"We live in a sea of stories, and like the fish who (according to the proverb) will be the last to discover water, we have our own difficulties grasping what it is like to swim in stories. It is not that we lack competence in creating our narrative accounts of reality -- far from it. We are, if anything, too expert. Our problem, rather, is achieving consciousness of what we so easily do automatically." - Bruner 147

"Learning to use 'I' in our writing moves us into a different epistemological space." - Freed

*Required Readings and Activities

Module One: Broad Qualitative Concepts
1.3 Articulates life experiences that affect the research study when self is the primary research instrument - articulates personal bias

A. Readings: Eisner, Chap 3; Merriam pp 22-24

Connelly, F. M. and Clandinin, D. J. 1990. Stories of Experience and Narrative Inquiry. Educational Researcher. Vol 19, No. 5, pp 2-14.

B. Web and Other Links:

Do a google search for "journalling" and read several web pages.

C. Discussion Starters/Reflective Journal Topics: (Choose one topic and start or continue a discussion thread.)

1. In light of the fact that the researcher is the primary instrument for gathering and analyzing data, discuss characteristics needed by a person who does qualitative research.

2. Discuss reasons for the popularity of stories in the postmodern mind. How are stories different from lists of facts?

D. Experiences/Activities:

1. From Writing the New Ethnography do writing experiments # 1, 2, and/or 3 pp 42-44.

2. Write short stories from your life experiences including the following kinds: a school story, a family story, a miraculous happenstance story, a story of change, a leadership/mentoring story. Share your stories with a study group.

3. Put together a box containing 10 items that together capture the essence of "who" you are. Share with your group.

E. Portfolio Documentation:

1. A summary of the themes running through your short stories from D.2 above. Make connections with your research topic.

*2. Write a section for your dissertation/study explaining the "self as the research instrument" concept and how you will deal with your personal bias in your study. (Submit this in the assigment box.)