodology - making the research question central and using whatever tools best serve to provide and explanation. So this leads to mixed methods approach. I know there are some who question this approach, arguing that quant and qual come from quite different (and incompatible?) epistemological backgrounds, but as Snape and Spencer (2003) say, methodological purism can undermine our ability to select the appropriate research design. I suppose emergent methodologies can be mixed method in approach, incorporating a range of data collection approaches. I have always thought quantitative=numbers, qualitative=words (at its most simplified expression!), but then arts-based research adds another dimension altogether - neither words nor numbers, but pictures (or other art forms). So I suppose 'emerging methodologies' are stretching my conception of research. Snape, D. & Spencer, L. (2003). The foundation of qualitative research. In J. Ritchie & J. Lewis (Eds.). //Qualitative research practice.// London: Sage Publications Ltd. pp.1-19. //