School of Sociology and Social Policy

Seminar Details

The origin of ideas? A two way traffic between ideas and research

Dr Kahryn Hughes, University of Leeds

We do research to obtain new insights. However, particularly for early career researchers, when we come to do research we either feel it has all been done before, or we can only add a tiny part to a distinct and established field.  It is easy for researchers to feel overwhelmed and dispirited, to think that their research has all been done before. Also, 'methods' are often seen as a necessary evil, a part of the research process that researchers have got to get past, the hurdle they have got to get over before they get down to the actual research.   However, this points to a central paradox, because it is also possible to argue that the research itself is the locus in which ideas about methods are generated - the locus of innovation.  This presentation will consider the dialogue between these two points.  In particular, it will consider the relationship between rational components (general theoretical models and ideas) and empirical components (engagement with the research field) of social enquiry. This presentation will conclude with an approach which seeks to overcome this apparent division by considering how and with whom methodological innovation is shaped through a research process and why it might be useful and, in particular, a consideration of the relationships researchers have with and within their research field.

(Re) thinking the 'long view': a 'new' paradigm for social research?

Professor Bren Neale, University of Leeds

Real lives are not static: they are lived in and through time. While this observation is hardly new, it has heralded a renewed interest in innovative research designs that can capture life course dynamics and shed new light on processes of social change. The presentation will focus on qualitative temporal research and illustrate the rich explanatory power offered by this mode of enquiry.

Seeing Research as Innovation

Professor Jon Prosser, University of Leeds

I will focus on a personal approach to innovation in research methods. For me the primary challenge was to establish visual methods as an acceptable way of conducting research. Initially I aimed to use visual methods in my own work but this changed later to encompass the promotion of visual methods in order to counteract what I saw as the overdependence on word and number-based research. Hence, initially innovation for me was based on providing a rationale to the wider academic community of why visual methods were appropriate. Later, innovation meant influencing the direction and nature of visual methods by a range of different strategies which included international seminars, methodological exemplars, national training in visual methods, and attempts to resolve difficulties e.g. visual ethics. Beware - attending this session may change the way you conduct research - you may leave the event as 'seeing' researchers.

Involving welfare service users in the research process

Professor Peter Dwyer, Nottingham Trent University

The increasing involvement of 'welfare service users' in research opens up numerous fundamental questions about the process and purpose of social research These include the ways in which we may seek to understand and explore the social world, the notion of 'expertise', the validity of standpoint knowledge and, importantly, issues of differential power, influence and control in the research process and how these may impact on participants lives. Drawing on insights from three projects this presentation will highlight some of the advantages and challenges that welfare service user involvement may bring and the extent to which the inclusion of users in research maybe considered innovative.

Mapping the Emotional Maze in Qualitative Research

Dr Sharon Elley, University of Leeds

The Qualiti (2007) 'Commissioned Inquiry into the Risk to Well Being of Researchers in Qualitative Research' highlighted 'emotional risk' as a key experience amongst researchers. There remains, however, a lack of research and debate which focuses on negative or problematic emotions that arise from the research process.  Fear, loneliness, confusion, desperation, stress, 'compassion fatigue' and frustration are just some of the emotions that are glossed over or consigned to reflexive pieces, private memories and occasional peer dialogues. This silence on emotions is partly driven by an epistemological discomfort with recognising 'emotions' are part of the social science tradition. This session will address some of these issues and raise the profile of emotions in QR, suggesting there is a need for emotional management and emotion skills to be recognised and developed as part of innovative research practice. This includes:

• The research-respondent relationship including variables of age, class, gender, sexuality, sexual attraction, hostilities
• Power and emotions with gatekeepers, supervisors and participants
• Compromising the emotional self: disclosure and personal investment
• The private consequences and emotional costs of researching the lives of others
• Feelings of being an 'imposter' in an academic environment
• When research goes wrong: emotional fallout for researcher and participant
• Turning negative emotions into positive resources