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Full-Text Articles in Education

I Didn’T See It Coming: Navigating An Uncomfortable Episode During Doctoral Research Fieldwork, Narina A. Samah Mar 2024

I Didn’T See It Coming: Navigating An Uncomfortable Episode During Doctoral Research Fieldwork, Narina A. Samah

The Qualitative Report

In this article, I revisit my experiences during my doctoral fieldwork from the lens of a novice qualitative researcher. Initially embracing the role of narrative inquirer, I was in the midst of navigating my inquisitive journey by re-examining my personal practical knowledge as a means to confront my puzzle of practice. Six months of fieldwork allowed me to re-experience my classroom teaching practice through a pair of new eyes. As my research was ending, events took an unexpected turn, leading to the delicate issue of female teacher/lecturer-student relationships during research fieldwork and the dilemma of deciding whether to include or …


How I Obtained My Phd Admission Letter: A Reflective Interaction-Based Autoethnography, Qing Xu, Kei Wei Chia Feb 2024

How I Obtained My Phd Admission Letter: A Reflective Interaction-Based Autoethnography, Qing Xu, Kei Wei Chia

The Qualitative Report

This account utilises autoethnography to explore how the “one-child generation’s” cultural context influences behaviours and character traits, focusing on the first author’s experiences during a 5-month doctoral program application. It examines interactions with the employer, unacquainted individuals, intermediaries, and family, encapsulated in three Episodes, to analyse the personality traits of this generation. The findings reveal that, though deeply rooted in traditional culture, character traits such as risk aversion, caution, and family dependency are not immutable. It highlights the potential for personal transformation through inward growth, proactive external engagement, and the support of families who challenge traditional norms. In terms of …


Walking Toward The Demonumentalization Of Qualitative Research: A Collaborative Autoethnography Account While Producing An Educational Podcast, Carmen H. Guerrero-Nieto, Alvaro H. Quintero-Polo Feb 2024

Walking Toward The Demonumentalization Of Qualitative Research: A Collaborative Autoethnography Account While Producing An Educational Podcast, Carmen H. Guerrero-Nieto, Alvaro H. Quintero-Polo

The Qualitative Report

This article examines how two teacher educators, as researchers and as research teachers, engaged in a collaborative interpretation of their autoethnographies about questioning an instrumentalist and positivist research culture in the field of English Language Teaching (ELT). The autoethnographies simultaneously emerged from the research activities related to the production of a bilingual podcast named “Conversing about "Investigación Cualitativa.” Specifically, the authors conducted a qualitative study of autoethnographic and collaborative nature while working on their podcast. The data were individual written retrospective accounts, which were shared, discussed, and interpreted in online live meetings. The outcomes of the study were …


Reflecting On Academic Freedom Through Fiction: A Theatrical Exploration Of The Blurry Contours Of The Freedom To Teach, Julie Paquin, Maude Choko Nov 2023

Reflecting On Academic Freedom Through Fiction: A Theatrical Exploration Of The Blurry Contours Of The Freedom To Teach, Julie Paquin, Maude Choko

The Qualitative Report

This article aims at exploring the contribution that creative forms of research can make to the study of a little-known aspect of academic freedom in the Canadian context – academic freedom in curriculum development. It seeks to address the methodological challenge posed by research on academic freedom, that is, the fact that any academic writing on this topic necessarily draws initially, though not exclusively, from the researchers’ own experiences and perspectives. The article brings to life a fictional faculty meeting, during which questions about academic freedom in teaching are discussed. Although this meeting is the product of our imagination, its …


Writing Philosophical Autoethnography: A Review, Niroj Dahal Nov 2023

Writing Philosophical Autoethnography: A Review, Niroj Dahal

The Qualitative Report

As a book reviewer, I am penning down my thoughts restlessly on the book, Writing Philosophical Autoethnography, with a diverse audience in mind, encompassing readers, writers, and researchers of all levels from various disciplines in the social sciences and education. This groundbreaking work, edited by Alec Grant and published by Routledge, masterfully blends philosophy and autoethnography (Grant, 2023). The book distinguishes itself through its philosophical depth, with each chapter demonstrating a profound engagement with philosophical debates and theories rooted in Western philosophical traditions. This approach sets it apart from other autoethnographic works where philosophical concepts often appear to be …


