Research Quest: Traditions

What traditions of mine are likely to shape my inquiry?

I feel there are many traditions that form my ways of knowing and ultimately my inquiry. Some traditions of practice and research are evident in my ways of knowing. Interconnectedness, collaboration, usefulness, beauty and possibility have been central to my ongoing inquiry. In my ways of knowing missing are some traditions that are embodied within me - particularly those which represent my immediate and more distant family. There is a conscientiousness and deep caring within me that is commonly exhibited within my family. These traits have had an enormous range of consequences for us - many self destructive at the same time as being enlightening and some just self-destructive. In some senses I feel it is this that has nurtured my ways of knowing - but in what senses?


What consequences do my traditions have for the purposes of my inquiry?

There is a broad and clear direction in terms of my inquiry and its purposes - but i think my answer to the previous question illustrates there is an-other I need to consider. Broadly my purposes are to take this playfulness and freedom of being thing that I know works for me and work out how it could work for others. The very personal traditions brought to me by my family need to be explored for me to be able to situate myself in my research. So one of the purposes of my inquiry turns out to be to explore that of me which is not mine. I am attracted to re-exploring Heidegger's they here - something to I will need to contemplate more.


What are the consequences for me? What personal resources can I bring to this inquiry? What do I lack and how will I cope with this?

The consequences for me are that I will have to go deeply in ways that I was not really expecting. I bring hope, motivation and some experience to this inquiry, but I know that there is so much I need to do, know, be... I guess that would be a purpose of this research for me to explore other aspects of being. In brief - I am ready - there are worlds out there (and in here) for me to explore...


Might my traditions conflict with these traditions that might influence my inquiry? Is this a problem? Why?

Percieved conflict is a powerful tool for reflection for me. I would be more concerned if my traditions did not show this sort of complexity. That I would view it as more problematic if there were no problems.


Could there be conflicts between different traditions that might influence my inquiry? What are the possible grounds for judging the quality of the inquiry?

I can view percieved conflicts between traditions as opportunities for transcendence and deeper understanding - transcendence tested through my ways of knowing and caring. This perspective is in conflict with some traditions - these traditions can be used to generate questioning to help keep me honest and ensure I have not strayed onto a path of tangential arrogance. These seem like possible grounds for judging the quality of my inquiry. Are they grounds enough?


Questions: (c) Pugh, R & Yaxley, B. 2005

Research Quest: Knowing and being

For me, are there ways of knowing that will lead me through my inquiry?

This represents an inquiry in itself and I think that in some ways that it will be a major aspect of my own inquiry. I think it is important to distinguish between knowing (which implies an ongoing process) and knowledge. I am far more comfortable considering knowing - probably because I feel I am lead by the evolution of understanding rather than accumulation what I do not know.

Some of the ways of knowing I prefer to use (and that drive the evolution of my understanding):

• interconnected - how can the new be interpreted through my internalised understandings? What are the disconnects with these understandings?



• collaborative - how do my interpretations and understandings compare with others' when in dialogue with texts and people?



• utilitarian - is it useful for practice, furthering my or others' understanding etc?



• aesthetic - eg. does it take a form which embodies both its own understandings and paradoxes? Is it elegant?



• propositional - is my questioning flowing feely? Is the questioning forming eddies? Is it turbulent or chaotic? etc. Each of these have value - what might a state of questioning mean? How can we open possibility without losing integrity of what has come before?

These are not in any particular order or definitive and are just a start to reflecting on my understanding and raise further questions such as how do these ways of knowing manifest themselves and/or are chosen?

What account can I give of my ways of knowing?


When I reflect on my ways of knowing I tend to gravitate towards ways of knowing as being, rather than, for example, knowing as conformation knowledge or knowledge annexed. Again in my self referential, and possibly obsessive, way playfulness (moving between ways of knowing) appears to be useful. Sometimes I feel the freedom of moving between ways of knowing and sometimes this is not the case. I use this freedom (or lack of it) as an indicator for me about my ways of knowing. Thinking of playfulness as a state-of-mind disclosing itself as freedom appears to be useful here. My ways of knowing are one way my being prefers to disclose itself and it would seem a likely place to glimpse manifestations of my authentic being.


What images do I hold of myself as a researcher? What images do I aspire to? Why?

The notion of 'images' is at first distracting for me - automatically I picture photographs, films and other ways we share imagery - which tend to flatten out my reflections. So I will take images as related to imagination - how do I imagine myself as a researcher? What do I imagine that I could aspire to? Why?

One throw away answer is that I am a researcher waiting to happen. This has some resonance here and it makes me smile. Is that the limit of such a statement? On reflection, I reckon everybody is a researcher waiting to happen - so there is a limit applied through its universality. As a researcher I see myself as trying to fulfil the five points I outlined in response to the first question above. How I imagine myself now and in the future seems to be relatively stable. I imagine myself with understanding that is enhanced and enriched with greater:

• interconnectedness



• collaboration



• usefulness



• beauty



• possibility

Questions: (c) Pugh, R & Yaxley, B. 2005

Research Quest: Motivation

What is my motivation for my research?

Pursuing this research allows me to explore some big questions within my life in ways that have freshness and depth which may not be available through everyday reflection. This experience of iterative renewal of my inquiry with and for others, research, and practice embodies my motivation. This research, my research, sharing and informing my reflection is a way of giving my inquiry a life outside my own. Playfulness and freedom are within my being - not a place where they can live a healthly life for long.

What values and beliefs motivate me?

If I am honest, I can't avoid that behind my motivation is that a belief that my inquiry has a life that that is larger than mine. I value my thoughts and reflections enough to be shared. I value working with others (through their practice and inquiry), philosophical discourse, and being of and with research. I believe these within this place my inquiry can have a life of its own - a separateness. I value what works for learning and believe my inquiry has practical implications for the learning of others as well as my own. I believe that everybody is learning all the time - valuing others as learners means allowing them the freedom to believe this too. I value exploring playfulness as a state-of-mind which can either open or close learners to their possibilities.



Questions: (c) Pugh, R & Yaxley, B. 2005