One evening on a cycling trip, my partner and I took a wrong turn and rode a number of miles before we realized that we were getting farther and farther away from our destination. It was getting late and dark, so we stopped in the next village and looked for a place to stay. As we approached the only hotel, I noticed the higher-end cars in the parking lot, but given few alternatives, we proceeded to the door. The man who answered our ring called out, rather gruffly, "Who are you?" When I way he responded it was clear to me that, full or not, there was no room way he responded it was clear to me that, full or not, there was no room for us at this hotel. Only later did I realize that the man may have been frightened by two rain soaked, mud spattered, yellow poncho clad, bicycle riding travelers. The man and I had seen the same situation through our different eyes.
The real voyage of discovery consists not in seeing new landscapes but in having new eyes.
- Marcel Proust
Chapter 1 introduced the idea that researchers are a main instrument for our research. This refers to how, on our own or with other, we'll choose a topic, invite participants, ask questions, listen, write, address ethics and make meaning from what we hear, see and experience. How we do all of this will be shaped by what we already know, including our values and assumptions and our social identities and locations.
All of this baggage is part of who we are, and we can't just check it at the start of our journey. Sometimes we may not even be aware of what we are carrying. As Phyllis Steeves (2002) noted in her research about change.
bias and the underlying beliefs and values that support it will not always be wholly recognized or acknowledged. Belief and value systems run deep and may be so ingrained — individually, institutionally, societally — that they are unquestionable, part of the fabric of the everyday. (p. 4)
In this chapter, we'll start to unpack what we know — consciously and unconsciously — and look critically and carefully at how it may shape, limit and contribute to our research.
What we know and how we know is intertwined with who we are — with our personal and social identities. Who we are in the world shapes both how we see and what we see. As a result, our research will be partial, in both senses of the word: it can't tell the whole story, and it can't possibly be unbiased (Cook, 2004). What is possible is to clarify and name our beliefs and identities, to be mindful of how they influence us, and try to be open to how others see and know. We'll start with our beliefs about practice.