TABLE OF CONTENTS

SPIS TREŚCI

Tinkering (with) bricolage. Reconstruction of selected philosophical and methodological assumptions of Joe L. Kincheloe’s concept

The bricolage as philosophical inquiry is a critical-constructivist research perspective proposed by Joe L. Kincheloe. It’s practical implementation assumes the use of various philosophical tools to help clarify the process of inquiry and provide insight into the assumptions on which it conceptually rests (Kincheloe, 2008). The considerations undertaken in this article are aimed at the characteristic of the philosophical and methodological assumptions that co-create it. Their reflective reception determines the possibility of a reliable use of the bricolage in the practice of academic research. The undertaken reconstruction was directed by the following research question: What epistemological – ontological – methodological preconditions make up the practice of research using the bricolage, in line with Kincheloe’s concept? Its material basis was the collection of books and articles listed in the bibliography. A detailed, though certainly not exhaustive answer to the research problem posed is presented in three thematically separated parts of the article. In chapters one and two, I describe the epistemology and ontology of complexity. In chapter three, I draw attention to an active view of research methodology. The contents presented in the article, although thematically arranged, intertwine, leading to the representation of selected aspects of the bricolage.

Online interviews in qualitative research of the pandemic period: inclusive potential, risk of exclusion, and quality of collected data

The paper is devoted to online interviews that gained significant popularity during the pandemic. The text has two main goals. The first was to reflect on the possible mechanisms of exclusion and inclusion of various categories of research participants. The second objective was to analyze the impact of the communication channels used with the respondents on the quality of the collected qualitative data. The study exhibits that online research is gradually becoming more inclusive, and the argument of digital exclusion is becoming increasingly outdated. The respondents’ education may still exclude, especially among lower than secondary education respondents. At the same time, the formula of online interviews offers a significant proinclusive potential, which was reflected in the participation in the study of a number of informants who could be permanently unavailable under traditional research. Research also shows that online interviews are generally effective. However, the application of diversified communication channels results in systematic and measurable differences in the collected data. Considering various aspects, Zoom offered data of better quality than Skype. On the other hand, mobile applications (and phone calls) do not constitute a natural alternative, and it is difficult to recommend them.

From qualitative to quantitative approach. The researchers’ way in designing mixed research

The article describes the process of designing a mixed strategy – from the qualitative approach to the quantitative approach. Important in this approach is the idea of integrating both research strategies, which is supposed to foster more effective cognition of the studied phenomenon. The authors describe the stages of the conducted qualitative research (theoretical assumptions, methods of collecting and analyzing empirical data) and the planned stages of quantitative research aimed at constructing a psychometric tool based on the cognitive effects of qualitative research. The article presents the results of qualitative research (the first stage of the mixed strategy) – the Model of Life Re-Decisions (four stages of self-relation) and Biographical Orders. The model depicts breakthrough life changes in the context of self-realization, from the perspective of broad humanistic psychology. The authors’ intention is to draw attention to the value of teamwork and to inspire readers to break through research patterns (searching for new research solutions).

Creativity as a perspective of experience. Synergy of experiences in (whole) life creativity

The intention of the author’s study is to show the role of creativity as a perspective of experience in the context of the processes of (whole) life creativity as the need for (self) realization of a human being in development. Creativity and the process of creation – being a coherent unity of thinking, feeling and acting is a kind of full and fulfilled experience. Through the qualitative understanding of human action, man is treated as an entity that creates and transforms the surrounding reality. Each area of activity in which the individual participates is co-created by him. It can be a specific manifestation of synergy (synergy effect), where we obtain multiplied benefits thanks to the skillful combination of the components of the whole. Creativity as a perspective of experience shows the meaning of creative work that gives meaning to life. Creativity (whole) in life was presented as folk art that expresses human psychological needs and as a life story and its expression on the example of the (in) obvious biography of a self-born creator. Creativity (whole) in life, present in folk and self-born creativity confirms its recognition as a personal, social, cognitive and aesthetic value.

Application of Howard Gruber’s Theory „ESA” in the qualitative research on creative didactic work realized by academic teachers-innovators

The main aim of the article is to present the genesis and main assumptions of the theory The Evolving Systems Approach to Creative Work by Howard E. Gruber as well as an account of qualitative research into the experiences of academic teachers in the creative didactic work. In these studies the ESA theory was used both for the preparation of the research concept and for the analysis and interpretation of the obtained research results. 13 academic teachers participated in the research, introducing to the education of students for at least 5 years: pioneering adaptations, creative modifications, their own original didactic solutions including: concepts, strategies, methods, techniques and tools, workshops, students’ assessment systems. In the research there were applied the multiple, descriptive case studies, there were carry out semi-structured interviews and analysis of documents (publications, pictures). In the research was carried out a vertical analysis which resulted in the creation of an individual model of creative work for each research participant as well as a horizontal-cross-sectional analysis for all cases. On the grounds of many regularities found in studied cases the author of article presents proposition of systemic model of creative didactic work concerning examined innovators.

