Autoethnographic Approach Research Articles

Using Cognitive Complexity to Understand Role-Play as a Pedagogical Tool in Graduate Evaluation Education

In response to a call for more research on evaluator education, this paper explores the use of role-play as an in-class activity for students in a graduate course in evaluation. We describe the activity in detail and use the Structure of Observed Learning Outcomes taxonomy as a tool to describe the cognitive complexity of student responses in the activity. Using a collaborative autoethnographic approach, we found that the role-play activity provided the opportunity for students to exhibit knowledge of evaluation theories and for us to observe the complexity of their responses.

Trivialization of Well-being and Perils of A-theoretical Research in Psychology: Considerations from the Case of Mindfulness.

This article addresses the implications of ´Understanding the process of Taoistic-informed mindfulness from a Meadian perspective´, a work by von Fircks (2023) published in this journal, which represents a vindication of the historic, philosophic, and subjective dimensions of research in psychology. From my perspective as an indigenous researcher, I share my own experience of how deceitful distinctions between more or less scientific research topics are fostered by the omission of those dimensions. I also introduce the indigenous understanding of well-being to emphasize the relational nature of this phenomenon and similarities with some conclusions arising from the autoethnographic approach of the author. Moreover, the trivialization of well-being and epistemic violence toward the indigenous corpus of knowledge are signaled as consequences of reductionism in psychological research and the pursuit of scientific status. In this vein, the lack of a critical perspective in psychology is considered functional to the order in which possibilities for well-being are seriously constrained.

Creative social entrepreneuring as a vehicle for creative emancipation

The purpose of this paper is to explore the praxis of creative social entrepreneuring as a vehicle for creative emancipation. The main research question asks how the knowledge and practice of entrepreneuring intersects with creative practice, process, and production in the development of a creative social enterprise. This study contributes to entrepreneurship and creative industries literature highlighting the actions of entrepreneurship in connection with concepts of emancipation and empowerment. Additionally, this paper contributes knowledge about the impact of entrepreneurial activities within the context of the creative economy. The study takes a deep-context autoethnographic approach towards the praxis of entrepreneuring by a creative social entrepreneur. Research using an autoethnographic approach of an individual creative social entrepreneur contributes to creative and cultural entrepreneurship research by illuminating the unique challenges and opportunities they face as they navigate entrepreneurship dynamics within the creative economy and uncover the factors that contribute to social innovation. This study aims to illuminate the practices of entrepreneuring that create sustainable opportunities for creative emancipation. This paper addresses calls for contextually embedded studies on entrepreneurship in the creative economy. Ultimately, this paper serves as a catalyst for transdisciplinary studies in the areas of entrepreneurship and the creative economy.

Strength-Based Learning: An Autoethnography of an Introductory Instructional Design Graduate Course

The purpose of this article is to investigate how to use a strengths-based lens that is highly contextualized, in an ecology (i.e., online graduate course) that shows the value of the socio-emotional interactions or climate. I used an autoethnographic approach to problematize myself so that I could ask contemplative questions as a result of reflection. My data collection process drew upon personal narrative, reflection, and anecdotes, which I analyzed in a graduate-level online learning context with a strengths-based lens to shed light on broader U.S. higher education online learning cultural and theoretical concepts such as organizational justice theory, connectivism, digital learning ecosystems, inclusive design, design justice, and strengths-based learning approaches. Three key cultural phenomena are revealed in this autoethnography. Finally, I discuss this study’s limitations, some implications for faculty, IDs, and SMEs, and suggest areas for further research.

“Sindhi literature in post-partition India: marginalization, challenges, and digital interventions”

