Artefact 2 - Photo of graffiti

In our October class for the EdD, we were asked to choose a photograph that summed up how we were feeling at that point within our journey. Apart from the welcome session in September, this was our first session on the programme. We were still getting to know each other and our way around the campus and the programme itself.

I chose this picture of graffiti:


The reason for choosing this photo was it was a visual representation of how I was feeling at that point on my EdD journey. It is chaotic, misunderstood and subjective, however it is a tag which in graffiti is used to identify the artist and it features the word respect, which is something I have for my fellow EdD students, who are also embarking on this unknown adventure along with me. 

This image also represents my feelings towards the school children on my outreach visits to schools, as it represents youth culture, exploring identity and a generational and often cultural divide between students and us as educators. This is something I will need to explore in more depth throughout my research, as changing the pedagogy to be more inclusive of often excluded groups in schools, means breaking down divides and perceived barriers to enable under-represented groups to believe that being an entrepreneur or studying business at university is a viable and desirable option for them, not only for an 'elite' group of 'others' who may in this context be represented by fine art in contrast to graffiti.

Comments

  1. marcJuly 15, 2020 at 3:59 PM

    Hi Lisa,
    I too have used images from the session back in October. My artefacts are still 'work in progress' however, I am echoing your perceptions of the 'chaotic' nature of subjectivity within an interpretivist stance. I struggled initially and had to battle with my internal thoughts which were cemented by my educational experiences (dominated by the sciences) and my undergraduate electronic engineering degree.However, since engaging in the EdD programme, it has made me think about my views and beliefs but more importantly, why I believe what I believe. It appears I have shifted paradigms because I finally recognise I am dealing with people - a complex phenomena. Most of my reading has been based around the key authors of Creswell, Bryman, Denzin and Lincoln, Newby. However, I still slightly puzzled by the various strategies that an interpretivist researcher may opt for as I've read about 'paradigm wars' of recent and within this stance researchers disagree with one another, so your use of the word 'chaotic' sums it up nicely! What I have learned so far, is the defence you take on a stance - I wary that we need to make our research strategy a justified stance because it may be challenged.

    I like the juxtaposition of fine art and graffiti and the analogy that business entrepreneurs are linked to fine art. I know nothing about business development so I am assuming that you have evidence that suggests particular demographics of people are likely to achieve in business more so than others? I'd be interested to know what factors of demographics link to success. I've just typed this and realised that I've stepped back perhaps into a scientific paradigm looking for causal variables impacting on an outcome!

    If you are looking at basing your thesis around this then I'd be keen to read it.

    Thanks for being the first to publish and invite for comments. I'll post my artefacts link relating to this topic at some point soon. Marc Smale (1919212).

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    Replies
    1. Lisa BBAugust 7, 2020 at 9:34 AM

      Hi Marc, thanks for your comment and kind words. It is true that many of the most successful entrepreneurs have come from middle class backgrounds, particularly in the UK, however it is the structural and systemic issues around support for women entreprenuers that interests me the most. Only 30% of UK entrepreneurs are women and less that 1% of funding goes to women-led businesses in the UK. From a feminist standpoint, I want to explore why the current system doesn't work for women and what can be done to adress the balance. I believe this study needs to begin in the classrooms where we are teaching future women entrepreneurs enterprise skills. How are we teaching this and are we promoting alternative business models and structures which may work better with women's lives, care responsibilities and skills? It feels a messy chaotic world I am entering, therefore this summed up my position as a novice researcher approaching the subject.

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