For my last post on the blog, I consider some of the more challenging aspects of the course, but also the upsides that evolved out of these difficulties.
Some of us found the most trying part of Research Methods was to hone in on a research area, and a research question. Studying the connection between the DIY and Maker Movements, and the development of libraries (my chosen area of study) is a topic on which there is minimal specific scholarship, so it was an adventure to find linking materials. Often, it was a question of language - choosing the right words to use for optimal searches in the library database. Along the topic of the challenges of language, just choosing the right words to frame a research question was also very intimidating, because language can be a limiting entity. It can be hard to find the right words for a topic you haven't quite fully formed, and probably won't even understand until you have completed the actual research project (sometimes, if even!). Kristin Luker (2008) describes this feeling very well:
"[Your adviser] will ask you what your hypothesis is...what your research question is. You just go blank, feeling like a rabbit trapped on the roadway with the headlights bearing down on you, as you try desperately to explain what's so interesting about, say, privatized water, or rising rates of imprisonment in America, or adolescent sexuality. When you and your adviser part at the end of the time allotted to you, more likely than not, you part in mutual frustration" (p. 18).
Although I can't claim to having frustrating experiences with either Professor Galey's or Glen's comments and suggestions, I can definitely relate to the floundering student, trying to explain why they think topic A or B is the coolest! It really is a strange feeling to just try and build something (concrete sentences) out of what seems like nothing (fun thoughts floating in my brain), a "nothing" which is often very personal and somewhat of a naked concept being put forth to peers and the community. However, delving into the readings this term and attending class, I was surprised to learn how normal these feelings are, and what a non-linear process research can often be. Mostly, I have found that research takes time, as certain sources and resources might lead to other resources, in unexpected ways. Professor Galey was certainly right - I definitely look at the objects, people, and events around me in a new way, as well as topics and themes which are both new and familiar, and think: how can I transform this into a research project?
Hi Eva
ReplyDeleteI am happy to say I too have experienced the floundering student. One of the biggest challenges I've had with my proposal is trying to put into words something I deeply care about. My research is based off of years of working with kids in low-income neighbourhoods and I constantly feel like what I write does not do justice for what I saw and how much they appreciated the services we offered. I am in the LIS stream too and I can say from the people I have met here at the iSchool we all care deeply about these issues and I think trying to translate that emotion and passion into text which objectively justifies why its important is so hard. Libraries benefit communities in so many ways that are not always tangible and I think sometimes these experiences are the most important. But like you said, I am glad that from being in this class, I've come to accept that not having things go to plan is normal and the journey itself will (I hope) create a better end product for us all.