How do i know who you think you are? A review of research methods on organizational identity

The notion of organizational identity was introduced in management studies in 1985. In the following 25 years, a vibrant debate about how to conceptualize organizational identities and related themes (multiple identities, identity change, interrelations between identity, image and culture) does not seem to have corresponded to explicit reflections about specific methodological issues. In this paper, the authors inductively review research methods adopted by studies of organizational identity published in top-level journals, with the purpose of deriving insights about the current status of research practices, uncovering their often tacit ontological and epistemological assumptions, and stimulating discussion about their possible evolution

The Development of Language Learning Strategies

This article discusses the strategy repertoires and strategy development of six English children who learned foreign languages at primary school. My study differs from mainstream research in that it focuses on young children and on the development of their strategies, draws on sociocultural theory and uses ethnographic methods. My findings show that the six children developed a range of strategies over the course of a calendar year in spite of receiving no direct strategy instruction. The primary classroom encouraged learner autonomy and stimulated children to reflect on their learning which, in turn, enabled them to refine their strategies

It's a question of trust: balancing the relationship between students and teachers in ethnographic fieldwork

The experiences encountered as a young, novice, female, white, northern English ethnographer investigating the sensitive topic of student resistance are examined. Research was conducted in two comprehensive secondary schools in Birmingham (England) and a state governed school situated in Sydney (Australia). The implications of investigating student resistance and the importance of how the researchers’ personal dispositions influence the research process are discussed. The significance of the role the researcher adopts in the school and how this impacts upon how the researcher experiences leaving the field are examined. The predicaments an ethnographer can find themselves in when trying to balance the trust relationship between students and teachers are discussed