Producing emotionally sensed knowledge? Reflexivity and emotions in researching responses to death

This paper reflects on the methodological complexities of producing emotionally-sensed knowledge about responses to family deaths in urban Senegal. Through engaging in ‘uncomfortable reflexivity’, we critically explore the multiple positionings of the research team comprised of UK, Senegalese and Burkinabé researchers and those of participants in Senegal and interrogate our own cultural assumptions. We explore the emotional labour of the research process from an ethic of care perspective and reflect on how our multiple positionings and emotions influence the production and interpretation of the data, particularly exemplified through our differing responses to diverse meanings of ‘family’ and religious refrains. We show how our approach of ‘uncomfortable reflexivity’ helps to reveal the work of emotions in research, thereby producing ‘emotionally sensed knowledge’ about responses to death and contributing to the cross-cultural study of emotions

Joining the conspiracy? Negotiating ethics and emotions in researching (around) AIDS in southern Africa

AIDS is an emotive subject, particularly in southern Africa. Among those who have been directly affected by the disease, or who perceive themselves to be personally at risk, talking about AIDS inevitably arouses strong emotions - amongst them fear, distress, loss and anger. Conventionally, human geography research has avoided engagement with such emotions. Although the ideal of the detached observer has been roundly critiqued, the emphasis in methodological literature on 'doing no harm' has led even qualitative researchers to avoid difficult emotional encounters. Nonetheless, research is inevitably shaped by emotions, not least those of the researchers themselves. In this paper, we examine the role of emotions in the research process through our experiences of researching the lives of 'Young AIDS migrants' in Malawi and Lesotho. We explore how the context of the research gave rise to the production of particular emotions, and how, in response, we shaped the research, presenting a research agenda focused more on migration than AIDS. This example reveals a tension between universalised ethics expressed through ethical research guidelines that demand informed consent, and ethics of care, sensitive to emotional context. It also demonstrates how dualistic distinctions between reason and emotion, justice and care, global and local are unhelpful in interpreting the ethics of research practice

Almost confessional: managing emotions when research breaks your heart

Social scientists have increasingly shown how qualitative research can be an emotional experience for researchers. Literature on this subject has tended to focus on the emotionally upsetting impact of data collection, often framing this as a form of emotional labour which can be managed by researchers adopting confessional style narratives throughout the research process. But what about the potentially life-affirming impacts of emotions in research? And what happens when confessional style narratives create, rather than dilute, emotional trauma? We use our experiences of conducting qualitative research on two very emotive topics – baby loss and sibling bereavement – to explore the role of emotions in research. We go beyond the predominant focus on doing research to shed light on emotions in the wider research process (from recruitment to impact). We will highlight the dual-edged nature of emotions in research, emphasising some of the more beneficial impacts. Drawing on the Weberian concept of Verstehen which focuses on the importance of understanding, we will also develop a more nuanced form of emotion management in this context. In doing so, we offer an original contribution to methodological discussions in this field, as well as to more conceptual debates on emotional labour

Mathematical investigations: A primary teacher educator's narrative journey of professional awareness

As a teacher educator, I used narrative inquiry to investigate my professional practice in working alongside pre-service primary teachers in mathematics education. One theme that emerged from this research was the exploration of narrative as a powerful means with which to pursue professional development. In this process I encountered, and subsequently changed, previously unknown personal beliefs about learning mathematics. A second theme focused on the value of mathematical investigations, for myself as a mathematical learner and for supporting pre-service teachers to develop their understandings of what it means to learn and teach mathematics

Affective games:a multimodal classification system

Affective gaming is a relatively new field of research that exploits human emotions to influence gameplay for an enhanced player experience. Changes in player’s psychology reflect on their behaviour and physiology, hence recognition of such variation is a core element in affective games. Complementary sources of affect offer more reliable recognition, especially in contexts where one modality is partial or unavailable. As a multimodal recognition system, affect-aware games are subject to the practical difficulties met by traditional trained classifiers. In addition, inherited game-related challenges in terms of data collection and performance arise while attempting to sustain an acceptable level of immersion. Most existing scenarios employ sensors that offer limited freedom of movement resulting in less realistic experiences. Recent advances now offer technology that allows players to communicate more freely and naturally with the game, and furthermore, control it without the use of input devices. However, the affective game industry is still in its infancy and definitely needs to catch up with the current life-like level of adaptation provided by graphics and animation

Practitioner enquiry and professional development: 'action research' re-visited and re-viewed in the context of outcomes-based education

[From the abstract]: In the past five years there has been considerable change in curriculum design and delivery in universities in the UK, as the sector moves towards an outcomes-based approach. This is having a marked effect on teaching and learning, and particularly on assessment strategies and methods. Accompanying the curriculum change we have seen an increased emphasis on the role of teaching in HE, with central funding to support staff through 'subject networks', key publications and resources. At the same time there has been high-profile recognition for 'teaching excellence' and a move towards the 'accreditation' of HE academic staff with mandatory continuous professional development (CPD) as part of quality enhancement ..

