The 3 Rs of research: Reading, (w)riting

and relationships

Friday 18 November 2016 | Springfield campus (B331/A6TR3) and via Zoom (links below)

Time Session

9:00 am –10:15 am

Keynote (B331/Zoom)

The hospitality of strangers: rethinking research practice Professor Pat Thomson

10:15 am – 10:45 am

Morning tea (provided by ReDTrain) – lounge outside B331

10:45 am – 11:45 am

Session 1A (B331/Zoom) Chair: Stewart Riddle

1. Bernadette Meenach 2. Cecily Jensen-Clayton 3. Rena MacLeod

Session 1B (A6TR3/Zoom) Chair: Patrick Danaher

4. Hugo Muianga 5. David Thorpe & Ian Craig 6. Andy Davies

12:00 pm – 1:00 pm

Session 2A (B331/Zoom) Chair: Cecily Jensen-Clayton

7. Noel Knight 8. Alwyn Powell 9. Bronwyn Wong

Session 2B (A6TR3/Zoom) Chair: David Thorpe

10. Jay Somasundaram 11. Victoria Flanigan 12. David Smith

1:00 pm – 1:30 pm

Lunch (provided by ReDTrain) – lounge outside B331

1:30 pm – 2:30 pm

Session 3 (B331/Zoom) Chair: Atholl Murray

13. Nona Press, Ariela Rother & Cheryl Ross 14. Helena King 15. Victoria Flanigan, Samuel Davies, Andy Davies, Phyllida Coombes, Emilio A. Anteliz &

Patrick A. Danaher

2:30 pm – 3:30 pm

Session 4 (B331/Zoom) Chair: Amanda Heffernan

16. Jacinta Maxwell, Kevin Lowe & Peta Salter 17. Troy Heffernan 18. Atholl Murray

3:30 pm – 3:45 pm

Coffee break (provided by ReDTrain) – lounge outside B331

3:45 pm – 5:00 pm

Session 5 (B331/Zoom) Chair: Patrick Danaher

19. Amanda Heffernan 20. Naomi Barnes 21. Stewart Riddle

22. Melissa Forbes & Mark Scholtes

5:00 pm onwards Symposium Drinks and Dinner – Springlakes Hotel

Postgraduate and Early Career

Researcher (PGECR) Group 18th Research Symposium

Keynote

The hospitality of strangers: rethinking research practice

Professor Pat Thomson University of Nottingham

The vast majority of research methods texts and training courses focus on the

researcher – what they do, say and how they should act. I want to flip this point of view, focusing instead on the people and institutions who host us and our research. Drawing on Derrida’s work on hospitality, and on a new book written

with colleague Christine Hall – Place based methods for researching schools (Bloomsbury 2016) – I want to argue for the benefits of thinking of ourselves as

guests. Understanding our inquiry as a temporary interruption of an ongoing lived trajectory pushes us to re think our taken-for-granted research language, ethical processes and writing habits and genres. I will explore these, and

suggest that being a ‘good guest’ brings with it discomfort and obligations, as well as some generative possibilities.

Pat Thomson PSM PhD FAcSS is Professor of Education in The School of

Education, The University of Nottingham. Her interest in writing began as a

teacher, and has continued in higher education; much of her work on academic

writing has been collaboratively developed with Barbara Kamler. Their most

recent publications are Writing for peer reviewed journals: strategies for getting

published (2013), Helping doctoral students write: pedagogies for supervision

(2014) and Detox your writing. Strategies for doctoral researchers (2016). She

has recently begun to research and write on academic blogging with Inger

Mewburn (the thesis whisperer) and a book is on the way. Pat’s academic writing

and research education blog is patthomson.net and she tweets as @ThomsonPat.

Her other research is concerned with the arts, creativity and school and

community change and she spends a lot of time hanging around in art museums

and working with artists and curators.

Session 1A

1. Writing Up the Practice: the pain or the pleasure? Bernadette Meenach

The nomenclature used for research related to artistic practice is diverse. This

form of scholarly activity can be described as “performance as research”,

“performance based research”, “research-led practice” and “practice-led

research”. As a Theatre practitioner I have selected “practice-led research” to

best describe my approach to an investigation of the disruptive potential of

biographical theatre. My “embodied practice” (Stock, 2007) as an actor and

theatre-maker has thereby led the project, resulting in the creation and

performance of two original biographical theatre works. Throughout the theatre-

making and the performance of the plays I was enthusiastic. Yet when it came to

writing up the research I became listless. This paper argues that as an actor,

one’s embodied practice is grounded in interpreting the writing of others so as to

perform a fiction believably on stage or screen. Thus, the task of writing up the

practice can be a disembodied experience.

