One thing that’s surprised me on the Masters so far is that we’re not actively being taught research methods and approaches that we could use to explore the ideas that we’re learning about. I’d hoped that I might leave with some new tangible skills as well as a good understanding of the topics covered. I believe that this might be because students are expected to come from disciplines already where they’ve learned the core principles of research in an academic field, but I find this frustrating as my previous discipline (Product Design) largely doesn’t work in an academic way and therefore these skills aren’t something that was covered.

So, I’ve begun a course that I found online called Introduction to Social Research Methods that seems quite good at teaching me the basics of the academic and social sciences approach.

As part of this course, I’m required to write regular blog posts so I’ll share some of these here. The first asks several key questions about what I think might be covered in my research.

• What kind of topics are you interested in researching?

I’m interested in researching the ways that communities of citizens might use data and data processes to build the worlds they want/need.

Some of my interest sits around the energy sector (in which I work part time) and the ‘datafication’ of energy processes as we move towards smart energy systems. I am applying much of my thinking to my work in this sector: specifically, around the just transition and ensuring that minoritized people aren’t left behind without agency in such a transition.

• What initial research questions might be starting to emerge for you?

What governance processes might be useful in allowing communities to build the worlds they want using data? Could the data trust format play a format in this?

Within the energy sector, how can grassroots groups use data as an asset to shape and have agency on the green transition activities happening around them to make them more just?

How are citizen sensing communities (Gabrys, 2022) governing and using their data? What are the challenges in this, and which improved data literacy might support these activities?

• What are you interested in researching – people, groups, communities, documents, images, organisations?

Communities; people; energy projects; governance structures.

• Do you have an initial ideas for the kinds of methods that might help you to gather useful knowledge in your area of interest?

I do have initial ideas of which methods I might like to use but I hope they’re not too ambitious within the context.

Given my background in design and futures, the approaches that I’ve found interesting are those which are inspired by design and creative methods. So far, I’m considering approaches such as carrying out a participatory speculative futures workshop which explores the issues around implementing these emerging forms of social innovation. This workshop might take place in a future context which I’ve carefully crafted beforehand but left enough space for participants to respond to. My reference for this is Candy and Dunagan ‘s project The People Who Vanished (2017).

Alternatively, I’d like to build a project or product as a research method that explores or tests such governance processes and then explore trialling this with real people to learn about their responses and new opportunities for interaction.

• What initial questions do you have about those methods? What don’t you understand yet?

What I don’t have my head around yet is how ‘prescriptive’ can I be with people’s engagement with my method? If I were to carry out more of a design project, then do I have to have an idea about people that I want answered by my project; or could it be more of a project that explores the potential to build a certain system? The tiny amount of design ethnography that I did in my undergraduate approached  research with a completely open mind to carry out a very exploratory and emergent process where the research question is constantly shaped by what is learned. I feel this contrasts a lot with projects in which I might start with a creative project, which I might develop as part of a research proposal and then work with people to test it. Is the second option still as academic?

• Do you perceive any potential challenges in your initial ideas: either practical challenges, such as gaining access to the area you want to research, or the time it might take to gather data; or conceptual challenges; such as how the method you are interested in can produce ‘facts’, ‘truths’, or ‘valuable knowledge’ in your chosen area?

I’d say the second question is the one that I’m the most worried about (though time pressures are always a concern, given that I haven’t done one of these projects before!). What I don’t understand is how academic processes produce valuable knowledge. I’m hoping that this short course will teach me the answer to that question to allow me to select a research method that allows me to be creative; challenge myself; build on my existing experience and knowledge; but also produce a project that is academically of value.

References

Candy, S. and Dunagan, J. (2017) ‘Designing an experiential scenario: The People Who Vanished’, Futures, 86, pp. 136–153. Available at: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.futures.2016.05.006.

Gabrys, J. (2022) Citizens of Worlds: Open-Air Toolkits for Environmental Struggle. Minneapolis: Univ Of Minnesota Press.

Beginning A Course in Social Research Methods / Knowledge Integration and Project Planning: Data, Inequality and Society (2022-2023) by blogadmin is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution CC BY 3.0