I must admit I had not expected much of the conference in Vlora. In part, it was because it was organised by relatively junior faculty members in a peripheral university, so I assumed they wouldn’t have access to the requisite know-how. It was also partly due to that typically Greek prejudice against other South Eastern Europeans (Greeks are prejudiced by […]
Read moreI’ve just returned from the conference in Vlora, Albania, which I must say was surprisingly successful. I will probably be putting up a longer post about the entire experience, but for the moment I think that the presentation will have to do. Some of the slides are not entirely intuitive, but there is explanatory text embedded in the powerpoint. Comments […]
Read moreI was intrigued by Magdalena’s recent reflexivity post, but – in a shamelessly selfish way – what I took away from reading the post seems to reveal more about myself than her. This extract was quite illuminating, especially if one considers what could be there but isn’t: There was also the discussion on the narrative-reflexivity link, which helped me to […]
Read moreThis post is partly motivated by the fact that the original reflexivity thread has grown rather too long, and partly by the need for me to make a ‘new beginning’ as regards my understanding of what reflexivity is and how it bears on my research. I am conscious that my current understanding diverges somewhat from the direction in which the […]
Read moreThis post traces the meandering path of an article I am working on, from its original inception to a stage very close to submission. I don’t know how typical this pathway is, but I thought that it might be worth a read in that it present’s an insiders’ perspective of how an article might come into existence. I think it […]
Read moreIn the first entry I made to this blog, I tried to provide a brief summary of what my research was about and what aims I have set out to attain. My immediate aim, I wrote, was to generate a ‘thick’ description of an educational setting in the periphery of the ELT world. In addition to this, my research aims […]
Read moreAn important feature of doctoral studies at The University of Manchester is that at the beginning of our studies we are expected to undertake formal training in research methods, in the form of taught modules offered by the MSc in Educational Research programme. This training, the exact structure of which is generally negotiated with one’s supervisors and the School, is […]
Read moreVlora (Albania), September 11-13 This seems to focus more on English linguistics and Anglophone literature, so it’s not immediately relevant to my needs. But it should be an interesting intercultural experience… Izmir (Turkey), October 28-30 Focussing on English as an International Language. Chomsky’s keynote speech should be one of the highlights of the event. I might turn a paper in […]
Read moreThere is something exciting about taking a qualitative approach to understanding the experience of language teachers – exciting and troubling, that is. It is the realisation that, when it comes to methodology, we are making our way in largely uncharted territory. One can always draw on existing social science research manuals, but I think it is fair to say that […]
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