ABSTRACT Sindhi, both as language and literature, has had a precarious position in the Indian literary canon. In the aftermath of Partition, various social, educational, and political realities resulted in Sindhi being on the periphery of literary scholarship. Given the historical background of Partition and resettlement in a new social and geographical space, this article aims to explore the current status of Sindhi literature produced and distributed in India. Specifically, it seeks to assess the readability and dissemination of Sindhi literature, particularly among the post-Partition generations within the Sindhi community. To uncover the present ground realities in the canon of Indian Sindhi literature, the research incorporates deep-focused interviews with Sindhi intelligentsia, mainly comprised of Sindhi writers, scholars, and publishers. The selected interviewees represent the last Sindhi generation of writers and scholars that is entirely conversant with the practices of Sindhi culture and literature due to their educational and historical background; they articulate their first-hand experiences and perceptions concerning the challenges in the overall expansion and development of Sindhi literature in post-Partition India. The research employs an autoethnographic approach as it is useful to draw from the personal academic experiences of the researcher, who comes from the third generation of post-partition Sindhis. The autoethnographic approach aids in performing a comprehensive analysis of the interviews, which contributes to locating the challenges restricting the maintenance, accessibility, and utility of Sindhi literature among the young Sindhi generations in India. The interviews underscore irrevocable literary and cultural damage that is being caused due to the marginalization of the Sindhi language and education in India; they also discuss the existing challenges and opportunities in developing Sindhi literature. The study concludes with the possibility of employing digital methods to facilitate access to and comprehension of Sindhi literature and cultural history among the young Sindhi generations.

Having a seat at the table—A feminist autoethnography of the university kitchen

Research on the social construction of the scientific personality has shown that one is not simply born a scientist, but rather becomes one through processes of social recognition and attribution. By emphasizing the reciprocal constitution of gender and science, the notion of science as (gender) neutral and objective has been rejected. Although feminist scholars have always recognized the complex ways in which gender (and other social categories) play an important role in how people can or cannot inhabit spaces, little attention has been paid to the role of the university kitchen and its practices in becoming a scholar, and the role of gender in the appropriation of this academic space. The article addresses this research void by using a feminist autoethnographic approach to situate the author’s personal experiences within a broader cultural and social context. The findings show that the practices that take place in the university kitchen (e.g. conversations around the kitchen table) can be understood as symbolic practices in which symbolic capital can be accumulated. These practices are a crucial initiation rite for early career researchers, as they show whether one belongs to the scientific field. Findings suggest that (bodily) orientations shape how the university kitchen appears and what it means to inhabit this space. The results indicate that female early career researchers encounter physical and psychological borders when trying to access the university kitchen. The article thus points to the subtle mechanisms of exclusion and distinction that contradict the self-image of science. Implications for early career researchers and scientific practice are discussed.

How Do Transnational Distance Education Graduate Students Perceive Quality?

Driven by competition amongst higher education institutions, increasing recognition of the benefits of international academic mobility, and the global pandemic, transnational distance education has accelerated in recent years. Despite its many advantages, quality assurance issues can pose significant obstacles to success. Using a collaborative autoethnography approach, this study aimed to conceptualize quality dimensions from the perspectives of three Greek graduate students shaped by their collective experience at an open university in Canada. The findings suggest that quality encompasses accessibility, learner-centred instructional design, social-emotional support, and applying acquired knowledge and skills in local contexts.

Anti-stigmatizing: a collaborative autoethnography on recovery from depression.

Despite extensive research on clinical treatments for depression, there remains a significant gap in understanding of the lived experiences and recovery journeys of those with depression. This study sought to explore the recovery process through an "anti-stigmatizing" lens, emphasizing the cultural-psychological mechanisms at play and the importance of personal narratives in shaping the recovery trajectory. Using a collaborative autoethnographic approach, this report focuses on the first author's journey of depression recovery. This research methodology allows for an in-depth exploration of subjective experiences, with a specific emphasis on the interaction between societal stigma, personal identity, and mental-health challenges. It is found that the depression-recovery experience can be divided into four stages from an anti-stigma perspective: (1) encountering the public stigma of emotions; (2) internalizing the stigma to a self-stigma; (3) "decriminalizing" the expected stigma of a "depressed" identity through diagnosis; and (4) being able to cope with and understanding the public stigma relating to depression when facing it again. Key factors that were found to contribute to recovery were self-awareness, community empowerment, and recognition and acceptance by close friends and family. We propose a reconceptualization of depression that incorporates a societal perspective on internalized stigma. Recovery from depression is not merely a medical process; it also pertains to how the patient frees themselves from public stigma. The results strongly indicate the need for a paradigm shift toward a more inclusive and empathetic approach to mental-health care, and we emphasize the importance of personal narratives in depression recovery.

