Living in Liminal Space

Annual Review

Its that time of the year again, apparently. This was the most business-like annual review I've had so far. Very professional and the academics had actually read my file, which made a first I think. It was exactly what it should have been - concerned interest and advice where it was asked for - and I really appreciated that.

This year, since I've been attending the methodological colloquia and being on the DDS committee, I am feeling much more like a part of the faculty than I ever have before.

Another interview request

Requested an interview with Adrian Cardinali at SUPRA.

Interview log update

Have now interviewed Prof Assaad Masri (Eng). Am interviewing Cynthia Nelson from the ITL on Monday. I now have the classic ethnographer's dilemma: Have I interviewed enough people? What if I've missed someone who will give me something new and different?

I think I've got enough, and they are to some extent repeating what others have said, which is A Sign. I have talked to someone who is a position to have an overview from Science (Agriculture), Arts/Humanities (History), Fine Arts (Music), Social Science (Education & Social Work), Health Sciences (Medicine), Applied Science (Vets & Enginieering). So there's a mix of theoretical and professional, and breadth across the disciplines taught at the Uni. I did wonder about Architecture (as they have a lot of marginal and cross-disciplinary people, and range from planning to design), Nursing (again for breadth, although that might be difficult as that is where my partner works and is known), Health Sciences (which is really Allied Health and which might be useful for the same reasons as Nursing). Once I've interviewed Cynthia on the plans for supervisor training I might take a break from interviewing for a while and consider what I've learned.

On interviewing

Now that I have done eight interviews and have the remaining interviewees in my sights, I am thinking about the ethics and the process of interviewing in a different way.

I've done my share of interviewing, for newsletters of various kinds, for eLearning exemplar sites, on journalism courses etc. With all of these interviews (usually unstructured or semi-structured), you are interviewing to get information for your story, and some colour with the odd quote. Once you've done the interview you need to identify your 'angle', and when you write you use that angle to focus what you have learned.

In an ethnographic study, you are interviewing your 'key informants' for, well, their key sources and pieces of information. But although you might want to pretend that you are reporting them in a naturalistic way, you are of course interpreting what they say even as you sit in front of them. Listening to my interviews again I am learning a lot about my own conceptions as I listen to what I say as well as to what my subjects say. I can hear myself interpreting as I listen, so now I have another layer to look at!

Jen Ross (bless her cotton socks!) has raised the issues of transcription as translation at exactly the right time for me. She makes the point that the transcription is a different document from the interview tape; that it reveals things that may not be evident on the tape; things like pauses and comments from the interviewer that the listener may 'erase' without realising. Her story of the tape that was inadvertantly transcribed by two different transcibers is fascinating. I haven't yet decided if I will transcribe my interviews; I am enjoying listening to them and thinking about them and making notes as I do so. But if I do transcribe them I will be much more alert to the issues that the textual reproduction raises than I would have been before.

And more interviews

On 5 March I interviewed Angela Brew.

Today I am interviewing Merran Govendir, and on Thursday I will be interviewing Bruce Sutton. Still have to chase Assaad Masri and Cythia Nelson, who haven't replied to my email.

This is fun! I am starting to get repeating information, so I guess I'm getting near the end of this part of the process. But everyone has added something different that is of interest.

Interviews continued and useful links

Interviewed Yvonne Soper Wed 18 Feb.

Others conducted so far:
Brain Paltridge 14 Nov 2009
Peter Macallum 29 Jan 2009
Jill Krill 2 Feb 2009
Alison Bashford 24 Feb 2009

Now requested:
Bruce Sutton (Chair of Academic Board)
Assaad Masri (Eng & IT)
Merran Govendar (VetSci)
Angela Brew (co-ordinator of the 'old program' for Supervision training at ITL

Cynthia Nelson (the Current ITL goto person for supervisor training

Note also (I may already have this) case studies from the ITL supervision casebook.

And here's the university's guidelines for supervision.

And here's the DOG page - how many time have I looked for something like this? Maybe it's just been put up as the position is disestablished this month?

Interviews redux

Following a lead from Jillian Krill, I've got an appointment next week to interview Yvonne Sloper from the Careers Service, who has apparently done some research on PhD students. That's one I wouldn't have thought of.

Interviews requested today

Alison Bashford    Acting DDOGS
Jillian Krill    Chair of PhD awards subcommittee of Academic Board
Peter McCallum    Chair of Graduate Studies subcommittee of Academic Board

Long time...

...since I posted. I've been posting some emotional/process stuff on the backblog. Since the holiday we took in Europe in May and June I have had a slew of tough personal stuff happening (you can read about it on my ohter blog) and it's knocked me off track. I have been doing little fiddly things, like playing with Endnote, installing NVIVO and importing data into it, but haven't even been keeping up with the PhD bloggers I follow.

Today and tomorrow are PhD days for me, but I still feel quite drained. So I am going to read some reflexive ethnographies (not too academic and dry, but important to read) and see if I can get my groove back.

Some more Aus PhD blogs

Chris, recently submitted Science PhD @ Macquarie. Permission granted to use the blog by email 1 May 08.

And from there a connection to Dinesh - I can't see much about  PhD on this blog but I'll look again later.

Also, Jim reminded me that he'd sent me this. I'm glad he did - it had slipped through th cracks in the washing machine that has been the first third of this year.