A Journey to the Centre of Self: Positioning the Researcher in Autoethnography

Authors

  • Jayne Pitard Victoria University

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.17169/fqs-18.3.2764

Keywords:

positioning, autoethnography, teaching, Timor Leste, ontology, epistemology, methodology, reflexivity

Abstract

For a reader to trust the perspective of a researcher as presented in qualitative inquiry, the disclosure of the researcher's position in relation to the data is vital. Who am I in relation to the research? becomes the central tenet in disclosing the positioning of the researcher. I contend that what we know (ontology), and how we know it (epistemology), are a result of our philosophical beliefs developed through our lifelong learning and not a precursor to them. In seeking to understand my philosophical positioning when researching my teaching a group of professionals from Timor Leste, I have found it helpful to answer four questions. What do I believe underpins my knowledge of life? Where did I gain this belief? How does this belief influence the way I react to situations and people? How do the assumptions, which I have accumulated from my life experiences, affect my reflexivity in my research? This article describes the process that I have used to reveal my position in relation to the data using examples from my autoethnography.

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Author Biography

Jayne Pitard, Victoria University

Jayne PITARD completed a PhD in 2016 in education at Victoria University, Melbourne, Australia. Her thesis focused on her teaching of a group of students from Timor Leste. She has held various teaching and research positions within Victoria University for the last 27 years.

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Published

2017-07-25

How to Cite

Pitard, J. (2017). A Journey to the Centre of Self: Positioning the Researcher in Autoethnography. Forum Qualitative Sozialforschung Forum: Qualitative Social Research, 18(3). https://doi.org/10.17169/fqs-18.3.2764

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Section

Single Contributions