How real is our research? Do we already know what information we are looking for already exists? Is our search unbiased? Do we get answers form our research for what we want to find?
I tend to think I'm a pro a google searches and can find anything I'm looking for. But is that because I know it is already out there?
Have you ever found any information, ideas or anything which you was not looking for? But was very useful to you? I have. But i would not call it research, as I did not re-look for the information i found. This was me finding it for the first time, somewhat unexpectedly. I "randomly" came across an interesting art style i saw not familiar with. But was really impressed with and wanted to replicate parts of it into my own work. I "researched" this art style on Deviant Art, and online art sharing and forum platform. I used their search filter. Looking for illustration work. Scrolling through many pages and having it standout and catch my eye when I found it. This was what I would call a more organic form of research.
Our course campus session on Tuesday 30th of October was looking into what is research and the approach. Looking into ideas of how to get our research to be not just ideas that we already know are out there. Shying away from biased searches or skewed information by us asking limited questions. But aiming to get information useful to us but from unexpected and very board pools of information.
As we are reflecting on our self and our practices it is useful for us to consider the approach we take to questioning ourselves. We discussed things which can make our search not so authentic. Such as relying heavily on websites and seas engines algorithms, which are not random and are very uniformed in terms of popular companies, frequent use and other factors. The same applies to using bibliographies, and people we talk to. So the idea is to be constantly in research mode. Always thinking and being aware of things which can add to our questions and conversation of professional practice in an organic way.
Research could be renamed to just aware searches. Even if we have not re-looked into or for some thing. This is still research. And the idea of the search being more organic and "real" is subjective but built up of two principles:
A small ball: the area or window in which we are looking through. The basic foundation of our research
The larger ball: the broader spectrum of information we find almost everywhere. But still on the same focus of the smaller ball, but with more detail and maybe more abstract approaches and unorthodox methods of coming by information, still on the same question or conversation.
We must also recognize with our approach to research and refection on self that certain terms are subjective. Such as meaningfulness, real, good, correct and many more. We call these 'ethical considerations'. As the information we find and the information we share come from different ethical viewpoints, definitions and principles. Therefore helping us to realize that information we find are not all about finding facts, but find ideas to consider and reasons why. Bibliographies help show and trace back development of ideas from multiple people's ideas on a topic being considered together, and other factors which may sway it. For example country, economics. Ethical Consideration should be defined with specif reasons why this angle is considered highly and what can be got from it. But it is not the full or only story
to be told on this topic
So we see tat the approach to this course is broad and everything is a grey area, but this is okay. As we are not just looking for information we know is out there to define all, but to research on a path of discovery of thing know and unknown to help us to take in more to become more professional in our practice by refection and consideration.
I tend to think I'm a pro a google searches and can find anything I'm looking for. But is that because I know it is already out there?
Have you ever found any information, ideas or anything which you was not looking for? But was very useful to you? I have. But i would not call it research, as I did not re-look for the information i found. This was me finding it for the first time, somewhat unexpectedly. I "randomly" came across an interesting art style i saw not familiar with. But was really impressed with and wanted to replicate parts of it into my own work. I "researched" this art style on Deviant Art, and online art sharing and forum platform. I used their search filter. Looking for illustration work. Scrolling through many pages and having it standout and catch my eye when I found it. This was what I would call a more organic form of research.
As we are reflecting on our self and our practices it is useful for us to consider the approach we take to questioning ourselves. We discussed things which can make our search not so authentic. Such as relying heavily on websites and seas engines algorithms, which are not random and are very uniformed in terms of popular companies, frequent use and other factors. The same applies to using bibliographies, and people we talk to. So the idea is to be constantly in research mode. Always thinking and being aware of things which can add to our questions and conversation of professional practice in an organic way.
Research could be renamed to just aware searches. Even if we have not re-looked into or for some thing. This is still research. And the idea of the search being more organic and "real" is subjective but built up of two principles:
A small ball: the area or window in which we are looking through. The basic foundation of our research
The larger ball: the broader spectrum of information we find almost everywhere. But still on the same focus of the smaller ball, but with more detail and maybe more abstract approaches and unorthodox methods of coming by information, still on the same question or conversation.
We must also recognize with our approach to research and refection on self that certain terms are subjective. Such as meaningfulness, real, good, correct and many more. We call these 'ethical considerations'. As the information we find and the information we share come from different ethical viewpoints, definitions and principles. Therefore helping us to realize that information we find are not all about finding facts, but find ideas to consider and reasons why. Bibliographies help show and trace back development of ideas from multiple people's ideas on a topic being considered together, and other factors which may sway it. For example country, economics. Ethical Consideration should be defined with specif reasons why this angle is considered highly and what can be got from it. But it is not the full or only story
to be told on this topic
So we see tat the approach to this course is broad and everything is a grey area, but this is okay. As we are not just looking for information we know is out there to define all, but to research on a path of discovery of thing know and unknown to help us to take in more to become more professional in our practice by refection and consideration.
Thanks for sharing Lee. This post has helped me a lot with areas that I am looking at with regards to reviewing my essay, specifically with ethical considerations and unbiased research and it's great to hear your thoughts and discovery on this too.
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