Critical reflection – merits and limits of the 4 tools in addressing my questions of research for my inquiry.....

I experimented using the 4 tools to gain information for use in my line of inquiry.  I wanted to find out how people viewed their own experience of body image issues in the dance profession to see if this was a relevant and useful line of enquiry. A key objective was to investigate whether education for dancers about nutrition could make a positive change to body culture and the lifestyle of female dancers. I wanted to maximise the ‘insider perspective’ and capture authentic accounts of the realities of the dance culture from the inside.

I want to focus my line of inquiry into 3 areas to frame the research outcomes –

1)   nutritional knowledge and health

2)   the dance aesthetic and disordered eating practices

3)   factors influencing a dancer’s body image.

I was always conscious I had to gain the trust of those I was using to get information to ensure their confidentiality and ensure any information gathered was correctly and accurately recorded.

Pilot survey –

I learnt how to use a survey using ‘Zoomerang’, this was easy to use and set up and easy to respect participants confidentiality. It also collated the results in an organised and easy to read table. I was conscious other BAPPers had used Survey Monkey but I decided to use a different one.

I found the survey was an easy way to get relevant information. It was easy to access through social networks by posting the link on the SIG, Facebook and the Blog and also easy to collate and compare the responses.

I also emailed the link to some of my dance associates and other practitioners with a covering note to explain the reasons for my questionnaire and the course. I found people were really willing to participate and gave me very personal answers and opinions which were really helpful to my line of questioning.

The survey was quite restrictive as it was limited to 12 questions which meant I had to make sure the questions were very specific to what I wanted to know and to make sure the feedback was relevant. Comment boxes allowed for elaboration but some participants did not tend to write detailed answers.  I will have to be very clear of what information I need in Module 3 to design the questions to help the participants understanding of their influence on my research.

However I think the questionnaire was a good way of obtaining points of view to gain a balanced viewpoint and a good basis of data to analyse the weight of evidence to make an informed decision on my final line of inquiry. The results of my pilot survey have provided me with some interesting information and by doing so has helped me to see exactly what questions need to be asked in order to gain the information I need. I will revisit my questions for my final professional inquiry and try to focus them more on my final line of questioning. I now realise what I need to do to improve my survey.

Pilot interview –

It was easier to obtain more detailed information when interviewing someone face to face as I could ask relevant questions followed by a why, what were the outcomes, how did that make someone feel, to obtain more detailed information and probe a bit further.  It was easier to adapt the interview as I went along and although I had made a plan of what questions I wanted to cover it gave more flexibility to be able to follow through on an idea and investigate feelings and opinions further.

I chose to interview for my pilot a fellow choreographer and teacher at a school where I was doing some dance workshops. I obtained her permission first to conduct the interview and her consent to use the information for my research. I roughly planned what questions I was going to ask.

Because she is also a friend it was easy to interview her but perhaps the downside is you can easily become distracted and go off at tangents chatting. I need to ensure I keep the interview on track and stick to the script – channel the discussion to ensure I get the right information for the inquiry.

I found it was good to have a set plan of questioning that I wanted to cover but then to allow for the freedom to allow for more detailed discussion and let the answers dictate the next question by probing for more details.  I just need to not let the discussion go too far off track and go on for too long. Perhaps it would be better to have a set timescale for the length of the interview to ensure it doesn’t overrun.

I decided to use my dictaphone to record the interview as I felt trying to write down the responses as the interview went along would mean I would lose concentration and focus and maybe I would miss or forget some relevant piece of information. Using the dictaphone meant I could actively take part in the interview, observe my participant and her body language and reactions as well as have an exact record of what was said. I then typed up the interview on my PC to have a detailed copy of the interview for future use.  

Pilot Focus Group -

I found one of the best ways of obtaining relevant information was to conduct informal chats with groups I have worked with, ie; a GCSE group, a group of year 12 students, a theatre group and a group of professional dancers. It solicited detailed debate and got people within the groups to open up, share and discuss sensitive issues, give their opinions and impart their personal experiences. Most said they felt more comfortable discussing the issues involved within a group.

I was able to gather relevant information from a range of participants in a short period of time and it facilitated discussions on issues I personally had not considered before and uncover unexpected information. I was then able to record a written transcript of the discussions.

Pilot observation –

I carried out several observations for my research by watching, recording and analysing events and conversations at classes, rehearsals and workshops I was involved in and found this a really useful way of obtaining information and I recorded my findings in written format in my journal.  This not only involved verbal but behavioural observations. I observed lots of interesting and relevant behaviours that I think will help me with my line of inquiry. I think that observations add depth to the findings from my survey, interview and focus group. I'm going to continue my observations whilst out working in Corfu with the dance troupe.

The four tools have given me a foundation on which to base my professional inquiry on a larger scale in the final module.