From This Side of Pyrenees: An Overview of Autoethnography in Spain

In den letzten Jahren hat das Interesse an der Autoethnografie in Spanien zugenommen. Gleichwohl ist deren Sichtbarkeit innerhalb und außerhalb unserer Grenzen nach wie vor begrenzt. In diesem Artikel habe ich zum ersten Mal autoethnografische Texte spanischer Autor*innen untersucht. Ich stützte mich dabei auf einen traditionellen bibliografischen Review von Texten, die bis zum Jahr 2020 in spanischer und englischer Sprache veröffentlicht wurden. Ich habe die Texte entlang von drei Phasen der Entwicklung der spanischen Autoethnografie geordnet: ihre Entstehung, ihre Verbreitung von der Anthropologie in andere akademische Bereiche und ihre Konsolidierung und Diversifizierung. Für jede Phase gehe ich auf die jeweiligen Inhalte, Disziplinen und die wichtigsten untersuchten Themen ein. Ich konzentriere mich auf Beiträge, in denen die Konzepte und Visionen der Autoethnografie am deutlichsten vermittelt wurden. Abschließend beschreibe ich die Besonderheiten, mit denen spanische Forscher*innen konfrontiert waren, die autoethnografische Methode eingesetzt haben, die Hindernisse, die ihrer Konsolidierung im Wege standen, und die Unsicherheiten, die die Zukunft der Autoethnografie bedrohen könnten.In recent years, we have witnessed a growing interest in autoethnography in Spain. However, the visibility of Spanish autoethnography within and beyond our borders continues to be limited. In this article, I have examined autoethnographic texts written by Spanish authors for the first time. I based this examination on a traditional bibliographic review of texts published in Spanish and English up to 2020. I organized texts according to my proposal for three stages of the development of Spanish autoethnography: its emergence, its dissemination from anthropology to other academic fields, and its consolidation and diversification. In these, I address the description of the content, the disciplinary fields and the main topics researched. I focus on those which most clearly convey their concepts and visions of autoethnography. I conclude with a description of the particularities with which Spanish researchers have used the autoethnographic method, the obstacles to its consolidation and the uncertainties that may threaten its future

Participatory design facilitation in career exploration processes for college students

Offering opportunities for students to collaborate and reflect through creative exploration and peer support, participatory design facilitation emerges as an innovative approach for interventions supporting career exploration in college. This paper presents a study developed within a summer internship program for undergraduate students at a North American university. Participatory design workshops discussed challenges, life goals and choices in career exploration. Findings related to individualized work-centered lifestyles, pressure for success, rich exchange of experiences, and increasing self-direction are presented. The study showed the potential of participatory design facilitation to open a space for dialogue and creative collaboration. The emerging themes allow for further investigation and innovative design interventions to support career decision-making in the transition to adulthood.Al ofrecer oportunidades para que los estudiantes colaboren y reflexionen a través de la exploración creativa y el apoyo entre pares, la facilitación participativa del diseño surge como un enfoque innovador para las intervenciones que apoyan la exploración de carreras en la universidad. Este artículo presenta un estudio desarrollado dentro de un programa de pasantías de verano para estudiantes universitarios en una universidad norteamericana. Los talleres de diseño participativo discutieron desafíos, objetivos de vida y opciones en la exploración de carreras. Se presentan hallazgos relacionados con estilos de vida individualizados centrados en el trabajo, presión por el éxito, rico intercambio de experiencias y aumento de la autodirección. El estudio mostró el potencial de la facilitación participativa del diseño para abrir un espacio para el diálogo y la colaboración creativa. Los temas emergentes permiten una mayor investigación e intervenciones de diseño innovadoras para apoyar la toma de decisiones profesionales en la transición a la edad adulta.Ao oferecer oportunidades para os alunos colaborarem e refletirem por meio da exploração criativa e apoio de colegas, a facilitação participativa do design surge como uma abordagem inovadora das intervenções que apoiam a exploração de carreira na faculdade. Este artigo apresenta um estudo desenvolvido dentro de um programa de estágio de verão para estudantes universitários de uma universidade americana. As oficinas de design participativo discutiram desafios, objetivos de vida e opções de exploração de carreira. São apresentadas conclusões relacionadas a estilos de vida individualizados, centrados no trabalho, pressão para o sucesso, rica troca de experiências e maior autodireção. O estudo mostrou o potencial da facilitação participativa do design para abrir um espaço para o diálogo e a colaboração criativa. Questões emergentes permitem mais pesquisas e intervenções inovadoras de design para apoiar a tomada de decisões profissionais na transição para a idade adulta

Experiences of Grade Inflation at an Online University in the United States: An Autoethnography

Grade inflation is a problem at universities in the United States. To understand the cultural effect of grade inflation at a regionally accredited online university in the United States, I conducted autoethnographic research as a participant and observer. In this autoethnographic study, the purpose of my research was to explore my experiences being immersed in a grade inflation culture. I addressed a gap of autoethnographic research related to a culture of grade inflation existing at an online university in the United States. I provided seven themes serving as my discoveries related to my observations and participation as a faculty member. My discoveries supported my assumptions that a culture of grade inflation likely exists at the online university. My discoveries also contribute to the overriding theme in the extant literature that grade inflation exists. My discoveries also support the concept that grade inflation is not limited to on ground universities but also extends to online universities in the United States

