6. Chapter 6: Considerations, Implications and Summary
6.6 Personal Insights
At the beginning, and throughout this study care has been taken to position the researcher within the study as Allocations Officer in a The Department of Nursing and Midwifery. Now nearing the end of this path, extracts from reflective journal are shared. Extracts relating to different stages of the process illustrating the personal journey of the researcher.
The first extract relates to the period nearing the end of the data collection period.
Had supervision today, all students that have expressed an interest have been interviewed and nobody else is coming forward. I have reviewed the transcripts again and feel that there is recurrence of events as is suggested in the qualitative text books cases (Richards and Field 2013) but I am still apprehensive. Is this enough? This forms the basis for the supervision meeting. I have brought some transcripts having highlighted where I see the replication. Drawing together the transcripts with the ethical considerations, specifically self-deceleration, and returning to the aim of the study helps in the transparency of the decision making. The value of dialogue and working through the issue is not to be underestimated and is something I will take with me from this journey
(Reflective Diary Extract 6)
The extract is taken towards the end of the path, considering the learning from and through the study, looking towards the future
The research process as a journey is engaging, fascinating, inspiring and hard work. Discovering the highs and lows of this journey as the data moved and shaped towards new perspectives, writing and re writing changing and evolving. As the data moved and shaped I was challenged to look from a different perspective, what I thought was the biggest problem may not be, normal I know (Silverman 2013).To share an example, I had considered and written in an earlier entry that perhaps the challenges of travelling to placements and the expense this incurs would emerge more significantly and I had not fully appreciated the importance of the pre entry experience which emerged from this study.
At the beginning, I underestimated the personal journey of discovery and the learning along the way. embracing the opportunity to contribute to an international conference considering the impact of my research on my professional role and the interlinked nature of both was a learning opportunity I may not have had if not engaging in this research. The
opportunity allowed me to explore the personal and professional journey of discovery this study has brought me on. My role as allocations officer has moved and evolved as I have over the years but particularly during this study, in the words of some of the students who participated I am glad I made the choice and completed.
Supporting the student experience, while always implicitly critical to my role is now explicit and acknowledged. The conference presentation allowed me the opportunity to acknowledge my practice as having a foundation in the Johns (2010) ‘Being available’ template allowing the freedom to acknowledge and grow in this area. Now perhaps, nurse and midwifery education in Ireland needs to look toward embracing what higher education had to offer rather than drowning in the ‘mac donald’s’ analogy as presented by Rolfe (2012), learning from the experience of the UK. Taking the positives from the Irish commitment to degree education and leaning from the UK experience of moving through this transition period. It seems to me at this juncture that respecting and valuing the uniqueness of all who participate in the student journey is key.
(Reflective Diary Extract 7)
This final extract was completed a week before the submission of the thesis but illustrates the nature of qualitative research, affirming an evolving journey of discovery
In reading, reviewing and looking at the literature again as I prepare final drafts I find myself re reading a study ‘Why here and why stay? Students' voices on the retention strategies of a widening participation university’ (Mc Kendry et al 2014). I have used work in the discussion but now see the subtle wording of the study design. The study was conducted with first students from ‘a widening participation’ university. I have struggled throughout this stay with the tensions of respecting and ‘doing justice’ to the student experience as shared by this group of students and the challenges of how future work could be framed. The approach taken by Mc Kendry et al (2014) I now think may offer a more holistic approach to the student experience. It also serves as a reminder, the nature of research and the importance of remaining open and ready to see the opportunities when they arise, even at this stage.
(Reflective Diary Extract 8) 6.7 Summary
Continued commitment by the Irish government to increasing participation for individuals from what has been classified as those traditionally underrepresented in higher education, impacts on the profile of student coming onto pre-registration
of change for the nursing profession and the educational structures which support it. A qualitative descriptive study design was chosen as most suitable in addressing the research aim, to explore the experiences of students from underrepresented groups on nursing programme in an Irish context. The findings of the study bring forward that which was hidden, revealing the uniqueness of the student experience through the emergence of three themes, Taking the First Steps, Finding a Way, and Getting Through. The personal and professional growth and development of these students’ descriptions is threaded throughout the study.
This study, guided by ethical concepts and sensitivity and took an inclusive view of underrepresent groups. A decision was taken to refrain from asking students for information related to specific routes of entry. In essence students volunteered to be part of the research. It is noted that students may have fitted into one or more of the HEA’s definition of underrepresented groups. This highlights the balance between ethics and data generation.
These findings are seen to have resonance within the context of national and international literature, contributing to the body of knowledge surrounding how students from these groups experience BSc Nursing programmes in Ireland. This study explored and shared rich descriptions of the journey of students from the underrepresented groups on nursing programmes in an Irish context.
This study is a stepping stone on the path towards embracing the individuality of the experience of students from the underrepresented groups on undergraduate nursing programmes in Ireland.
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