Finding Motivation and Thinking Ethically
As with last Module I've really struggled to join Zoom meetings as they coincide with me being either at work or on trains with unstable connection, so I have finally just caught up with the Discussion Group from a little while ago.
I find it so helpful to watch these back. Here are the notes I made to remind me what I learnt and as a summary for others who couldn't join live either.
Many students on the call admitted to finding it hard to motivate themselves to study after a long day at work (definitely something I struggle with too) so some tips were shared:
- self-incentivise ('you can watch 30 mins of TV if you do 30 mins of work')
- map out your days and find gaps where you can do short, manageable tasks
- Remember 20 mins is the max amount of time that most people can seriously study for (work in short bursts)
- Try Pomodoro method (25 mins work, 5 mins break - there's an app!)
Ellie made some really interesting points about the ethics of interviewing colleagues and friends. This is something that directly impacts my research as my participants are both my colleagues and have become some of my best friends due to the amount of time we spend together.
She suggested a book on the reading list. She didn't know the name but having looked just now, I think it might be 'Learning from strangers: the art and method of qualitative interview studies'.
A few key points she mentioned were:
- Will the interview/observation tarnish your relationship?
- When you publish your report, will participants be able to recognise other participants in it?
- Try not to assume what people's answers/feelings will be because you know them
Theory to look at: CRITERION SAMPLING
Choosing participants who fit a specific criteria
(this will be good for explaining why my sample group is made up of friends and colleagues as they are the only people who could actually fit my criteria)
Finally, a tip on quoting interviews in analysis:
If you want to quote something where the participant mentions confidential information (names, organisations etc.) you can:
- paraphrase
- just leave blank
- use and 'x' instead of the name
Thanks so much to all the people who made it to the call! As Pedro said at the end, it's really lovely to see when we can help each other. Even though I wasn't there at the time, you have all helped me so much, and made me feel reassured that others feel the same stresses that I do. Good luck everyone, and hopefully I'll make it to a Zoom sometime soon! xxx
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