2. Transitioning: reading, writing, and relationships as a process of personal and professional growth Cecily Jensen-Clayton

Doing research was definitely not one of the enduring dreams for my life. However, it is a place that I have come to in my pursuit of a desire to do a PhD, an endeavour that has brought together a desire to understand my experiences

in a meaningful way with a desire to express myself. These desires led me to conduct research and come to understand myself as a researcher, and so

complete a PhD. Now my thesis has been examined I find myself in a process of transition. This process is one that is future oriented while facilitating the minor revisions required so that I might be conferred with the title Doctor. This

process of transition is a place of strangeness, a place of the now and the not yet, a place where I am experiencing new thoughts and initiating new projects

while at the same time fulfilling the responsibilities of finalising my thesis. The aim of this presentation is to give voice to this experience of transition where in what began in the early years of doing a PhD as simply reading and writing

became processes that drew me ineluctably into the world of relationships, and so changed my way of relating to my work, to myself and to others.

3. Reading the institution and redressing rights: advancing the candidate-supervisor relationship Rena MacLeod

The agonies and the ecstasies of being a research student arise from the exposure to a multitude of stimulating challenges. These challenges can inspire

the mastering of a variety of advanced skills. Some of these challenges can be unanticipated and especially harrowing, before they are finally rewarding. At least, this has been my experience. This presentation is a personal exploration of

one of these challenges. This presentation looks at the interrelationship of reading, writing and relationship at micro and macro levels within the

development of a thesis. Three ideas will be explored – the institutional context of the thesis for the development of the thesis, the candidate’s relationship to the institution, and the part that self-perception plays in the development of a

thesis. My experience has found that for the thesis processes of reading, writing and relationship to thrive, it may be critical to read the institutional power that

impacts upon candidature; to then redress candidate rights, and thereby establish with supervisors and the institution a more professional and balanced relationship with the candidate.

Session 1B

4. Work-based learning in higher education: harnessing innovation

through workforce collaboration Hugo Muianga

Changes in technology combined with a more globally connected workforce

continue to rapidly challenge the traditional teaching and learning models of higher education institutions. Innovation and productivity are intrinsically linked, as institutions of higher learning - universities must aspire to provide an

appropriate safety net for people and organisations. To remain relevant with industry, higher education institutions must learn to innovate through

appropriate programs that equip the workforce and provides graduates with skills required and recognised by industry. In exploring work-based learning, there is a need for regulation to accommodate the changing nature of work under the

national framework - ensuring skill recognition routes are transparent, are underpinned by credible assessment procedures and that lead to qualifications

recognised in the labour market. The workplace provides an appropriate environment to support the transferability of general skills into entrepreneurial

opportunities, gained in the workplace to promote productivity and sustainability

of the workforce. At the forefront of maintaining a global and competitive

workforce, Australian higher education institutions must innovate through targeted investments in skills, education and training to support continued

economic prosperity. Through innovation and practice, arise to the challenges from policy and distil qualifications and programs that embed work-ready skills to compete in the global economy. For research, innovation from current teaching

and learning practice through the needs of industries and businesses, with the qualifications and programs that embed work-ready skills to compete in the

global and domestic economy.

5. Communicating Sustainable Management Principles to Engineering

Students David Thorpe & Ian Craig Having a good knowledge and understanding of sustainable management

principles is increasingly significant in effective professional engineering practice. The University of Southern Queensland teaches current topics in sustainability to

undergraduate engineering students through the Technology, Sustainability and Society course. The principles of sustainable management are also incorporated into a number of postgraduate engineering courses. This teaching is designed to

develop in engineering students the necessary knowledge, skills and understanding of sustainable practices to successfully apply them in their

professional careers. This objective is underpinned by ongoing research into and use of good teaching practices. For example, a number of assessment items utilise student centred learning approaches, in which students illustrate their

answers though application to an engineering example that they nominate. Similarly, a number of assessment items are designed from an authentic

assessment point of view, in order to encourage students to use workplace examples. Experiential learning principles have similarly been used to reinforce learning through using the feedback from an initial assignment to develop the

answer for a second assignment that builds on the first assignment. Overall, this process has been successful in communicating the principles of sustainable

management to engineering students. It is being continually improved through ongoing research into both the material taught and good teaching practices.

