Q Methodology Investments

I became exposed to Q Methodology while through two articles I read, one in citizenship education and one in patriotism (political science). And my interest in it has been piqued since. I like it because it seems fun to construct a concourse, a universe of ideas that can represent all possible opinions on a particular issue or topic. And I like the objectivity of using statistics to help with making decisions, instead of using purely a human instrument! So yes, it brings out  in me the best of my qualitative and quantitative selves!

It is a method new to my supervisor, so what I have decided to do is to invest in myself picking up this method. I am going to learn it on my own and use it in my Ph.D. I have signed up for a conference, with some data, so I can play around with, do a presentation, get feedback. I have signed up for two workshops, also so I can learn more and also ask some questions. I am not attending the conference fresh, but I have some some study on my part to maximize my learnings. So there you have it, if you don't know something, go and find out about it. Don't be afraid to start from scratch.

Social Science Beginnings

I've always found it a little interesting that there's this one piece of small research that I did on attitudes on biological conservation during my undergraduate studies. I remember being examined and my examiner questioning me, "Why are you doing research in the social sciences? Do you know this is not real research?" Being the person I was then, against an authority figure, I had no ability and knowledge how to defend myself. Here was someone denying the importance and relevance of studying subjectivity! It hence, amuses me that today I am what one could call a social scientist, or one who dabbles in the social sciences.

Could I see this coming? Yes and no. Yes, because I always felt drawn to the human condition. I had always felt studying plants, animals and habitats were not enough. I wanted to study humans. I was very interested in the social side of biology - Man's relationship with the environment. How were Man using the natural world for medicine and materials? How can encourage sustainable development? How can we protect the environment from destruction? No, because there was no way back then, I could see how all these seemingly unrelated threads would eventually link up one day to lead me onto this path I am currently on!

I am hence extremely grateful to my former supervisor and mentor who gave me this opportunity and this guidance with that earlier research, a taste of social science research. I find them courageous and farsighted, to know that we cannot study biology, apart from the human race.

Changes in me

I went through a very interesting experience last night. There is this philosophy book on patriotism that I bought about 2 years ago, but struggled to read. It's a collection of argumentative pieces. After analyzing my data and looking at the world, a few things finally clicked within me, and I had an interest to read the book. As I was reading just the introduction, I was reminded of the Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton competition.

Note that I am not into American politics at all, but recently I have been questioning a lot (partly because of the data I am analyzing) that does putting the people of your nation first, necessarily mean xenophobia? No, it may not be... So I googled Trump and Clinton to find out their views on immigration. I was reading their positions, with great interest you know.

I am actually surprised with myself. I have rarely seen this side of me. I really wanted to know what both of them thought. Is having Trump as president really such a scary thing as everyone has made it to be? Hmmm...

What kind of teacher would I be?

I used to imagine myself being a teacher when I was a little girl. I would design these little workbooks that help students write alphabets.

I was just reading the beginning of a really cool book called Banal Nationalism by Michael Billig. It was so interesting. And I thought to myself, if I were to lecture at a university, what subject would I want to teach?

Being in the education field, and rather inter-disciplinary in nature, I would think my expertise would eventually cover qualitative research methodologies, academic writing (my love for it explains this blog), citizenship education...

But you know what I would like to teach? Something on nationalism... and patriotism... about how nations came about, what distinguishes one from another, not just the physical and legal aspects, but the social and emotional aspects that I have been digging deep into. The diversity and universality of the concept of nation-states. That would be cool.

To get there, I need to read up a lot more and form some mental framework for this topic!

Accidental Opportunities

I am sometimes asked to do things that are beyond me. The imposter syndrome kicks in and I tell myself, “They only picked you because no one else wants to do it.” I told a friend about it and he told me that everyone needs such lucky breaks, every genius begins through accidents like these, as the beginner can hardly suppose to deserve them.

I felt so comforted by that. Yes, I got that opportunity to organize a conference, write a book review, speak on a plenary, and perhaps publish a few articles, maybe by chance and by being thick-skin and gung-ho enough to grasp and not let go of what comes my way.

I may not be the most erudite, eloquent, or sophisticated, but I am an amateur who values any opportunity to learn and grow. So there is my place among the learned. I may not have answers, but there I take my place with asking questions.

I will find my voice in grad school. :)

Passion and heart in research

I learned a lot of lessons during this trip to the 12th CitizED conference at Birmingham, UK.

The most important lesson being good research comes from the heart.

It must mean something deeply to the researcher.

Only then, can it resonate with one's soul and the hearts of those the research involves and also those who are listening to you talk about your research.

It took me a long time to learn this. I learned this from watching people do real research. Real research is not just a job that you find, it's about investigating something significant and important to you, and believing that your research will make a difference beyond yourself.