Research Skills in the Humanities - a reflective report.

 Reflecting upon my knowledge and  research skills in the humanities it is important to acknowledge at the outset the  situation which enabled me to join the Masters course, namely my decision to seek early retirement after a 30 year career in further education.  This has both positive and negative aspects when compared, for example, with a  younger graduate. My skills will be broader and more diverse, but my knowledge of recent developments more limited. These skills have been acquired over time from previous study, work experience and from pursuing personal interests. I propose to look at each aspect in turn.

     Education

My experience  as an undergraduate could be regarded somewhat chequered. I completed two years of a history of art degree at Manchester University, but dropped out for personal reasons.  I completed my B.A. with The Open University in 1982 studying modules in history of art and English Literature . In terms of research skills the experience in each university gave me a grounding in analysing and critically evaluating literary texts and art objects, including architecture, sculpture and decorative arts as well as images. The approach was centred on close analysis of the object  or text and encouraging  objectivity.  The preferred methods were quasi-scientific  and reveal the continued influence of New Criticism and the work of German art historians such as Gombrich and Panofsky.

Completing my studies through open learning undoubtedly improved my skills as an independent learner, however my ‘early exit’ from Manchester combined with the ‘pick and mix’ structure of the Open University programme  resulted in me gaining my first degree without ever being required to develop a research project based on my own interesst or produce a piece of academic writing longer than 3000 words. Furthermore, standards of referencing were much less stringent than now, and this I recognise is an aspect of scholarship that I need to develop.

I then trained as a secondary school teacher, completing my PGCE , specialising in English and History, in 1982. The education course introduced me to theoretical approaches in psychology and sociology and I became particularly interested in the field of humanistic education and ‘de-schooling’. I completed an extended essay for the Children’s Literature module looking at death and resurrection myths in the work of Tolkien,  C.S. Lewis and Ursula le Guin. This allowed me to acquire the skills independent research and experience in structuring a longer piece of academic writing. On obtaining my first teaching post I completed a one year staff development programme at Edge Hill College for new teachers of A Level Media and Communication Studies. This introduced me to methods associated with semiotics and structuralism, particularly the writings of Derrida and Barthes, as well as then recent developments in the UK such as the work of John Berger and the ‘Glasgow Media Group’.

More latterly, in 2010, I commenced an M Ed, with Staffordshire University.  I completed  two,  5000 word  action research projects:  the first investigated the relationship between personal attitudes and achievement amongst Access to Higher Education students;  the second looked into the influence of social media on the learning styles  16 – 19 year old learners on level 3 courses. Both projects involved literature searches and designing qualitative and quantitative research tools and analysing and evaluating results.  I decided, on leaving work, to withdraw from the course having gained a PG Cert.

          Work Experience

My career in Further Education involved me in three main areas: teaching, strategic management and project management.  The latter area is of most relevance to the Masters. Over my career I managed numerous externally funded projects which involved developing skills such as  designing research programmes to a given specification,  undertaking action research and focus groups as well as well as publicising results via reports, journals or organising conferences . All  work was measured and evaluated against KPI’s. The larger projects required me to manage complex processes divided into work packages and manage research assistants and project budgets up to £500,000. Through this activity, and my teaching in Media Studies I have also  developed some skills in the areas of video production and web development.

Personal Interests

Over the past 15 years I have developed a ‘second career’ as a poet, achieving some success in publication and competitions. My work is more concerned with culture rather than nature and so addresses, by different means, ideas and issues which are central to the humanities – place, identity, representation and technology. I am also a keen traveller and believe that going to look for yourself is as important as reading or browsing in understanding the world.  One of my strengths as a student is I enjoy being creative and developing original ideas;  my challenge is to develop a strategy that enables this creativity to be developed within the confines of academic study in general and the structure of this particular M.A.

In terms of what I have learned over the first six weeks, well I have had to adjust to the open nature of the interdisciplinary approach which at first ‘wrong footed’ me. I have come to realise that in the past I have compartmentalised the academic and ‘managerial’ aspects of my personality and my more creative tendencies.  Looking recently at Barthes’ Camera Lucida, I can see how he has integrated personal reflection with critical analysis in a way that enriches both approaches.

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