6. How do we instil the essence of nursing to our nursing students:

understanding Australian nursing schools application of nursing philosophy Andy Davies

This exploratory interpretive study considers the foundations of nursing

education in Australian academic institutions. The research seeks to understand the following: How do Australian nursing academic institutions instil the essence

of nursing into their undergraduate nursing students? Is there a place for nursing models to underpin nursing education programs in Australia? To what degree is the inculcating of nursing essence formalised or informalised? As this is the first

postdoctoral research study the researcher has to return to literature and commence Reading around the research theme and topic. This will aid the

development of a literature review, the conceptual framework and the research design. The Writing component of the study preparation will establish communication with various key stakeholders internal and external to USQ and

with the participants. The Relationships aspect of the study considers the ethical reflexivity of the researcher and the research process. The study will consider

researcher and researcher decision-making in the context of trustworthiness via the application of the yama-vidya (ethical reflexivity) guides. These ethical reflexivity guides evolved out of the researchers PhD study.

Session 2A

7. Engaging high school students in plant pathology research

Noel Knight

Scientific research has a constant need to acquire new students, yet attracting

high quality students can be challenging. Engaging high school students is vital to creating an early interest in scientific research and making it a tangible career

goal. I have been one of many researchers involved with the Primary Industry Centre for Science Education (PICSE) camp program, where high school students attend various scientific workshops and activities run by researchers. It gives the

students a taste of what happens in the laboratory, and some of the issues researchers are investigating. Students are then able to select a researcher and

undertake a week long Industry Placement via a scholarship. When designed well, this can give students an opportunity to perform a small but complete experiment, from sample collection to laboratory experimentation, data analysis

and presentation. Data collected by two students in the Centre for Crop Health laboratories in 2013/14 yielded novel information for a fungal pathogen

colonising wheat crops and sparked an interest in plant pathology. Supporting and enhancing programs such as PICSE builds relationships between

researchers, schools, students and the greater community. The challenge is

finding continuing support for these programs and facilitating researchers to design meaningful short term placement opportunities.

8. Identifying tools, materials and adhesive methods used in the primary

school and factors influencing their use Alwyn Powell

There is a world-wide understanding that future economies and stability of life style will depend on innovative and creative individuals that come up with new

and exciting products. As Australia diversifies its economy from the resources sector, education becomes an integral part of that futures endeavour. Laser

cutters, LED screen technology, 3D printers, fibre composite materials, google sized computer memory are tools available today; but are they reflected in our schools? This research is about identifying what tools, materials and adhesives

teachers are using in developing, encouraging and engaging children’s creative and manipulative skills as they move forward as resourceful, confident, creative,

resilient and active members of their community. The mixed method study utilises surveys to identify what and when teachers use materials, tools and adhesive across the school years from prep to year six, as well as interviews with

teachers as to why they are introducing them at that time.

9. The sell of education: using an alternative key to unlock flourishing in Christian schooling Bronwyn Wong The focus of my doctoral research is the challenge of engendering authentic

Christian education in a market driven context. This presentation will consider

how the current focus of education results in competition and increased emphasis

on individuality rather than on building relationships. In this context, Christian

schools must determine their understanding of the purpose of education and

what it means to educate in a way that may be defined as authentically

Christian. This research will employ a Professional Learning Community in order

to understand how teachers view the process and purpose of education and

whether this view is influenced by their Christian faith. Together in the

Professional Learning Community, over the period of a year, a group of teachers

will have the opportunity to develop relationships with each other and with their

students as they discuss the methods that they use in the classroom to teach

and how these methods reflect their understanding of Christian education. It is

expected that through Participatory Action Research, a model of authentic

Christian education will be tested, resulting in a more distinctive way of teaching

that reflects the Christian faith despite the market driven context.

Session 2B

10. Applying a neurobiological model to inform researchers’ reading and writing methods Jay Somasundaram Two primary generic attributes necessary for researchers are expertise in

scholarly reading and academic writing, attributes to be honed during a research

candidacy and early career. Using the qualitative methodology of auto-

ethnography, this presentation describes how I developed and implemented a

curriculum for myself to learn these two attributes. The theoretical foundation of

this curriculum is based on discoveries, primarily from neuroscience, that

postulate the existence of two principal ways of thinking: what Barbara Oakley

aptly characterises as the focused and diffuse modes. Csikszentmihalyi ’s Theory

of Flow and Sweller’s Cognitive Load Theory are also influential theoretical

constructs in the methods I use to tackle motivation and procrastination. This

presentation may be of value to scholars seeking to augment the toolset they

currently use for reading and writing. The presentation may also benefit scholars

in Education interested in different theoretical models.

