Qualitative Inquiry: Illinois 2012

It was great that my Supervisor  - Liz Hoult - suggested that I attend the QI conference. Without her enthusiasm for it, I simply wouldn't have thought it was possible to have had an academic conference that was... well more like a religious retreat! It was definitely a very memorable four days.

It was genuinely a gathering of 1600+ academics (including a surprisingly high number of PhD students like me), who shared a 'faith' in a particular type of qualitative research. An holistic, anti-positivist approach. One which I'm still not entirely sure I wholly agree with, but which the philosophy of which I am absolutely behind. Of which more in a bit....

It was a bit of a marathon to get there - but I was very glad to have taken the flight option rather than the train or bus  - which would have put many hours onto the journey. Above is my little plane that only took 30 mins from Chicago O'Hare to Champagne. Can you imagine what it would be like for somewhere like the University of Warwick to have its own airport? There is money in academia out here - that's for sure.

This was the area directly outside the University of Illinois at Champagne. Just like any other soul-less - American town. But the Campus itself was lovely, very scenic and architectural. The only thing I couldn't get used to was that bloody constant whurring noise of the air-conditioning units everywhere - but it was hot. Very hot. About 28degrees on some days....so it was nice to have the big, airy, cool conference rooms.

This was a central study area of the Illini Union Hotel on the central campus. It was used quite alot by the students. Brilliant as a conference centre. Lots of space to chill out inbetween sessions. There was so much going on. Some sessions started at 8am!

On the first and last evenings we had a 'traditional cook-out'. What the Americans mean by this is a 'BBQ' - although of course their paranoid health and safety social consciousness prevents them from actually authentically COOKING any of the food outside (! ) LOL! Sadly it was just cooked in some kitchen somewhere nearby and then brought-out in those horrible stainless-steel drums for people to pile their plates high with stuff. The food was good though. Mainly. Fried chicken and kale (did they cook it in vinegar?) and bread rolls that went stale between the table and when you sat down to eat. But the beer was cold. It is the same food every year apparently - so at least I'll know what to expect if I go again next year (mental note to bring my picnic blanket and mozzy spray).

However, of course it wasn't about the food - it was the people. The atmosphere was great and the music was brilliant too (a local student bank I think). It was a really useful informal getting to know each other opportunity. I met some wonderful people from all over the world who I definitely hope to keep in touch with. So many different 'disciplines' so many people who articulate how alienated they feel from their institutions. Coming together to agree with each other about how they feel about their research. Erm...yes. Exactly, and that's where my problem was. It was a bit too self-congratulatory. It was a bit too 'wonderful' and a bit...well, I hate to say this - American!?!

This was the fountain outside the main campus building.

This was the central corridor of the Illini Union Hotel. Lovely panelling!

The famous statues stating encouraging words for future students.

The Library building opposite the Illini Hotel Union Building.

Even the poster presentations were ....um....unusual! Here was one of the more interesting ones about women in academia...

This was the area directly below where my bedroom was at the Illini Union.

But what about the conference itself I hear you ask? Well there were surprising things about it. Like we didn't have any technology in many of the rooms. I had a last minute panic to find a powerpoint projector to present my paper using the Prezi  programme. Luckily, one of the other presenters lived near-by and had a projector that we could set-up, otherwise I would have struggled to have shown people the visuals that were integral to my research (well, for me anyway).

But I felt particularly sorry for the people in the 'Technology' Stream. That the conference organisers didn't make provision for them - or even TELL them - about the lack of technology, was unforgivable. I can't imagine it would happen in any European conference....?

Having said that, and thankfully in stark contrast to the many other academic conference I'd attended over the years - there was a distinct lack of any kind of didactic talks. No boredom here. Absolutely none. People had really used their imaginations. We had researchers acting out a fictionalised script (sometimes using height to explore the inherent power relationships between players). We saw people using card-board cut-outs so that they could explain different perspectives, there were dance performances, symbolic structures like sculptures and even a music event from the (in)famous Ethnogs.

 

The 'Ethnogs' after their performance.

There was one element of criticality - in the keynote speach by Paul Atkinson from the University of Cardiff. Strange how a British person was chosen to speak to the crowd about how 'too sentimental' some of this research was, and how we all needed to be 'more robust' (whatever that means). As you can imagine, that didn't go down well in a hall full of nearly 2000 QI 'believers'. Even his formal style was a bit cringe-making when I looked around at everyone in their shorts and Birkenstock sandals.... And maybe it was a blessing in disguise that there was no time for discussion afterwards. It may have turned-out like the BSA conference last year when we had an (anti) 'Cosmopolitanisation' turn. There was an air of anger and defensiveness in the air - but it didn't last long -  out in the sunshine, the beer started flowing soon afterwards....



Part of the beautiful campus grounds where the conference took place.

All in all, it was a very inspiring, very exhausting, thoroughly confusing but above all FUN conference. Full of interesting characters (I got to meet Prof Denzin himself - amongst many others) and lots of radical stuff that went well beyond 'testing the boundaries' to actually trampling over them completely and starting again. It felt like a different planet at times - but in a really good way. A planet that I (almost) belonged on... Perhaps a slightly too charismatic, evangelical planet, but definitely one that I can enjoy having a holiday on. A 'holiday conference' once a year. I like that idea....

Summer's here!

After a fabulous break in Turkey - two weeks of unadulterated sun, sea and fabulous food ;) - (I'm about to post some stuff about my trip on my personal blog) -anyway - I've finally caught-up a bit with my reading. Mostly it was fiction of course (well, I was on holiday), but EVEN (?) this was relevant stuff. (my personal favourite was David Lodge's "How far can you go?" - an hilariously funny account of young couples in the 60's struggling with the rules of Catholicism).

