Discussion of Interpretive Chapters: Possibilities and Challenges
By J. L. Miller
Glossary Terms
Verstehen – an intuitive doctrine or method of interpreting human culture esp. in its subjective motivational and valuational aspects through the understanding of symbolic relationships
Verstehen. (n.d.). Merriam-Webster.com. Retrieved December 1, 2013, from http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/Verstehen
Quotes
“I also was influenced not only by my classroom experiences but also by the surrounding cultural representations of woman, of nurturer, of caretaker, of wife, of mother.” (Miller, 1989, pg. 160)
Though we may not often realize the implications of all of these cultural representations and expectations we should consider how they affect our students and how they alter their perceptions when they enter our classrooms. Will this expectation affect their learning and understanding positively or negatively? All of these representations of ‘woman’ are very powerful and often dominant.
“Although Hulgren grapples with the difficulties that characterize her attempts to place herself at the center of what she seeks to understand, her struggles signify an awareness of the ironic contradictions of interpretive researchers who work with a disembodied concept of meaning.” (Miller, 1989, pg. 161)
I find this to be a challenging quote, at first when I read it I feel that I know what it is saying and every time after I feel like I am losing its meaning. It seems as though she is challenged with the ability to stay objective when the subject matter is centered on something that she question about herself and her understanding of knowledge system. Where is the line between objective and not.
“…a research orientation necessarily includes a willingness by all involved to risk being changed by the research process itself: Once the subject enter into inquiry, the distinction traditionally maintained between them and researchers collapses and both become knowers. This change in tern requires us to redefine knowers as people who understand and learn, whether or not academic modes. (Messer-Davidow, 1985, p. 17)” (Miller, 1989, pg. 161)
I think people don’t often realize how much they may change in the process of doing research. Values and opinions can change drastically from learning something new and see other peoples’ point of view. This can be very intimidating or frightening. With interpretive research you also become part of the equation by trying to understand the view point of others. I think this information is good to have as we enter into our research projects for us to recognize that they may drastically alter us.
“…Copa’s own conceptualizations of competent home economists as she entered into her ethnographic study of exemplary practitioners. How might those preunderstandings have shaped her evolving interpretation of the practice of those home economists who she observed and interviewed? In what ways did those who were researched agree or disagree with the characteristics that Copa identified as exemplary? How were the understandings and interpretations of both the researcher and the researched shaped by the historical and cultural representation of exemplary practice in home economics?” (Miller, 1989, pg. 162)
This prompts me to think about my research and how I wish to approach it. Do I write my beliefs and understanding of the subjects and my perceptions of if at the beginning and then again at the end of the research to see what has change what prejudice and understandings that I bring in to the work with me? How does one recognize if you have bias or if you don’t know where your understanding of your opinion comes from? How do you frame the question and the answer?
References
Miller, J. L. (1989). Discussion of Interpretive Chapters: Possibilities and Challenges. In F. H. Hultgren & D. L. Coomer (Eds.), Alternate modes of inquiry in home economics research, pp. 159 - 164. Yearbook 9, American Home Economics Association. Peoria, IL: Glencoe
Verstehen – an intuitive doctrine or method of interpreting human culture esp. in its subjective motivational and valuational aspects through the understanding of symbolic relationships
Verstehen. (n.d.). Merriam-Webster.com. Retrieved December 1, 2013, from http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/Verstehen
Quotes
“I also was influenced not only by my classroom experiences but also by the surrounding cultural representations of woman, of nurturer, of caretaker, of wife, of mother.” (Miller, 1989, pg. 160)
Though we may not often realize the implications of all of these cultural representations and expectations we should consider how they affect our students and how they alter their perceptions when they enter our classrooms. Will this expectation affect their learning and understanding positively or negatively? All of these representations of ‘woman’ are very powerful and often dominant.
“Although Hulgren grapples with the difficulties that characterize her attempts to place herself at the center of what she seeks to understand, her struggles signify an awareness of the ironic contradictions of interpretive researchers who work with a disembodied concept of meaning.” (Miller, 1989, pg. 161)
I find this to be a challenging quote, at first when I read it I feel that I know what it is saying and every time after I feel like I am losing its meaning. It seems as though she is challenged with the ability to stay objective when the subject matter is centered on something that she question about herself and her understanding of knowledge system. Where is the line between objective and not.
“…a research orientation necessarily includes a willingness by all involved to risk being changed by the research process itself: Once the subject enter into inquiry, the distinction traditionally maintained between them and researchers collapses and both become knowers. This change in tern requires us to redefine knowers as people who understand and learn, whether or not academic modes. (Messer-Davidow, 1985, p. 17)” (Miller, 1989, pg. 161)
I think people don’t often realize how much they may change in the process of doing research. Values and opinions can change drastically from learning something new and see other peoples’ point of view. This can be very intimidating or frightening. With interpretive research you also become part of the equation by trying to understand the view point of others. I think this information is good to have as we enter into our research projects for us to recognize that they may drastically alter us.
“…Copa’s own conceptualizations of competent home economists as she entered into her ethnographic study of exemplary practitioners. How might those preunderstandings have shaped her evolving interpretation of the practice of those home economists who she observed and interviewed? In what ways did those who were researched agree or disagree with the characteristics that Copa identified as exemplary? How were the understandings and interpretations of both the researcher and the researched shaped by the historical and cultural representation of exemplary practice in home economics?” (Miller, 1989, pg. 162)
This prompts me to think about my research and how I wish to approach it. Do I write my beliefs and understanding of the subjects and my perceptions of if at the beginning and then again at the end of the research to see what has change what prejudice and understandings that I bring in to the work with me? How does one recognize if you have bias or if you don’t know where your understanding of your opinion comes from? How do you frame the question and the answer?
References
Miller, J. L. (1989). Discussion of Interpretive Chapters: Possibilities and Challenges. In F. H. Hultgren & D. L. Coomer (Eds.), Alternate modes of inquiry in home economics research, pp. 159 - 164. Yearbook 9, American Home Economics Association. Peoria, IL: Glencoe