11. Reading, (w)riting and relating from a positive psychology

perspective: researching positive ageing with older Australians Victoria Flanigan

Positive psychology (Seligman & Csikszentmihalyi, 2014) provides important

insights into human experiences at the same time that it generates new ways of conducting research with people about those experiences. In particular, positive psychology facilitates approaches to reading about, writing about and relating

with research participants that moves beyond the focus on pathology and risk associated with previous psychological research. Instead, positive psychology

highlights the benefits for both participants and researchers to be gained from emphasising personal agency and from mobilising individual and collective mindfulness, self-esteem and resilience. This argument is demonstrated in this

presentation by reference to a recent study of healthy ageing among older Australians (Flanigan, 2016). The study aimed to determine whether positive

mental health training could be a viable solution to combat poor mental health

among Australia’s ageing population. 125 participants aged 50 or older in regional Queensland, Australia completed a survey questionnaire. Results

indicated positive correlations between mindfulness and resilience, negative correlations between self-esteem and resilience, and negative correlations between self-esteem and mindfulness among the participants. The findings also

showed that high levels of mindfulness were predicted by high resilience, and that mindfulness increased as age increased. More broadly, the presentation

elaborates how the positive psychology perspective enables productive insights into the experiences of healthy ageing by older Australians. Furthermore, healthy ageing research benefits from this positive psychology perspective because of

the specific insights and values associated with reading about, writing about and relating with the research participants in this study that a positive psychology

lens makes possible and visible.

12. Integrating sustainable research collaborations into robust research

designs David Smith Collaboration in research occurs when interested stakeholders, who are free to

act independently, agree to cooperate as a means to achieving common research outcomes. Successful collaborations produce mutually-valued outcomes for all

stakeholders. Modern practices increasingly seek robust evidence-based research to enable informed decision making. New methods and improved research designs, e.g., longitudinal, multilevel, and mixed-methods investigations, require

researchers, not only to engage organisations, but to sustain in-depth collaborations, over time. This presentation details procedures that enabled the

investigation of sensitive workplace behaviours in an operational work unit, over time. The current case details the steps used to purposefully develop a successful collaboration: Establishing trust, developing understanding, negotiating common

ground, balancing resources and demands, managing expectations, sharing and valuing the outcome. Key resolutions dealt with organisational vulnerability,

employee risk management, time imposition, data security, access by the organisation to their operational data, and reporting. Key outputs from collaboration included consensus on the study’s design, measures of interest,

and the representativeness of the final sample size, the value of the research outcomes, and potential next steps in the collaboration. The presentation

concludes with the benefits of planning for long-term sustainable research collaborations as an essential early step towards a robust research design.

Session 3

13. Power differentials in qualitative inquiry: embodiment of researcher-participants relationship and collaboration Nona Press, Ariela Rother & Cheryl Ross

As opposed to detached and seemingly objective stances espoused in positivist

perspectives on research, qualitative researchers have fostered the adoption of

collaborative and close research relationships, which depend on participant voice

and closeness between researcher and participants. This paper aims to examine

the researcher’s efforts to build rapport and nurture collaborative relationship

with research participants, problematising that exertion over power and authority

may unintentionally result from the closeness of collaborative relationship. Power

differentials could either silence or give voice to those who matter in the inquiry.

Thus, it is pertinent to ask: What does it mean to engage with participants in

close and collaborative qualitative research? In the process of building and

maintaining relationship, how does the researcher position herself, the students

and their teachers? The paper adopts a collaborative-autoethnographic approach

in exploring the researcher-participants relationship and collaboration. Both the

student-participants and teacher-participants reflected upon and articulated for

themselves the change in their views and practice, and as a person following

research participation. We found that, in the research process, the embodiment

of collaborative relationship not only gave participants voice, thus, facilitating the

co-construction of meaning, but it also made a positive impact on the lives of

those concerned.