“I would like to be a teacher because...” A process of a choice of profession in the context of autobiography of students of pre-school and early-school pedagogy

The paper presents results of quality research aimed to study autobiographical experience of future teachers of pre-school and early school education concerned with their choice of profession. The research was conducted in 2019/2020 among 164 female students of the second year of pre-school and early school pedagogy at Faculty of Education of University of Białystok. In the first part of article various elements of the research are presented including the object of analysis, characterisation of the environment of investigations and an investigative test. A large part of the article is devoted to the presentation of the research results relating to the motives for choosing the occupation of teacher. Based on casual autobiographical statements of the students the circumstances, events and life experiences were presented that played crucial factors in the process of their job choice. Analysing their narrative prominent figures were identified that played an important part in decision making involved in selecting job of pre-school and early school teacher. The last part of the article includes the research conclusions. Furthermore, implications for theory, practice and research on professional development of teachers are also discussed.

A family with a skipped generation: the lived experiences of grandparents raising grandchildren

Aim: In the last decade, many countries around the world have seen an increase in the number of skip-generation families in which grandparents take over the responsibility of raising grandchildren. The phenomenon described is also becoming more common in Poland. This article presents selected results of a study aimed at better understanding the experiences of grandparents raising grandchildren in skipped generation families. Methods: Participants were purposively selected from grandparents raising grandchildren living in skipped generation families in the Podlaskie Province. Data were collected through semi-structured in-depth interviews with 20 participants. The use of a biographical perspective in the research provided detailed narratives of the life experiences of older grandparents in skip generation families. Results and conclusions: The grandparents’ stories show the duality of experience consisting simultaneously of stress/satisfaction, sadness/joy, being seen/not seen. Addressing the issues faced by grandparents living in households with the skipped generation is important as it can reduce stress levels. Therefore, it is necessary to develop a model of support for grandparents raising grandchildren in skipped generation households which could be relevant for adapting to a new life situation and increasing psychological well-being.

Tackling biography. Building religious identity amidst the discontinuity of intergenerational transmission

The article explores the issues of searching for identity in the third post-war Polish Jew generation. Its purpose is to try to reconstruct the experience of becoming a religious Jew and choosing the Jewish path during adolescence faced with missing or incomplete transmission of intergenerational cultural heritage. The two biographies were investigated in terms of the educational paths of their narrators, primarily informal education, independent gaining of cultural (religious) knowledge, as well as the opportunities and limitations of formal Jewish education in Poland. The research was based on the biographical method, unstructured/in-depth interviews. The article consists of four main parts: 1. the application of the biographical method to own research; 2. the social context of the biography of the “unexpected generation”; 3. two biographical exemplifications; 4. the portrayal of the narrators’ struggles in building their own path in religious education. The exemplifications provided by the two biographies help identify the process of “becoming a religious Jew” in the “found generation”, illustrate individual biographical events and common biographical sequences. Furthermore, the article pinpoints the so-called biographical anchors, including prominent figures, religious authorities, minority organisations, and accessibility of religious education in Polish conditions – factors that contribute to the rise of the “cultural self”.

Tunnel to the Third Power – art-based research in the practice of higher education

The article presents the artistic-educational-research project Tunnel to the Third Power, implemented by two communities related to artistic and educational spaces: a group of students of Artistic Education at the Faculty of Education, University of Warsaw, who are prepared to work as art educators, and the second group: the students of the Academy of Fine Arts in Warsaw. The methodological basis of the implemented activities was art-based research. The theoretical basis of the project was the art-as-pedagogy of Clair Bishop and the widely commented educational turn in contemporary art. The artistic basis was the project of the artist Piotr Grabowski Tunnel. The importance of mankind for the future. The article discusses the assumptions of the project, its implementation and research conclusions. The student project was also shown as an example of using art-based research in the practice of higher education.

The take & make method in performative education. Case study

The article is a report on the research carried out in a group of pedagogy students on the use of the take&make performative method in the subject of comparative pedagogy. The aim of the research was to learn about the experiences of pedagogy students regarding the implementation of an optional performative task within the subject of comparative pedagogy. During the research the case study method was used. The technique used in the study was the technique of analyzing documents, in this case entries on a didactic forum on an e-learning platform – their content and available information on entries, such as the date of entry and the average grade of the student entering the registration. The main strategy for data analysis was qualitative analysis and the complementary strategy was quantitative analysis. The qualitative analysis covers the nature of the responses to correctly completed tasks – the type of action undertaken by the students and its creative or imitative nature, as well as the strategies undertaken by students who failed the task. The quantitative analysis covered the number of submitted works, the number of passed works (performative solutions) and failed works (non-performative solutions), their correlation with the average grade for compulsory tasks and the time of submitting the work. The article points to the need to use performative methods in education that mobilize students to act, not only to plan their own actions.

A Memory of Prof. Jolanta Brach-Czaina. Walking in the Garden

Report on the 9th Transdisciplinary Symposium of Qualitative Research, Białystok, June 7–9, 2021