Violinmaking Apprenticeship: A Qualitative Investigation Of Learning As Embodied Familiarization, Isaac Calvert, Melissa Noel Hawkley, Samantha Swift Sep 2023

Violinmaking Apprenticeship: A Qualitative Investigation Of Learning As Embodied Familiarization, Isaac Calvert, Melissa Noel Hawkley, Samantha Swift

The Qualitative Report

This case study examines Yanchar, Spackman, and Faulconer’s “Learning as Embodied Familiarization” (hereafter LAEF) framework in the case of a violinmaking apprenticeship. Its purpose is to critically examine each facet of the LAEF framework as manifest in the lived experience of both master and apprentice. While previous studies investigating this framework have used various qualitative and hermeneutic methodologies, none have done so from a prolonged, ethnographic perspective. This perspective comes from an immersive autoethnography in which I apprenticed under a master violinmaker in an informal, one-on-one workshop environment for six months working four to five days a week for three …


Ensuring Quality In Qualitative Research: A Researcher's Reflections, Niroj Dahal Aug 2023

Ensuring Quality In Qualitative Research: A Researcher's Reflections, Niroj Dahal

The Qualitative Report

This reflective paper is the outcome of my qualitative research engagement aligned with quality standards. I began with autoethnography in my master's research in mathematics education (see Dahal, 2013), then moved on to narrative inquiry in my MPhil research (see Dahal, 2017), and collaborative autoethnography in my doctoral research (see Dahal, 2023). With the above, this paper aims to clarify the quality criteria used in autoethnography, narrative inquiry, and collaborative autoethnography based on my experiences to evaluate the robustness of qualitative research from various ontological and epistemological vantage points. Likewise, this article offers a comprehensive overview of the key elements …


Incarcerated Bodies – Embodied Autoethnography In Prison, Shulamit Kitzis‬‎ Feb 2023

Incarcerated Bodies – Embodied Autoethnography In Prison, Shulamit Kitzis‬‎

The Qualitative Report

Prison is a study field in which everyone – inmates, guards, and prison researchers – experiences powerful sensory stimuli comprised of sounds, sights, and smells in a crowded, closed space. Yet traditional academic research has socialized researchers to “wash away” their physical and emotional feelings for fear they would jeopardize the scientific nature and validity of their studies. Nevertheless, at times in a prison setting, the researchers’ bodies are the only tool that enables them to document what goes on; so much so that ignoring their bodies and emotions leads to a loss of valuable information. Using embodied autoethnography (EA), …


From A Monolingual Mind To A Multilingual Heart: An Autoethnography Through Dominant Language Constellation, Yaqiong Xu Feb 2023

From A Monolingual Mind To A Multilingual Heart: An Autoethnography Through Dominant Language Constellation, Yaqiong Xu

The Qualitative Report

This article narrates and analyzes the author’s life experiences as a learner, teacher, and researcher of diverse languages across three contexts: mainland China, Hong Kong, and Norway. Deconstructing the influential episodes in the writer’s life trajectory, this autoethnography explores the author’s transformation from a monolingually-minded individual to a border-crossing, multilingually hearted scholar. The analysis is undertaken through the theoretical lens of language ideology and dominant language constellation (DLC) and epitomizes the profound influence of sociocultural structures on an individual’s identity search and development. Confronting the multilingual turn in education and echoing the call to centralize identity in language teaching, this …


Understanding And Encountering The Ethics Of Self And Others In Autoethnography: Challenging The Extant And Exploring Possibilities, Niroj Dahal, Bal Chandra Luitel Dec 2022

Understanding And Encountering The Ethics Of Self And Others In Autoethnography: Challenging The Extant And Exploring Possibilities, Niroj Dahal, Bal Chandra Luitel

