The greatest challenge setting out on
Module 2 is arriving at the topic of an inquiry that will interest and sustain
you through to then end of the programme. Coming up with topics and thinking
around questions is something that requires time. We ask that you talk to
other’s in your SIG(s) – check out the facebook page Bobble has set up. There
is a lot to be said in favor of raising questions about likely topics and
supplementary questions that can be asked. Another resource you can use to
sharpen your focus is to talk to your own professional networks about you
ideas. Useful things can be recorded in your learning log / journal. And of course another resource to
explore is what is already known about your topic. What have others said in a
published format – and here you will find the summon page on the library
portlet you can access via MyUniHub.
A great quality to have in this endeavor is
the one of curiosity – to develop an inquiring mind. Why should such a thing
be? Is that the “truth” and so on. Moreover, this develops a critical quality in your thinking,
which is just what we are looking for in the programme.
Freakonomics is a marvelous read which
illustrates the point most clearly. There are 6 chapters in the book which
demonstrate so many of the qualities and practices you will need to develop as
you proceed with the programme.
The subjects covered are diverse and links are made between various data
sources and analysis of this throws up some surprising findings. In the Chapter
on why drug dealers still live with their moms there are issues on research
ethics and keeping the researcher safe. The researcher in question was rather
naïve at the outset but in the end uncovered a great deal of useful data which
otherwise would have been missed in the original project. So, flexibility is
another key quality.
The book is a page turner and it’s written
in a highly engaging style. While some of the findings are not surprising –
some are, and they are all based on real evidence which has been interpreted
and analysed. I recommend Freakonomics
to you as a means to understanding some of the more practical applications of
inquiry and research alongside the processes involved including data analysis.
When you come to do your inquiry you will
collect data which you yourself will be expected to analyse. To have an
awareness of the entire process involved at this stage will help you in
devising your plan.
Some points to look for in various titled
chapters are:
Chapter 1: Teachers & Sumo Wrestlers –
data analysis
Chapter 2: Klu Klux clan & Real Estate
Agents – ethics of covert observation
Chapter 3: Drug dealers living with their moms – the appropriateness of
questions asked of participants in an inquiry
Chapter 4: Where have all the criminals
gone – links between seemingly disparate events / facts
Chapter 5: What makes a perfect parent – drawing valid conclusions from contradictory evidence
Chapter 6: Perfect parenting Part 2: relating two data sets.
While Freakonomics has nothing to do with
Professional Practice (Arts) – there is a great deal to learn from it in terms
of asking questions, ethics, critical thinking, proper use of evidence and
data. I would love to hear comments from you on this fascinating book ….
