Why research into your own institution?
Why wouldn’t you research in your own institution?
In this session, these two questions were asked to us – and my answer was straightforward: Yes, research into your own institution. My reasonings were ‘you are an insider you will have easier access, you know more. But most importantly I was for researching because it means you are reflecting – you want to understand and learn; you are promoting change in your institution.
However, I never thought of why not. So during this session, we discussed for and against researching in your own institution. I listened to the points for why not, which I hadn’t really considered earlier: Are we biased – is neutral observation even possible? How much of a conflict does the ‘insider researcher’ might have to be involved in? Issues around anonymity might affect your working relationship. We were given a scenario (one-to-one interview with a student who is moved to tears recounting a painful experience on the course) and whilst trying to respond through them, I was unable to come up with a ‘solid’ solution – how can I help this student? How do I report any sensitive findings? How do I deal with these sensitive/ controversial findings which might ‘disrupt’ working relationships?
This session allowed me to understand/ know the pros and cons of why you should and why not research in your own institution. Although in groups we discussed encountering uncomfortable situations, bias and protecting your own positions, I believe that it is important to note what this research is for.
What change/ benefit can this research bring?
Who can benefit from it?
If it’s for a positive change shouldn’t we thrive towards it?
References:
D’Clark, R., 2018. ‘Decolonising’ & Other Acronyms. [online] Shades Of Noir. Available at: <https://shadesofnoir.org.uk/decolonising-other-acronyms/>
Inclusive Practice: Alchemy – Transformation in Social Justice Teaching, 2020. [online] Available at: <https://issuu.com/shadesofnoir/docs/inclusivepractice>