Encounters with Care in a Scottish Residential School in the 1980s

The meaning of care in residential child care is under-developed. It can often be represented through its absence, seen as offering at best basic physical tending but lacking emotional connection or warmth. At worst, residential care settings said to be institutionally abusive can be characterised as being antithetical to what we might imagine care should be. Residential schools and especially those run by religious orders attract particular opprobrium in this regard. In this article, I adopt a broadly autoethnographic approach to reflect on how boys (now men in their late 40s and early 50s) brought up in the 1980s in a Scottish residential school recall being cared for. The article uses Axel Honneth’s theory of recognition and its three pillars of love, rights and solidarity to group themes from how former pupils speak about their experiences of care. These accounts challenge the received narrative of such settings failing to offer care. The discussion reflects some ideas around care and about how we understand public care historically.

Power, Privilege, and Precarity: Attempts to Conduct Ethical Youth Participatory Action Research as Early Career Researchers.

Though community-based participatory research (CBPR) boasts a robust history, challenges to conducting such work ethically and equitably remain. Common difficulties, such as addressing power dynamics and navigating mutuality, are heightened when doing participatory research with young people, specifically youth participatory action research (YPAR). Additional obstacles also emerge when engaging in such research as junior scholars, who lack tenure and occupy more precarious positions within academia. To elucidate these hurdles and illuminate the labor required to traverse them, we draw upon our experiences as early career academics facilitating YPAR projects with young people who have been historically marginalized. Employing an autoethnographic approach, we utilize qualitative data sources including field notes and reflective memos, from which three themes emerged after iterative rounds of reflection and review. Through descriptive vignettes, we unpack how we attended to positionality and power, interrogated shared benefit and mutuality, and engaged with the unique complexities of working with young people-as informed by our specific identities. In examining our experiences and their alignment with prior research, we aim to expand upon existing literature that has explored best practices within CBPR, but with a specific focus on youth-adult partnerships and consideration of the realities of junior scholars. It is our hope that this discussion will support early career researchers who wish to conduct YPAR but are unsure how to do so given their particular positionalities, by making visible the often-invisible work involved.

Unpacking family language policy through autoethnography: Insights from a transnational Arabic-speaking family in the United States

Aims and objectives: Adopting an autoethnography research framework, this study draws upon insider insights into family life to investigate the language policy of Arabic-speaking Saudi families in the United States. This approach contributes to family language policy (FLP) scholarship. Leveraging the well-established tradition of autoethnography in sociolinguistic studies, the study examines language socialization within a transnational family and the resulting changes in their FLP. Methodology: This study adopted Spolsky’s framework of language policy, which consists of ideology, management, and planning. Due to the amount and variation of data, analytical induction was used because it identifies recurring patterns and develops initial insights by examining similarities between phenomena. This method also offers analytical lenses for studying personal experiences and social interactions. Data collection and analysis: The data presented in this research were obtained from a larger corpus set obtained during a primary longitudinal study that examined language socialization processes within an Arabic Muslim family temporarily residing in a Western context for a period of 3 years. However, for the purpose of this autoethnographic study, the data analysis was limited to a 2-year period because this analytical method examines broad categories of understanding and then creates sub-categories. Fieldnotes, journals, and recordings were logged and coded to find important patterns. Findings: This study shows autoethnography as a useful approach to greater access to an Arabic-speaking Muslim family living in the United States. It also revealed aspects related to internal conflict and the different views parents can have about raising a bilingual child. The role of contextual factors in impacting FLP is also explained. By considering the broader social and cultural influences on language policy, the study showcased the complex interplay between macro-level factors and micro-level family dynamics. Originality: This study is the one of the rare studies that highlights the autoethnographic approach to FLP with relation to Arabophone Muslim families living in the United States. Also, the study demonstrates the value of the autoethnographic approach to FLP, as it helps to explore insider perspectives to understand the dynamic nature of FLP, the contextual factors influencing it, and how families construct meaning through their language use. Significance: This study lays the groundwork for future sociolinguists interested in FLP research to delve deeper into family language dynamics and explore how children navigate their parents’ language policies through the use of autoethnography approaches.

Media and Information Literacy for All: An Analysis of the Content and Pedagogy in a University-Level Course

Media and information literacy (MIL) education is seen to be one of the solutions in dealing with concerns regarding information disorder. While there exists an MIL course in the Philippine senior high school curriculum, it is undeniable that strengthening peoples’ knowledge on the topic is essential. As such, the inclusion of a course on information literacy to the undergraduate curriculum in the School of Library and Information Studies of the University of the Philippines Diliman is a step in the right direction in ensuring that students consciously and continuously practice ethical engagements with information. Officially included in the curriculum in 2018, a year later, research focused on the course’s development was conducted. This research builds upon the researcher’s earlier work on course development. This time, the researcher who is also the one teaching the course, examines the teaching and learning practices employed in the delivery of the course, through an autoethnographic approach. Reflections were thematically analyzed and mapped against the Media and Information Literacy Core Educator’s Competencies released by UNESCO in 2021. The goal of this research is to serve as reference allowing MIL educators to reflect on and have an awareness of their strengths and weaknesses in terms of content and pedagogy. Findings could also contribute to the development of course materials related to the teaching of MIL.