14. Towards effective primordial interventions to reduce rheumatic fever incidence in Aboriginal Australians: a systematic review of the literature Helena King

This systematic review investigates the role of improved socioeconomic and environmental factors in reducing the incidence of acute rheumatic fever (ARF) in Aboriginal Australians. Despite virtual eradication of ARF amongst non-

Indigenous Australians, Aboriginal children living in rural and remote areas of northern Australia suffer the highest prevalence rates in the world. As ARF has

been a topic of health dialogue for decades, this research seeks to answer the question: Despite extensive primary and secondary health care interventions in Australia, why isn’t there a reduction in ARF incidence rates in Aboriginal

children? To what extent do socioeconomic and environmental factors have on

the transmission of ARF? Globally, there is a paucity of research exploring

primordial factors and their link to ARF. Through extensive reading around the research topic and inclusion criteria, this research sought to identify published

and grey literature exploring primordial interventions and the incidence of ARF. Through writing this review, a new way forward in ARF prevention is proposed by identifying overcrowding, housing quality, education and nutrition as factors

influencing the incidence of ARF. The results advocate relationship building and a commitment to ‘close the gap’ by governmental policy makers worldwide through

alleviating the underlying socio-economic and environmental determinants of ARF.

15. Research(ing) relationships for enhanced understandings of learning

experiences: reading, (w)riting and relating in six sites of learning and

learning facilitation

Victoria Flanigan, Samuel Davies, Andy Davies, Phyllida Coombes, Emilio A. Anteliz & P. A. Danaher

This presentation is a story of six individuals with complex and diverse

interconnections whose relationships underpin a current co-authored research book proposal from two perspectives. The first perspective is the multiple ways

in which each author functions simultaneously as a learner and as a facilitator of learning by others. The second perspective is the authors’ experiences of learning to work together, and of helping to facilitate one another’s learning, as

crucial elements of planning and writing the book together. In terms of both perspectives, engaged and responsive research is crucial to generating positive

and productive outcomes for participants and stakeholders. The book is centred on exploring six formal and informal sites of learning and learning facilitation: enabling education; continuing professional education for engineers and nurses;

research education; personal fitness training; Yoga education and teacher education; and learning by and with older people. The authors’ experiences

traverse Australia, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, the United States and Venezuela. The presentation analyses the character and impact of reading, writing and relationships with regard to researching learning and learning facilitation in these

six sites. This analysis highlights the significance of diversity, engagement, experience, relevance and understanding in relation to contemporary research

and learning/learning facilitation alike.

Session 4

16. Desperately seeking something to solve: education researchers and problem creation Jacinta Maxwell, Kevin Lowe & Peta Salter A solution-focused approach to education research can dissuade sufficient

interrogation of representations of ‘problems’ in education policy. These

problems include socio-economic disadvantage, and underachievement by

groups of students. When such problems are represented via curriculum,

multifaceted phenomena are minimised and causality simplified. Consequently,

researchers working in this space can avoid interrogation of, and responses to,

systemic concerns in favour of protracted, peripheral solutions. The authors of

this paper discuss the creation and representation of education problems via

curriculum as policy, the available solutions contained within those

problematisations, and how education researchers have responded to both. In

conjunction with critical race and whiteness theories of education, Bacchi’s

approach to policy analysis has been applied to Australian curricula to produce a

revealing analysis of problem representations contained therein. This analysis

illuminates the need for further interrogation of these policy problems which, in

turn, calls proposed solutions into question. The authors intend to present a

version of this paper at the upcoming Australian Association for Research in

Education conference so encourage discussion and feedback related to the third

theme of this symposium – relationships. Is the paper likely to promote collegial

relationships with other education researchers or to ostracise a key audience the

paper is written for?

17. Reading public perceptions of universities and their research Troy Heffernan

Funding for universities continues to decrease over time, and performative cultures in higher education institutions mean that universities now compete for ever-smaller allocations of government and private funding. Consequently,

research that contributes to increased university funding is crucial as they remain the epicentres of knowledge, charged with training the next generation of

researchers (Bradley et al, 2008). Public perceptions of universities and their research play a role in the dissemination of funding, with Cooper and Poletti (2011) finding that the value of universities is often determined by the visibility

of their research and the effectiveness of their community engagement. This session presents a proposal for future research with a view to better

understanding the factors that influence public support and perceptions of

universities and their research. In it, I propose an international comparative study with case studies across multiple regions that represent a variety of

perceptions of universities as a private or public good. The research explores the impact of this on models of university funding, as well as a range of common policy elements. Reading these public perceptions to better understand the

reasons behind these policy decisions could provide universities with insights that could potentially increase funding opportunities.

18. Whose data is it anyway? Relationships between researcher,

participant, data and analysis Atholl Murray

Participant interviews play an important role in the data collection process for qualitative research in the social sciences. However, understandings of the

relationships between researcher, participant, data and analysis vary. From a humanist perspective, the participants’ description of lived experience, captured

in the interview transcript, holds authority. However, a constructivist perspective recognises the effect of the researcher upon the participant, and views the interview transcript as a co-construction between researcher and participant.

