Professional and Organizational Development Network in Higher Education
Date of this Version
2016
Document Type
Article
Citation
To Improve the Academy: A Journal of Educational Development (2016) 35(2)
Abstract
Having insider status at an organization under study can present a researcher with benefits and challenges. Insider researchers may have access to honest dialogue with study participants but may also be vulnerable to uncomfortable conversations and organizational conflicts. Insider researchers also have to contend with their own biases they bring to a study. By using the reflexive practice of memo writing, insider researchers can be mindful of their own subjectivities during data collection and analysis. The purpose of this article is to share one approach to memo writing that incorporates visuals into the analysis and reflection. Through my use of visual memo writing during an evaluation of an educational development activity offered through my institution’s Center for Teaching and Learning (CTL), I was able to navigate and acknowledge my own subjectivities as an insider researcher that came to the surface during the research process. These reflexive activities allowed me to be mindful of what was happening at my institution and through the CTL and think about how I could take the data gathered as an insider researcher and make alterations to future CTL programming.
Included in
Curriculum and Instruction Commons, Higher Education Commons, Higher Education Administration Commons, Higher Education and Teaching Commons, Other Education Commons
Comments
License: CC BY-NC-ND