Methodology
Ethnographers, when using digital, internet, and virtual methodologies, face issues of disembodied and binary participation (online/offline; virtual/in-real-life) and field sites that are fluid, non-situated, unfolding, and without boundaries (Hine, 2015; Markham, 2016). These are familiar landscapes for me, where I thrive in the complexities. I acknowledge that ethnography is hindered by the partiality of results, since the parameters studied are those of interest and visible to the researcher (Hine, 2015). Digital ethnographic researchers can become distanced, as a self-preservation strategy used by both the researcher and the participants in digital interactions (Gatin, 2013). This occurs physically, contextually, and emotionally. Having a pre-existing relationship with the participants, and building conversations over time, will help bridge this distancing issue. The salient characteristics of internet based research that fit my research proposal include: a) as a means of communication, b) as chrono-malleable venue, c) as multimodal and alternative representation, and as d) linguistically and socially constructed (Markham, 2008). These characteristics will be considered elemental to conducting this digital ethnographic research.
I will apply a methodological framework called crystallization where research evidence is “best presented not in a single, unequivocal statement but as nuanced and complex if it is to “dazzle” audiences with its validity, relevance, and aesthetic merit” (Ellingson, 2014, p. 442). This methodology best fits this research for two reasons. First, crystallization “centers on understanding the research and researcher position to intimately view the process with an openness that allows discoveries to unfold that would otherwise be lost” (Stewart et al., 2017). From my position as one who is immersed in MDL in FoE experienced through an OEPr lens, I am not a “fool with a wand working the magic of illusion” but a “perceptive seer delving deeply into the mysteries with a solid belief that discovery must be rich, credible and trustworthy” (Stewart et al., 2017, p. 2) which takes time, effort, commitment and passion. With my experience in media-making, I will construct “thick and rich descriptions through multiple forms, genres and modes to embed the researcher in a reflexive process allowing them to apply their craft” (Stewart et al., 2017, p. 3).
Secondly, crystallization is “ideal for constructing portraits of everyday relating because it brings together vivid, intimate details of people’s lives shared via storytelling and art with the broader relational patterns and structures identified through social scientific analyses” (Ellingson, 2014, p. 443). Because this methodology encourages boundary spanning, the creation of multiple forms of analysis and representation, and enticing researchers to become public intellectuals (Ellingson, 2014), it is suited to the topic, questions, and foci for my research. Since participants have an openly accessible digital presence, crystallization will allow me to present publicly available information in alternate formats to maintain anonymity and enhance privacy. With crystallization as research methodology and a primary consideration in the alternative dissertation format, I will be seen to critically question the privilege of closed academic practices, the dominance of alpha/numeric representations, and the hidden openness of teacher educators.