The Qualitative Report

In cultural and institutional contexts, autoethnography examines personal and professional experiences. While conducting and representing autoethnography, these considerations raise ethical challenges for self and others. This expository paper examines and explores the various forms of the ethics of self and others in autoethnography in South Asian contexts. Furthermore, ethical positions in an autoethnographic inquiry are presented and explored by challenging the extant and exploring the possibilities. Moreover, ethical standards are maintained based on the first author's experiences. We also realized that the emerging challenges of the ethics of self and others in autoethnography are ongoing and real. Likewise, we brought …


An Autoethnographic Approach To Developing Human Connections: A Prison Educator’S Lived Experiences, Kyle L. Roberson, Karen L. Alexander Nov 2022

An Autoethnographic Approach To Developing Human Connections: A Prison Educator’S Lived Experiences, Kyle L. Roberson, Karen L. Alexander

The Qualitative Report

Storytelling and reflective practices have been recent buzzwords in the fields of education and family and consumer sciences. The point is to tell our stories and inform the public about the infinite number of ways educators and family and consumer sciences professionals impact our schools and communities. Through this autoethnographic study, the researcher details how making human connections and the sharing of these stories has the potential to improve correctional institutions, education programs, and student-teacher relationships. Lessons learned and experiences easily translate to public education, higher education, and industry. Journey with the researcher through his memories and reflections as an …


Transforming From Addicted Video Gamer To Doctoral Candidate: An Autoethnographic Reflection, Xiao Hu Dr., Hongzhi Zhang Dr Nov 2022

Transforming From Addicted Video Gamer To Doctoral Candidate: An Autoethnographic Reflection, Xiao Hu Dr., Hongzhi Zhang Dr

The Qualitative Report

Video game addiction has become a significant concern in many countries with the development of the digital entertainment industry. Researchers have devoted their efforts to understanding the causes of video game addiction and seeking solutions and treatment approaches to help reduce the addictive problem. Similar to the worldwide situation, video game addiction issues are also a major socio-cultural problem in China. Although qualitative and quantitative research methods have been used in video game addiction studies, current research still follows the model of collecting data from objective participants and then analysing it. Contrarily, there is a lack of first-person empirical data …


Becoming Culturally Proficient Qualitative Researchers By Crossing Geographic And Methodological Borders, Corinne Brion, Carol Rogers-Shaw Oct 2022

Becoming Culturally Proficient Qualitative Researchers By Crossing Geographic And Methodological Borders, Corinne Brion, Carol Rogers-Shaw

The Qualitative Report

This article explores how novice researchers develop a scholarly identity as they cross geographic, cultural, institutional, identity, and methodological borders throughout their studies, experiencing insider, outsider, and in-betweener positions. It hypothesizes that researchers become more culturally proficient through their fieldwork and self-study. The autoethnographic narratives address the social justice issues encountered by two early career researchers who increased their cultural proficiency and self-awareness as they moved across multiple cultural contexts. By shifting back and forth between insider, outsider, and in-betweener, the researchers became more culturally proficient, developed their voices as researchers, and practiced inclusivity by amplifying marginalized voices. Their self-reflective …


Writing A “Good” Autoethnography In Educational Research: A Modest Proposal, Ufuk Keleş Sep 2022

Writing A “Good” Autoethnography In Educational Research: A Modest Proposal, Ufuk Keleş

The Qualitative Report

In this paper, I first discuss what autoethnography is elaborating on an autoethnographic spectrum. Then, I draw on several scholars’ understanding of what a “good” autoethnography is and propose a list of suggestions to contribute to autoethnography’s conceptualization and operationalization in qualitative educational research in the future. Believing that a good autoethnography is the work of a scholar who aims for the witty hand of an artist and the sharp/critical mind of a social scientist, I suggest that a good autoethnography (a) creates a sense of transformation through a story of illumination, healing, understanding, and/or learning, (b) engages readers as …


Solipsism As A Challenge Of Doing Autoethnographic Inquiry, Chet Nath Panta, Bal Chandra Luitel Apr 2022

Solipsism As A Challenge Of Doing Autoethnographic Inquiry, Chet Nath Panta, Bal Chandra Luitel

