Methodology of a Qualitative Study of Film Reflections on an Alternative Representation Jason D. DeHart The University of Tennessee, Knoxville Spring 2018
Pilot study context Data were compiled for a pilot study focused on how teachers use film with adolescents. Participants included a middle grades science teacher, a middle grades history teacher, and a high school history teacher who was serving as an administrator. I conducted one 45-60 minute interview with each participant.
Arts based research is engaged in for a purpose often associated with artistic activity: artsbased research is meant to enhance perspectives pertaining to certain human activities defined by the presence of certain aesthetic qualities or design elements that infuse the inquiry project (Barone & Eisner, 1997, p. 95)
Research as Art? Collins (1992), writing from the perspective of a researcher and musician, noted that qualitative research in itself might be considered an art form. Given the question of whether or not to use poetry as a means of analysis, Cahnmann (2013) responded, why not? (p. 35), and suggested that analysis is not a closed concept. A sort of bricolage (Kincheloe, 2001)?
A Process Statement: Problematizing the Problem Statement Research has suggested that qualitative analysis can be done in a variety of creative ways (Bogumil, Capous Desyllas, Lara, & Reshetnikov, 2015; Cahnmann, 2013; Lahman et al., 2010). Examples from professional literature have considered a multiplicity of methods, as I will illustrate throughout the description of my own processes.
Researcher as Poet
Poetry in Research McCullis (2013) suggested that the nature of poetry aligns well with qualitative research, either as products created by participants or as beginning points to spark responses to elicit and gather data. Hopper and Sanford (2008) noted that poetry produced from a three-year project captured complexities of experience, and suggested that poetry can accomplish this representation uniquely. Cahnmann (2003) suggested that researchers can gain a heightened form of language from poetic analysis, including use of metaphor and rhythm (p. 31).
Representation Beyond Poetry Photography in tourism research (Rydzik, Pritchard, Morgan, & Sedgley, 2012) Music and other literary genres (Carson, 2017; Gunaratnam, 2007) Film, charts, and diagrams (Eisner, 1997) LEGO blocks and illustrations (Pressner, 2013) Comic strips, documentary films, and blogs (Bogumil et al., 2013; Sousanis, 2015) Interactive larger installations (Lapum, Ruttonsha, Church, Yau, & David, 2011)
Choosing Colors Carroggio De Molina (2014) discussed the way stains and colors can form a representation of what the artist wishes to convey. Rose/warm light red caring Green earth/world Yellow illumination/learning
Coding after Data Collection Storying Band of Brothers personal Filtering I wouldn t have shown Greatest portrayals of human life Finding a good movie Story elements You know the story Part of the American story Story elements They don t miss the message I want it to stand out for them Even if it s a struggle Mindful of which class I wanted structure
Poetic Representations for Three Participants The Seer Poetic Representation A three-year vision, swirling with dreams, now compounded in a sigh, building rapport, finding that voice through elements of story, being careful not to miss the message, I know I m not alone. Other participants included The Organizer and The Traveler.
The Final Product Themes Care and Connection Invitation to Sight Invitation to Story Living in a Digital World Intentional Planning/Integration
Closing Questions How might an artistic representation open up opportunities to see data in new ways? What is the process statement that undergirds the problem statements our research addresses? Does the process statement always look the same, or does it depend on the context of our work?
References Barone, T., & Eisner, E. (1997). Arts-based educational research. Complementary methods for research in education, 2, 75-116. Bogumil, E., Capous Desyllas, M., Lara, P., & Reshetnikov, A. (2015). Art as mode and medium: A pedagogical approach to teaching and learning about self-reflexivity and artistic expression in qualitative research. International Journal of Research & Method in Education, 1-19. doi: 10.1080/1743727X.2015.1114602. Cahnmann, M. (2003, April). The craft, practice, and possibility of poetry in educational research. Educational Researcher, 32(3), 29-36. Carroggio De Molina, A. (2014). Color sensation in figurative painting. Sport and Art, 2(1), 1-4. Carson, A.D. (2017). Owning my masters. Retrieved from http://phd.aydeethegreat.com. Collins, E.C. (1992, Spring). Qualitative research as art: Toward a holistic process. Theory into Practice, 31(2), 181-186. Eisner, E.W. (1997, August/September). The promise and perils of alternative forms of data representation. Educational Researcher, 26(6), 4-10. Gunaratnam, Y. (2007, November). Where is the love? Art, aesthetics, and research. Journal of Social Work Practice, 21(3), 271 287.
References Hopper, T., & Sanford, K. (2008, May). Using poetic representation to support the development of teachers knowledge. Studying Teacher Education, 4(1), 29-45. Kincheloe, J.L. (2001). Describing the bricolage: Conceptualizing a new rigor in qualitative research. Qualitative Inquiry, 7(6), 679-692. Lapum, J., Ruttonsha, P., Church, K., Yau, T., & David, A.M. (2011). Employing the arts in research as an analytical tool and dissemination method: Interpreting experience through the aesthetic. Qualitative Inquiry, 18(1), 100-115. McCullis, D. (2013). Poetic inquiry and multidisciplinary qualitative research. Journal of Poetry Therapy, 26(2), 83-114. Picasso, P. (1937). Weeping woman. Retrieved from flickr.com. Prosser, J.D. (2013). Visual methodology: Toward a more seeing research. In N.K. Denzin and Y.S. Lincoln (Eds.), Collecting and interpreting qualitative materials (4 th Ed.), (pp. 177-211). Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage Publications, Inc. Rydzik, A., Pritchard, A., Morgan, N., & Sedgley, D. (2013). The potential of arts-based transformative research. Annals of Tourism Research, 40(1), 283 305. Sousanis, N. (2015). Unflattening. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press.
Contact Information Jason D. DeHart jdehart@vols.utk.edu jdehart@leeuniversity.edu