Counting feelings ... a Pirate Honor Code

A few points from the last class session really struck me so I want to memorialize them in this blog. (Or perhaps I am just procrastinating on my research proposal?)

First, we just happened to wander onto the Count's video and it worked great as an illustration of the importance of counting in meaning making. But, his song about counting feelings is also an apt reminder of the need to strike balance between quantitative and qualitative methods. It also aligned with my last blog about being a pirate and ninja, in equal measure. A “feeling” is an important indicator of a participant’s reality. All of the participant’s emotions and reactions should be identified and added up. It is also critical for the researcher to acknowledge and understand her own feelings as she stays attentive to bias and open to new meanings.

Second, this leads to the last few slides we were shown from the Class 9 deck on qualitative analysis. I’ve summarized the points here as a sort of “Pirate Honor Code”:

On my honor, as a Pirate, I will strive to be a good writer and fair observer. I will be respectful, reliable and trustworthy. I will always endeavor to remain open and honest about my biases, and to look for new meaning and patterns in every observation that I make.

The Count said it well… “Feeling all these feelings makes me feel exhausted!” On his advice, I am going to go catch 40 winks.