The Qualitative Report

The purpose of this paper is to unpack and critique different forms of solipsism and whether its impacts on autoethnographic inquiry are overly self-referential. This paper offers thoughts on Western and Eastern perspectives on the self. It is argued that autoethnography as a genre and method of inquiry confronts challenges and tensions in terms of epistemology, methodology, and ethical issues, particularly the issues of solipsism as a major challenge. It is often critiqued that autoethnographers are not able to establish a clear theoretical standpoint and the autobiographic texts lack convincing arguments and scholarly rigor. In the meantime, it is not …


An Autoethnographic Reflection Of My Academic Privileges While Working With High School Interns, Eric Hogan Apr 2022

An Autoethnographic Reflection Of My Academic Privileges While Working With High School Interns, Eric Hogan

The Qualitative Report

In this article, I explore my academic privileges through using the autoethnographic method while working in an alternative school and with interns hired for an agricultural internship. Academic privilege is contextualized as those factors in an education setting that benefit some and not all; with consideration of various personal and social factors including, but not limited to, skin color, aspects of identity, economic disparity, resource availability, social relationships, social settings, etcetera. Data collection involved observations within the school and when working with the interns. There were also informal conversations. The observations and informal conversations were documented as field notes to …


Autoethnography As A Recent Methodology In Applied Linguistics: A Methodological Review, Ufuk Keles Dr Feb 2022

Autoethnography As A Recent Methodology In Applied Linguistics: A Methodological Review, Ufuk Keles Dr

The Qualitative Report

In this methodological review, I explore how recent autoethnographic studies in the field of applied linguistics have used autoethnography as a research methodology. I examine 40 autoethnographies published in peer-reviewed journals between 2010 and 2020. The findings show that a large number of the researchers employed autoethnography as “an umbrella term” without opting for a specific type of autoethnography. Second, a great majority of the autoethnographers diverted from traditional third-person academic prose, although most of them approached their stories with an analytic lens. Third, the absence or scarcity of (auto)biographical information decreased both the evocative and analytic qualities of autoethnographic …


“I Finally Marginalized Myself From The Mainstream”: An Autoethnography Study Of Chinese International Student’S Development Of Intercultural Communicative Competence, Yuqi Lin, Hongzhi Zhang Nov 2021

“I Finally Marginalized Myself From The Mainstream”: An Autoethnography Study Of Chinese International Student’S Development Of Intercultural Communicative Competence, Yuqi Lin, Hongzhi Zhang

The Qualitative Report

In the higher education market, the cross-border flow of international students has become increasingly apparent. For Australia, China has been a major student source and most of these students have been enrolled in the higher education sector. Such a phenomenon has rendered the innovation of higher education management necessary, and its socio-cultural influence has attracted attention from the Australian government. This study suggests that international students’ intercultural communicative competence (ICC) deficits could influence their self-perceptions thus compromising their ability to communicate with peers. Using a qualitative research approach, the study explores the extent to which China’s College English influences Chinese …


Informing Without Conforming: Applying Two Frameworks To Enrich Autoethnography, Annmarie Dull Nov 2021

Informing Without Conforming: Applying Two Frameworks To Enrich Autoethnography, Annmarie Dull

The Qualitative Report

This article explores my experiences using two frameworks to guide the design, implementation and reporting of an autoethnography. I used Hughes, Pennington, and Makris’ (2012) framework for translating autoethnography to the American Educational Research Association (AERA) Standards for reporting empirical research to inform the structure, design, and process for the autoethnography, and Milner’s (2007) framework for researchers to examine seen, unseen, and unforeseen dangers to guide my reflection, support reflexivity, and examine the development of a dynamic positionality. In this article, I illustrate how using these frameworks enhanced the rigor and reflexivity of my autoethnographic research.


