Mindful Inquiring Minds Want to Know

The changing skills required to navigate my winding career path have been reason to log more hours of (what I considered) research than I could have ever imagined. If post designator letters existed for my own unique (ok.. strange.) how-to research methods, I’d have them all! In my professional life, I am constantly faced with new challenges due to many factors. A new contract, new technology or new approaches to an old standard are among the most common reasons that I must adapt and spend time searching and learning. I am sure that everyone faces these same challenges. Personally, this helps keep me engaged in my work and keeps me driven to be better at it. I find that if something I’m involved with goes stale or plateaus, I usually move on to something new.

As I began my Introduction to Research course, I was curious to see how formally accepted research methods might be of benefit to my professional life. The reading involved with the MALAT program is becoming easier to digest for me, not with regards to the of comprehension of the material, but rather in the sense that I now understand that I will need a second or third pass before I can really begin to grasp what the author is teaching. I try to connect to certain points or concepts early on, to alleviate the overwhelmed feeling I can get with some of the material.   

My first reading of Mindful Inquiry in Social Research gave me some important concepts to keep with me through the unit. Bentz & Shapiro (1998), suggest that the researcher is at the center of the process of inquiry. They ask us to question exactly why exactly are we researching a topic? As well as who we are as the researcher and how it will affect our research process. The vast majority of research students are seeking knowledge they can put into practice, rather than becoming a researcher. That is my intent exactly!  Reading this gave me a boost of confidence, as it seemed to me that the door was open to different approaches rather than using strict, defined rules. (My rock and roll past still haunts me..)

Confidence, especially at this stage of learning something completely new, outside of an individual’s comfort zone, can be very helpful in development. I try to give my students this confidence immediately, keeping with the fact that sometimes they can learn equally as much from their mistakes as their successes. I must constantly remind myself to practice what I preach...

Refereneces

Bentz, V. M., & Shapiro, J. J. (1998). Mindful inquiry in social research. Thousand Oaks, Calif: Sage Publications Inc.doi:10.4135/9781452243412