‘Reverse gaze’ in spiritual tourism: fact or myth?

ABSTRACT The term ‘reverse gaze’ is used in tourism academia to describe the interaction between tourist photographers and local subjects, which challenges traditional power dynamics in tourism. However, further research is needed to explore this concept within the wider context of tourism. In this research note, I adopt an autoethnographic approach to provide a reflective analysis of the Ganga Aarti ritual in India. Specifically, I examine the nuances of the reverse gaze concept in the realm of spiritual tourism, contributing to a deeper understanding of its dynamics. Through exploring the interplay between tourists and locals during the Ganga Aarti ritual, this study sheds light on the transformative power of the reverse gaze and its implications for cultural immersion and spiritual experiences. The empirical findings contribute to the existing body of knowledge in tourism studies and provide opportunities for further exploration in this area.

Indigenous Data Sovereignty: What Can Yarning Teach Us?

ABSTRACT Yarning is a trusted, culturally integral way of creating new knowledge that is different from focus groups. This article is a reflection piece from an Aboriginal Researcher engaging with Indigenous Standpoint and auto-ethnographic approaches to explore how yarning interfaces with Indigenous data sovereignty. It is argued through the themes of deep listening, tension, relationality, and power—from memories and lived experiences—that yarning upholds the rights of Indigenous data sovereignty because it enables intimacy, connection, and recognition of cultural knowledge holders. IMPLICATIONS Indigenous Data Sovereignty recognises the rights of Indigenous people to determine the means of collection, ownership, and dissemination of data pertaining to Indigenous Peoples. The level of intimacy and connection between First Nations Peoples obtained through yarning is at risk of being compromised if non-Indigenous researchers conflate yarning with focus groups.

Revising a literary translation for publication

Abstract Despite the surge of interest in translation revision and its ubiquitousness in translation processes, minimal scholarly research has been carried out into the revision of literary translations (Koponen et al. 2021, 10). This article responds to calls in the literature for empirical studies examining the creation of actual published translations. It aims to partially address this gap by reporting on the processes and practices occurring during the revision of my Maltese translation of Éric-Emmanuel Schmitt’s Concerto à la mémoire d’un ange. Although numerous translation scholars are also practising translators, we rarely look at our own processes and practices. Not only is this reality of translation revision largely overlooked but also the wealth of empirical data generated during the translation process remains unexploited. Drawing on my own translation practice, this study adopts an autoethnographic approach to provide insights into how revision materialised in this specific literary translation. Meticulously conserved real-life data are analysed in order to shed light on the agents involved in the revision process, their role and power.

Playing within the trouble: using drama to cultivate tentacular thinking and response-ability in schools in times of crisis

ABSTRACT This article considers how new materialist, Indigenous and posthuman feminist theories might be applied to drama pedagogy and research to empower young people to play within the trouble of colonial legacies and heightened climate crises. It references an Australian school project that used Heathcote's Rolling Role system of teaching (1993) as an imaginative and transdisciplinary climate activist pedagogy, framing young people inside the entangled ‘trouble’ of our times, so they can ‘make oddkin’ with critters needing care, protection, and sanctuary. Using a critical autoethnographic approach, this article considers how drama can work on/within the ethical imagination in tentacular ways.