Integrating Dance And Language Education: A Pedagogical Epiphany, Nan Zhang, Jane Southcott, Maria Gindidis Oct 2021

Integrating Dance And Language Education: A Pedagogical Epiphany, Nan Zhang, Jane Southcott, Maria Gindidis

The Qualitative Report

Dance fulfils several educational purposes, particularly in the context of second language teaching and learning. Nevertheless, challenges to implementing dance as an approach to teach and learn a second language do exist. For teachers, it is essential to develop varied pedagogical approaches to suit different student cohorts. But it is not reasonable to expect that every language teacher is a born expert and connoisseur of dance or every dance teacher a born expert and connoisseur of the target language. Moreover, we have not seen studies focus on the development of the pedagogy of using dance as an approach for teaching …


Affirming Strength-Based Practices In Disability And Inclusion: A Shared Autoethnographic Study Of The Experiences Of A Teacher, Alina Kewanian, Edwin Creely, Jane Southcott Aug 2021

Affirming Strength-Based Practices In Disability And Inclusion: A Shared Autoethnographic Study Of The Experiences Of A Teacher, Alina Kewanian, Edwin Creely, Jane Southcott

The Qualitative Report

In this autoethnographic article we focus on the issues of “disability” and “inclusive education” and the challenges of being positive and affirming in this area of research and practice. As a teacher, I (Alina) continue to encounter regularly the dominant deficit view of “disability,” in spite of the extensive body of literature that advocates for the rights of people with disabilities as well as the benefits of inclusive education best built on strength-based thinking. The autoethnographic methodology allowed me to explore my experiences as an educator and reflect on specific events, presented through four vignettes that capture how my beliefs …


Merging Motherhood And Doctoral Studies: An Autoethnography Of Imperfectly Weaving Identities, Vicki L. Schriever Dr Jun 2021

Merging Motherhood And Doctoral Studies: An Autoethnography Of Imperfectly Weaving Identities, Vicki L. Schriever Dr

The Qualitative Report

In this autoethnography I share my lived experiences of merging motherhood and doctoral studies and reveal the journey of imperfectly weaving the identities of mother, wife, doctoral student, and academic. I present seven vignettes to provide glimpses of experience and a window into not only the challenges and tensions of intersecting motherhood and doctoral studies, but to also share the joys, strengths, and benefits of embracing these multiple identities. The literature and autoethnographic accounts offer insights into the contradiction that is mothering during doctoral studies, as academic mothers simultaneously carry guilt and gratitude, and acknowledge the sacrifice and privilege that …


An Autoethnographic Self-Study Navigating The Transition To Becoming A Stem Teacher Educator, Miriam Hamilton Dr Jan 2021

An Autoethnographic Self-Study Navigating The Transition To Becoming A Stem Teacher Educator, Miriam Hamilton Dr

The Qualitative Report

This paper reports on a self-study where I take an autoethnographic stance in narrating my cultural origins, trajectory and identities as a teacher turned teacher educator working in the field of education in Ireland. Using self-study, I explore how my habitus has influenced my experiences of being a biology teacher at second level to teaching STEM education on initial teacher education programmes. Autoethnographic self-study is the hybrid approach used to describe and systematically analyse my experiences and learning as I struggle with a transitioning identity. The integrated use of both self-study and autoethnographic approaches enabled a deepened understanding of my …


My Journey As An Emergent Bilingual, Cynthia Villarreal Cantu Jan 2021

My Journey As An Emergent Bilingual, Cynthia Villarreal Cantu

The Qualitative Report

This autoethnography was conducted at an elementary school not far from the South Texas border. I documented how my journey as a kindergarten, first-grade, and second-grade student has impacted me to become a better educator. Through this qualitative study, I planned to determine if my childhood experiences as an emergent bilingual learner have made an impact in my teaching and the connections I have formed with my students. I analyzed observations of my current teaching practices and my elementary report cards and test scores. After observing my students’ interactions among their peers and my reaction towards their conversations, I found …


Interpreting The Data: Reflections On Asl-English Cross Language Research, Serena Johnson Dec 2020

Interpreting The Data: Reflections On Asl-English Cross Language Research, Serena Johnson

The Qualitative Report

Cross language research typically ignores the role the translator and translation play in the research process. This paper adds to the literature by examining some of the challenges experienced during the translation and interpretation aspect of research. This autoethnography explores the positionality of a non-native user of American Sign Language who conducted research with native American Sign Language users. Findings indicate that translation and interpretation in research is not simply a matter of rote process and deserves more attention as an integral aspect of cross-language research.


