3.18 Heath & Bartholomae and review of qualitative methods

Important note:  I gave the wrong assignment for next week at the end of class. See note below for the correct assignment (Tobey pointed out to me that I was referring to the wrong syllabus).

 We started class with a review of the qualitative methods listed on page 230.  The point was to notice that this is a non-exclusive, non-categorical list.  For example, you might design a participatory, ethnographic case study that uses grounded theory to analyze the data.  Ethnography is defined both by its focus on the identities/values/belief systems/etc as understood by insiders to a particular group, and by its use of participant observation.  Case study, as discussed in class, is defined by focus on a bounded set of participants or data.  Phenomenological research focuses on the moment-by-moment "becomings" within subjective (personal) perceptions of experience.  Grounded theory is a method for data ANALYSIS and can be applied to data sets collected through different methods included ethnographic participant observation, interview, oral history, and focus group practices.  Participatory research is identified by the relationship between researchers & participanbts, and focus groups are defined by the configuration of the data collection situation and attention both to "what is said" and the dynamic social interactions which contribute to what is said.  So in preparation for the exam, look over the list of methods and think about what methods were used by which researchers in the essays we have read so far.

Ethnography.  Before Rafael and Lewis gave their presentations, we had a brief review of ethnographic methods as presented in Mertens - and supplemented it with information in the handout on Ethnographic fieldnotes (posted to the right).  We talked about "jottings"- how to take them, the tensions between participating and writing, and what kinds of "jots" to write down.  We also talked about supplementing jottings with "headnotes" (everything you can remember) as soon after you finish your time in the "field" as apossible.  This is all covered in the first 2 chapters of Emerson.

You then were asked to take ethnographic notes on one of the presentations - either Rafael's or Lewis'. 

Heath and Bartholomae.  Discussion covered the main points in each essay for Heath we observed how she redefined literacy in a way that eliminated the polarization betwen "oral" and "literate" and how she noted the cultural component in terms of the way literacy was practiced and valued.  For Bartholomae, we noted how the essay's purpose & audience (college writing teachers) may have been "revolutionary" in its time, and how current traditional teachers (where teachers are expected to teach correctness rather than discourse => language move for stepping into "academic" authority) may still disagree with the approach to teaching basic writing advocated in this essay. 

For next week:
We will begin with a review of your ethnographic notes.  Be prepared for a conversation about what you noticed, your strategy (or strategies) for writing notes, what went easily, what was hard, and what you might try next time.
Read: Mertens, Ch9 Historyt and Narrative study of lives; review Appendix (research proposal) p451

In class we will discuss Ch 9 + try out some of the methods, re-visit the research interests list and set up the research proposal assignment, and review for the EXAM.

As per your request, it will be a take-home exam, and I will distribute it at the end of class.

Fun class tonight - and see you next week.