An Autoethnographic approach to guide situated ethical decisions in participatory design with teenagers

Participatory Design (PD) methods have become a widespread practice in the development of digital technologies. Even if PD is grounded on a critical and reflective tradition, often the presence of implicit assumptions may have relevant methodological and ethical consequences, since they may unintentionally shape our way of considering or behaving with participants. To tackle this issue, we suggest that the assumptions and expectations of designers must be carefully examined. To guide this process, we propose using a self-reflexive critical practice based on autoethnography as a tool to reflect and construct knowledge out of our subjective experience of designers involved in PD. Grounded on our experience of PD with teenagers, we report how autoethnography allowed gaining a deeper understanding of one's own positions, assumptions and contradictions on aspects related to our standpoint on participatory practices, the images that we have of participants and our role in the design process. This awareness allowed taking into account emotions, personal stories and values in ethical choices, hence guiding situated decision-making on ethical and methodological aspects. Furthermore, we suggest that this approach not only contributes to unveil incongruences and strengthens the validity of the research, but also facilitates conditions for enabling a suitable space for creation and support novel forms of reporting PD experiences

From “powerless and alone” to finding “all the great people who care”: a co-operative inquiry with young people exploring eco-anxiety and constructive ways of coping

This thesis is separated into three sections. Part 1: This consists of a narrative literature review. It starts with a visual overview of key events, policies and climate research and then explores current understanding of eco-anxiety and how this may be experienced and felt by children and young people (CYP). Strategies for coping from the wider literature are then examined. This is followed by an exploration of the school microsystem and the implications for eco-anxiety. Next, these areas are drawn together in a closer look at research relating to managing eco-anxiety in education-settings. It ends with the rationale for the current study and the research questions. Part 2: This is the empirical paper. It explores practical research into eco-anxiety and how to constructively manage it with young people (YP) and their supportive adults (SAs) through co-operative inquiry (CI) in a high school in Wales. It begins with a summary of the literature, followed by an account of the researcher’s ontological and epistemological position. The methodology and procedure followed for the CI is then described. Two separate, but linked inquiries were used: the first with five YP (13-14 year olds), the second with four SAs (teachers from their school). The data was analysed using reflexive thematic analysis, and the themes developed from this are presented in the results section. This is followed by a discussion, linking the findings to theory and the literature. Implications, limitations and suggestions for future research are discussed. Part 3: This final section is the critical appraisal. This critically reflects on the researcher’s experience of conducting the study and the decisions made throughout the process. It offers reflections on ontology and epistemology, the CI approach, ethics, building the inquiry groups, data analysis, and writing about co-researchers. It also reflects on the contribution to knowledge, practice and the dissemination of findings

Participatory design with young people: exploring the experiential, relational and contextual dimensions of participation

Within the field of Participatory Design, whilst there is rich debate on the participation of children, there lacks an explicit knowledge-base focused on the specific participation of young people in the teenage years. There is a need for a more in-depth and person-centred understanding of how young people participate in and can be transformed by Participatory Design. In this practice-based PhD I apply my Participatory Design practice in a research context and build upon my interests of empowering young people in an adult-centric society through design. In this explorative study, I ask: how can a Participatory Design process engage young people and lead to an understanding of their sense of agency? To answer this, I draw on evidence from my fieldwork where I collaborated with a group of fifteen young people over the course of two years. Implementing a five-phase approach, presented as a single case study, I was able to incrementally build trust and rapport with the group. By transporting the filmmaking technique of direct animation into a Participatory Design context, the young people explored and expressed their experiences of education through experimental and abstract imagery and narrating their films with song lyrics. Here I was able to learn about their localised social and educational practices, motivations, and ambitions – observing what I term agency-in-action. My four contributions to knowledge are based on my understanding and experience of the experiential, relational, and contextual dimensions of participation. Through examining the process of participation, I suggest Participatory Design practitioners develop flexible approaches that support young people to collaborate in both an independent and collective capacity, as well as seek out opportunities to bond with participants to build a relationship based on trust. I also propose a need for practitioners to critically engage with the role of context and the impact localised discourse can have on participation. In seeking to protect the participants’ anonymity whilst at the same time exploring the situational, interactional, and tacit aspects of participation, I developed a novel approach to visually documenting, reflecting, and reporting the findings. I constructed a 3D scale model box of the fieldwork setting and, using my field notes, recreated and re-lived significant and meaningful moments; presenting these as the accompanying Portfolio of Practice. These contributions provide the field with both theoretical and methodological insights that are more relevant to the teenage years. My aspiration is that the findings and approaches developed in this study will be harnessed by, give confidence to, and inspire other Participatory Design practitioners by candidly depicting the journey the young people and I went on, the relationship that developed, the challenges I had to negotiate, and the transformative impact of participation