Abstract
Unpacking our experiences as trainee researchers navigating a global pandemic; in this research four researchers identify and interpret otherwise individual experiences through a collective lens. These shared responses are collated and understood through the multivocal method of what we term a “feminst collaborative auto-ethnography.” Relational ethics using a praxis of care, in line with feminist epistemology underpin the systematic analysis of our shared experiences to enhance intersubjectivity and the co-construction of knowledge. Individual reflections and collaborative sessions were utilized to immerse ourselves both situationally and critically into the pool of data. Concurrently creating and analyzing our collaborative inquiry. We utilized mind maps, probing, and reflexivity to engage with our individual and shared social, emotional, and structural challenges. Through analysis of the collaborative data we identified that we had all developed safety seeking strategies, and that a focused research method not only provided direction, but provided a support network. The researchers found that collaborative autoethnography is a useful and holistic method of understanding and navigating adversities in the PhD process, allowing for us to interpret multiple levels of adversity and support-strategies during Covid-19 times.
Highlights
Networking is a key feature of academia (Corbera et al, 2020; Paula, 2020; Wright & Lodwick, 1989)
How many conferences result in collaborations? How many colleagues become friends over coffee? How often do workshops provide a call for papers? For those in the early stages of their research training the game has changed, as attempts to control the transmission rate of Covid-19 in 2020 led to extreme measures by health authorities and governments globally, and Higher Education institutions were closed to reduce the spread of the virus (Flear et al, 2020; Newey & Gulland, 2020)
While closures have resulted in increasing levels of isolation and mental health difficulties universally (Niedzwiedz et al, 2021; Torales et al, 2020), PhD students are vulnerable to mental health crises; especially when transitioning to independent research without the opportunity to build trusting relationships with peers (Gould, 2014; Goncalves et al, 2014)
Summary
Networking is a key feature of academia (Corbera et al, 2020; Paula, 2020; Wright & Lodwick, 1989). This research project was initially conceptualized as a method of supporting one another, as a cohort of PhD students, as we recognized the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic on our emotional wellbeing, and potential long-term implications to our academic career trajectory (Holt, 2003; Paula, 2020).
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