Some recent post-qualitative and post-humanist ideas challenge the authority given to the research participant; an authority that is based upon a view of a

participant as an independent, self-informed, authentic source of data. In addition, these ideas draw attention to the researcher as able to access data, human and non-human that may be present in the interview, and that are

beyond the consciousness of the participant. Drawing upon my experiences of interviewing participants, I explore some of the theoretical, ethical and practical

considerations I face in coming to understand my relationship with participants, data and analysis as researcher, and as a human being.

Session 5

19. ‘Reading’ educational leadership through Foucault Amanda Heffernan How can we come to understand the impact of high-pressure environments on

emerging school leaders? Since the introduction of NAPLAN in 2008, Queensland school leaders have been working in a rapidly shifting space, with expectations of

principals to work towards system-defined improvement measures involving increasingly higher external accountabilities. This paper reports on long-term case studies of the effects of school improvement expectations on principals. I

make use of Foucauldian theory to ‘read’ the impact of performative cultures and

heavy external accountabilities on a specific group of principals. A unique feature of the region in which these case studies were undertaken is the large proportion

of small school principals, the majority of whom are in the early stages of their teaching careers. These principals joined the teaching profession post-NAPLAN and the influence of these accountabilities is emerging as a point of difference

between them and longer-established school leaders. The paper highlights the emergence of a new leadership paradigm and identifies this as an area inviting

further inquiry within the wider field of educational leadership and administration. It suggests that Foucault’s ideas provide a way of critically reading the influence of rapidly shifting expectations on individuals’ leadership

practices.

20. Blogging as inquiry Naomi Barnes

Naomi uses social media a lot; not to quickly get her publications “out there”, but

to help them develop slowly and publicly. Naomi blogs to inquire. She tweets,

uses personal, institutional and curated weblogs, open access journals, and

conference paper planning to develop papers for traditional avenues of academic

publishing but also to help her thoughts crystallise. Naomi engages with current

literature and strategically audits journals to target her papers, but also

intentionally use the open access tools to develop and refine her thinking as a

core part of the writing process. In doing so, she is learning to write for diverse

audiences, not just the echo chamber behind the journal firewall. During this

seminar Naomi will explain her blogging as inquiry approach and discuss the

advantages and disadvantages of academic publishing using social media and

digital tools.

21. Write(ing)–rite(ing)–right(ing) the responsible researcher and some ethical questions that linger Stewart Riddle

In this paper, I examine a number of key research encounters that have shaped my ethico-onto-epistemology, where ethics, knowing and being are inseparable (Barad, 2007). I wonder how research writing produces us as researchers

through the rites of our doctoral dissertations and beyond. I ask how we might ensure that the rights of those whose lives we intersect with remain at the centre

of an ethical response(ability) to their lives and experiences. Perhaps it is through paying attention to the mutual entanglement of thought and action on others (Davies, 2014) where the ethical act of responsible research lies, although

I am not sure that this always produces a ‘desirable’ outcome. I hope to provide

a parable and perhaps a provocation or two that have arisen in my experiences as a doctoral candidate and early career researcher, presenting some of the most

vexing ethical questions that continue to linger.

22. Songwriting and researching together: exploring collaborative

autoethnography as a method for songwriting research Melissa Forbes & Mark Scholtes Whilst collaboration is at the heart of much contemporary commercial

songwriting, the process of collaboration itself remains largely shrouded in mystery. Research into songwriting collaborations presents certain challenges—

many songwriters are superstitiously protective of their work methods and those who work professionally are disinclined to participate in research because they view exposure of these processes as potentially damaging to their commercial

interests. This paper examines the potential for the use of collaborative autoethnography—the study of the self with others to explore a cultural

phenomenon—to address the aforementioned challenges and as a useful method for exploring the identity of songwriters in collaboration. There are clear links between songwriting and autoethnography—each requires the negotiation of

power within a relationship and trust in the Other, and the final product of both is commonly an evocative story which illuminates the connection between self

and society. Perhaps most importantly, songwriting collaboratively and collaborative autoethnography have the potential to be transformative and empowering for participants. This paper will posit that collaborative

autoethnography as a research method is a natural extension of the songwriting process, and has the potential to yield useful insights into the characteristics and

attitudes of songwriters that both help and hinder the collaborative process.