Overcoming The Feeling Isolation In Distance Learning: A Collaborative Auto-Ethnographic Research, Jayrome Lleva Núñez, Marie Camille Cuisia-Villanueva Nov 2020

Overcoming The Feeling Isolation In Distance Learning: A Collaborative Auto-Ethnographic Research, Jayrome Lleva Núñez, Marie Camille Cuisia-Villanueva

FDLA Journal

In this research, we present our own experience as distance education (DE) learners the process of overcoming the feelings of alienation and isolation. The participants of the study are the authors, themselves, which are graduate students from the University of the Philippines – Open University. Thus, auto-ethnography is used. Autoethnography is an approach to research and writing that seeks to describe and systematically analyze (graphy) personal experience (auto) in order to understand cultural experience (ethno) (Ellis, Adams, & Bochner, 2010). This research is significant because we, the authors ourselves, are distance learners and have experienced isolation in our journey. This …


Autoethnography As A Decolonizing Methodology: Reflections On Masta’S What The Grandfathers Taught Me, Dung T. Pham, June E. Gothberg Nov 2020

Autoethnography As A Decolonizing Methodology: Reflections On Masta’S What The Grandfathers Taught Me, Dung T. Pham, June E. Gothberg

The Qualitative Report

As an Asian graduate student and a Native professor at a U.S. Midwestern Predominantly White Institution, we reflected upon Masta’s (2018) article, What the Grandfathers Taught Me: Lessons for an Indian Country Researcher, to examine the decolonizing aspects of autoethnography. Masta’s use of autoethnography to explore her experiences provides a deeply personal view into the phenomenon of living and researching Indigenous in an America that is inherently White in character, tradition, structure, and culture. The use of participatory and constructivist Indigenous autoethnography places the lived experience of an Indigenous woman at the center of the study, using the Indigenous …


Using Indigenous Research Frameworks In The Multiple Contexts Of Research, Teaching, Mentoring, And Leading, Darryl Reano Nov 2020

Using Indigenous Research Frameworks In The Multiple Contexts Of Research, Teaching, Mentoring, And Leading, Darryl Reano

The Qualitative Report

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 …


Contentment Or Torment? An Analytic Autoethnography Of Publication Aptitude In Doctor Of Philosophy, Atiqur Sm-Rahman, Yasmin Jahan Sep 2020

Contentment Or Torment? An Analytic Autoethnography Of Publication Aptitude In Doctor Of Philosophy, Atiqur Sm-Rahman, Yasmin Jahan

The Qualitative Report

The burgeoning trend of pursuing publication in a leading journal, as a benchmark of standard doctoral research, has become an appealing expectation of early-stage doctoral researchers (ESDR). However, recent pedagogical studies showed limited attention to exploring the dynamic relations between doctoral education and the academic publication process. Our aim was to investigate and understand (if and) how this intricately intertwined relation contributes to the scholarly publication practice in doctoral education from an individual and institutional context. We used a duo-analytic autoethnography approach and presented a comprehensive narrative based on the authors’ self-reflections by using a range of data sources namely …


On Being A Zebra: Negotiating A Professional Identity Whilst Coping With A Rare And Recurrent Illness, Phyllis Jones Professor Jun 2020

On Being A Zebra: Negotiating A Professional Identity Whilst Coping With A Rare And Recurrent Illness, Phyllis Jones Professor

The Qualitative Report

In this autoethnography I discuss some of the impacts of a chronic and long -term illness on my professional identity of a professor. I examine issues of lack of control throughout the discussion. I also discuss the contribution of phenomenological accounts in the form of autoethnography in serving to challenge society’s view of disability. I suggest the individual intersection of disability and identity demand that the scholarly community listen more to the stories of people who have actual experience of long-term chronic illness. In doing this, we may develop nuanced understandings of the impact of chronic long - term illness …