But perhaps the most relevant was Laurel Richardson's Fields of Play, which is kind of a retrospective look at an academic life that is constantly fighting against the bureaucratic hierarchies of the institutional madness that is Sociology in HE. It was thrilling to reading about the impact of Symbolic Interactionism on Richardson's thinking and inspiring to see how successful she'd made crossing the boundaries in such a radical way. A fabulous read and thanks to my supervisor, Liz Hoult for the tip:)

Now on with the transcribing and other stuff - like writing a proper methodology section and perhaps a proper paper which brings together some of this stuff.

The fiction-writer in me is secretly looking forward to the results of my latest 'Challenge' in my local writers' group.

Maybe there'll be some more inspiration there too?

There's something about having a clean and clutter-free room to work in. I can't stand mess. I had a light-bulb moment yesterday, whilst indulging in a (small) packet of licorice allsorts (delish) from my favourite Deal shop The Sugar Boy. It was about this Grounded theory business that has been sitting - unaddressed - at the back of my mind for a year. I've been meaning to look up and 'officially' claim it. But it wasn't until yesterday, whilst reading the brilliant Antony Bryant when I really grasped the connections between what I'm doing and how I'm going to get there (if you know what I mean)....

I've also often (vaguely) thought how relevant Symbolic Interactionism is to my research - for instance the fact that the teachers are 'labelled' with the term 'Grade 3' after they are observed (sometimes by their managers who do actually know them as a person)! There's also lots of other (perhaps more ambiguous) symbolic parallels between my research and these theories as a whole - like the agentic factor i.e. that teachers feel they are 'in control' sometimes and therefore perhaps are more resilient to the stresses of being observed. Also the importance of studying comes through in these theories as central - and of course reflexivity in teaching practice is a crucial point of the observation process - hopefully both for the observed and the teacher and finally the importance of the act of observing itself. The 'Data' and the context are an integral part of the process....




I might be a bit slow, but I've only just read about the connection between these two approaches (i.e. that Strauss came from the same place in Chicago etc. and it kind of adds some weight to what I THOUGHT I already knew (maybe subconsciously)!

Anyway, time to dash and get reading for this meeting. Thought I better add something here as so neglected for a few months. More later....much more to share.

busy month!

Wow - not a single day free in March and not much written on here for a while.
Geneva was a mixed experience - great city. Pictures of the place here . About four of the presentations contained possible relevance to my work...more stuff to follow-up (where do I get the time)?! Their theories of resilience, self-identity and emotions in learning all have lots of overlap with my interests... such as this work from Leeds Met (although focused on students rather than teachers)...

Next month should be a better time - less teaching and events to attend. I'm in London three times in five days next week - although at least being on the train is good reading time...

MMMMMmm onwards (and sidewards).

presenting our thoughts

Here's a short powerpoint that may or may not make sense - but it's a start. Enbedding this powerpoint has been a learning experience in itself!

The end of AimHigher? Who would've thought it? But then, who would have thought it would come to this?

Students flinging fire extinguishers about in Westminster, professors encouraging their students and staff to 'sit in'..and now Gove saying that teachers' training will be unrecognisable by the time he's finished with it. It's difficult to know where to start.

With 50% of current secondary school being 'satisfactory' (meaning UNsatisfactory in Ofsted-speak) or below, and FE colleges doing even worse, there's no doubt that there are some things that are undeniably going badly wrong with our education system.

I'm wondering now what might happen if they inflict the worst on HE - namely Ofsted. I wonder how many Profs out there would put up with the Orwellian world of Ofsted language and 'specialists' in their classrooms (or perhaps I should more accurately say lecture rooms). But then, that's where the FE lecturers went wrong really - they just lack the self-esteem and self-confidence in their abilities... Mmmm well, as I'm writing about the context of the Marketisation of FE through the 90's Incorporation issues, and see what this has done to FE as a whole, I'll be intrigued to see what happens to HE under a similar aproach...

But the snow is here and that has helped (kind of) to allow me space to write and read and write some more. There's a shape forming of sorts. And its very pleasing to read in other's research that conclusions are in line with my own experiences of teaching.

Still time to work on the practicalities, ethics applications, expenses and meetings. I feel at times like (I can only imagine) someone blooming with their pregnancy might feel (as I've often heard said). Its pure magical luxury to be being able to immerse yourself in the readings without the time constraints that usually make my studying just stressful. No teaching commitments (yet); distance (emotional and physical) from difficult family situations; and support from friends and academics that are heartening and (for me) unusual. I suppose it's like the state of being able to enjoy just 'being'.......meanwhile, some kids are just clearing the drive of snow for me (payment of satsumas to follow), but I think Dizzy has other ideas involving football and snowballs. Monkey.

"Thinkering" about Philosophers...

I've always loved coloured glass. I used to collect old perrier bottles when I was young for the very purpose of lining them up on my windowsill and watching the light catch them in the morning. Nothing like this wonderful collection I found in a junk-shop in Rye of course.

Metaphorically, coloured glass is taking on a new significance as I seek an appropriate 'lens' to analyse my inchoative research aspirations for the coming three years. Will it be someone like Bourdieu or Foucault? Or perhaps someone less well-known or perhaps well-used by sociologists...



Mind-maps and sorting keywords into 'relevant' lists seems to be filling alot of my time at the moment. (Maybe something more tangible will come out of the interview I'll be doing on Wednesday). The strangest thing for me at the moment is realising that this really will be the long-term plan. NOT something that I can sit and just 'write' (although I have actually started SOME writing) once I've accummulated all the facts over a few days or even weeks.



Time to read lots and lots and wander the beach with Dizzy seeking inspiration for my ontological dilemmas....feels like such a luxury - even if it is going to short-lived until I get teaching again..