Modifying Conventional Psychiatric Practice to Serve Indigenous People

IntroductionPsychiatry has historically underserved Indigenous people. Earlier, cross-cultural psychiatry assumed that psychiatric disorders were universal and varied little across cultures. We must acknowledge their different views of mind and mental health.ObjectivesIn our auto-ethnographic approach, we introduce or re-introduce participants to cultural beliefs, values, and methods for treating addictions, including narrative methods (storytelling), which receive greater acceptance by indigenous and marginalized peoples. Indigenous philosophy states that we see the world using the stories we have absorbed or constructed to explain our perceptions. Using substances is a story that is connected to poverty and adverse childhood events.MethodsWe create new stories to develop a sense of agency, that one’s actions can make a difference in one’s life. We present our experiences and findings from providing psychiatric and addiction services in rural and remote Indigenous settings in Canada (Saskatchewan and Northern Ontario) and in Maine (USA). We present data on a modified approach to psychiatric evaluations and services that emphasizes Indigenous values and begins with a life story interview that determines positive aspects of the client’s history and problem areas and engages the client in therapy from the beginning of the evaluation.ResultsWe will demonstrate how this process changes the process of the psychiatric interview, engages Indigenous clients, and results in better outcomes. We discuss how psychotherapy must change to engage Indigenous clients and to be effective with addictions. She will present data on this area. We present the lessons learned and the results of using this approach with a tribal population in Maine. Some key concepts include (1) reframing the person’s self-story about being addicted within a threat-power-meaning network, (2) working with stories about the spirit of the addiction and the consequences of ingesting spirit-laden substances without knowing their songs and protocols, (3) constructing future-self-narratives that explore right relationships and meaningful conduct, (4) constructing stories about the intergenerational transmission of addictions and exploring the question of “whom will be the recipient of your addiction?” We understood that the client sets their goals and defines what recovery means for them, which is the heart of a harm reduction approach.ConclusionsIndigenous cultures across the world are different but share some similarities including a highly relational approach to defining the self, a collectivist mindset in which the needs of the group can supersede the needs of the individual, a reliance upon stories for transmission of knowledge and culture, and a commitment to a biopsychosocial and spiritual approach, which is often symbolized by the metaphor of the Four Cardinal Directions.Disclosure of InterestNone Declared

The Blurry Line Between Corporation and Cult: A Retrospective Autoethnographic Study

In popular management literature corporations are sometimes loosely compared to cults. The comparison is a severe allegation as it implies the transgression of subordinate employees’ integrity. This paper explores to what extent such comparisons with cults are warranted as well as the implications this has for the practice of corporate culture management. On grounds of the author’s unique, first-hand experience in both corporate and cultic environments a retrospective autoethnographic (RAE) approach was chosen to further explore the supposed resemblance. The comparison is structured along Lifton’s eight criteria of thought reform and reveals that although akin to cults in all aspects corporations also fundamentally differ due to the infeasibility, at least for now, of controlling the corporate environment in totalist fashion. This might explain why so many attempts to change corporate cultures fail as these initiatives are based on the anachronistic idea that culture change can be “implemented” by somehow “inculcating” employees with “company values.” A sanitized form of brainwashing that fails in the corporate environment.

Complex Diagnosis, Complex Scholarship

This ars poetica adheres to an evocative autoethnographic approach to examine and illustrate the complexities of mothering a child with profound (dis)abilities whilst navigating the demands of academia as a tenure-track faculty member.

A Perspective-Changing Teaching Experience in Araimiri

The study underscores the remarkable human capacity for resilience and determination when confronted with challenging life situations. Specifically, this research delves into a teacher's interactions with a group of high school students who, due to their unique circumstances, embarked on a transformative journey, overcoming obstacles in the realm of education. The research focused on a private school in Araimiri in the Gulf Province of Papua New Guinea. Employing a qualitative methodology, the study specifically adopts an autoethnographic approach. This autoethnography unfolds against the backdrop of a unique and immersive experience, exposing the researcher to the intricate social dynamics, behaviors, and practices of a group of students. Through keen observations, profound conversations, shared experiences, and the examination of artifacts, the study offers an in-depth and distinctive perspective on the educational landscape during the specified period. The study sought to determine the circumstances that made the experiences of students and teachers significant, to identify key elements of the initial education-related situations of students, to determine the initiatives made to help students improve academically, and to reveal significant findings that manifested through the analyses of the experience. These are the conclusions of the study. First, teachers’ awareness of students' struggles and unique conditions helps them strengthen their teaching approaches. Second, students’ commitment to their lead role in the education process is imperative. Third, teachers’ depth in the understanding of topics and their commitment to teaching help in the ability to simplify complex concepts. Fourth, students’ prerequisite capabilities when introducing new lessons reinforce learning. Fifth, the implemented curriculum should match with relevant assessments that are often provided by the government or industry. These conclusions imply that educational processes are multifaceted and interconnected with components that have to be harmonized to ensure effectiveness.