Systematic review of studies of mental health nurses' experience of anger and of its relationships with their attitudes and practice

IntroductionEmotional regulation is important in mental health nursing practice but individual emotions may require different regulation strategies. There is ample evidence that nurses experience anger specifically during their work, for example when experiencing patient aggression. It is, therefore, important to consolidate what is known about how anger manifests in mental health nursing practice.AimWe aimed to systematically identify, evaluate, and synthesise results from studies about mental health nurses and anger, where anger was measured objectively.MethodsSystematic literature review based on PRISMA guidelines.Results.We identified 12 studies. A range of validated and non-validated instruments were used. Mental health nurses may have lower levels of anger than normative samples but anger is commonly reported as an issue for them. Anger was studied in relation to its links with i) clinical management of patients, notably violence containment; and ii) employment issues more generally, notably job motivation. Anger is related to nurses’ attitudes about the acceptability of coercion but there is no evidence that it results in more coercion.Implications for practiceNurses should be aware of the potential influence of anger on their practice. Anger, specifically, should be considered when supporting mental health nurses, for example in clinical supervision. Emotional regulation training should target anger

Researcher self-care in organizational ethnography: lessons from overcoming compassion fatigue

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to offer practical researcher self-care strategies to prepare for and manage the emotions involved in doing organizational ethnographic research. Institutional ethics policies or research training programmes may not provide guidance, yet emotions are an integral part of research, particularly for ethnographers immersed in the field or those working with sensitive topics or vulnerable or marginalised people.Design/methodology/approach – The paper draws on ethnographic fieldwork over nine months with a voluntary organization in the UK, Yarl’s Wood Befrienders, to explore the experiences and activities of volunteer visitors who offer emotional support to women detained indefinitely in an immigration removal centre. The author is a “complete member researcher”, or “at-home ethnographer”, a volunteer visitor and a former detainee.Findings – The author describes the emotional impact the research personally had on her and shares learning from overcoming “compassion fatigue”. Self-care strategies based on the literature are recommended, such as a researcher self-assessment, identification of the emotional risks of the research, and self-care plan formulated during project planning. Suggested resources and activities to support the well-being of researchers are explored.Practical implications – This paper provides practical resources for researchers to prepare for and cope with emotional and mental health risks throughout the research process. It builds awareness of safeguarding researchers and supporting them with handling emotional disruptions. Without adequate support, they may be psychologically harmed and lose the potential to critically engage with emotions as data.Originality/value – The literature on emotions in doing research rarely discusses self-care strategies. This paper offers an actionable plan for researchers to instil emotional and mental well-being into the research design to navigate emotional challenges in the field and build resilience

The concept of information grounds and the role of emotions in research on users' information behavior

Próby interdyscyplinarnego podejścia do badań nad teorią i modelami zachowań informacyjnych użytkowników coraz częściej uwzględniają paradygmat afektywny, rolę emocji. Koncepcja tymczasowych miejsc informacyjnych (information grounds) sformułowana przez Karen Fisher, opierająca się na badaniach empirycznych oraz modelach zachowań informacyjnych Savolainena, Chatman, Dervin, należy do teorii uwzględniających czynniki afektywne. Omówiono model zachowań informacyjnych użytkowników w tymczasowo tworzonych grupach, gdzie zachodzi synergia oraz określone interakcje społeczne, a który uwzględnia także fizyczne, socjologiczne, afektywne i kognitywne czynniki wpływające na te zachowania.Attempts to develop a multidisciplinary approach to theoretical research and modeling of users’ information behavior increasingly take into account the affective paradigm and the role of emotions. The concept of Information Grounds formulated by Karen Fisher, based on empirical studies and models of information behavior advanced by Savolainen, Chatman and Dervin, arises from this trend insofar it takes into consideration affective factors. This article presents the model of information behavior of users in temporary groups with the synergy and certain social interactions, where physical, sociological, cognitive and affective factors influencing those behaviors were identified