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The journals and the subsequent conversations did not provide us with the
insights we thought they would. Compared to the autobiographical pieces
and the interviews with instructors described below, our four-week daily accounts
of what happened in our working lives, and our conversations with
each other about what was happening around us, were not reflective enough
for our purposes. It was too raw, unrefined, and lacking in depth. We needed
material that was more reflective, information about what we do and why we
do it that has reasons, opinions, and beliefs to help explain our behaviours.
The material we gleaned from the journals confirmed some of the themes we
found in the autobiographical pieces, but we ended up not using much of the
data from them in the final analysis. There was something to be gained from
capturing the moment, but upon reflection, I believe we would probably have
been better served if we had more focused things to reflect upon and write
about in our daily accounts.
Dropping a data source
In our original proposal, the practitioner researchers intended to conduct interviews
with two groups; first with students about their views of effective
instructors and then with instructors. The research team spent a considerable
amount of time planning the questions we were to put to students because
some of us needed to obtain the permission of our college ethics committees
in order to proceed.
At the January 2003 meeting, when we were reviewing the budget and realized
we were moving into a serious shortfall of funds,12 the research team
decided we simply could not do everything we had intended to do in our
original proposal. We had already completed the piece of autobiographical
data and had initiated the journal writing, which some group members felt
bound to continue. Leora suggested, "The journal conversation is almost finished,
so why not have some of us keep journaling and some of us interview?"
However, others felt we could cut the journaling; Jan said, "We have started
journaling, but are not up to our necks in it. They are still our [instructors']
perspective. Maybe students would still provide a different perspective.
Cutting journaling would give us more time." Evelyn had another reason for
dropping the journals, "I have submitted an ethics review and won $3000 for
transcription of two kinds of interviews. So I think we should drop journaling"
(Research team meeting minutes, January 22, 2003).
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