Well I have to start somewhere and this seems like a good of place as any. I just completed my first assignment for my LRNT502 class - Introduction to Research. If I am being completely honest...research scares me. At least at the depth I know I am going to have to get into. I have never participated in an in depth research based project before...and although I know it is going to be all engrossing, I am ready for the challenge. My goal is to, some day, make an impact in the realm of education that extends beyond my immediate environment...and I know that research is a critical part of such a process.  

With that said...the vast amounts of information now available is daunting. Even just barely scratching the surface of this class is bring to the surface all sorts of questions: 

• How to research? 
• Where to research? 
• Why to research? 
• Who am I as a researcher? 
• How does where I live and what I believe in affect my research?

Mindful inquiry appears, on the surface, to be common sense. Why wouldn't you take into account your own views, context, personality etc...? Harder said than done. There are so many variables to take into account when taking on a research project and I think that often one would look outside of themselves to the issue and neglect how they own biases, filters, culture, values would be affecting what they are seeing and how they are seeing something. 

Mindful inquiry puts the researcher right in the middle of the research at the very start - it asks them to find out why they are doing the research in the first place? (Bent and Shapiro, 1998) The answer to this question can affect one's research in a variety of ways and it allows the researcher become more conscious of their choices and decisions.

The text for this course, Mindful Inquiry in Social Research,  introduces many different cultures of inquiry and research traditions and methods. I am already overwhelmed by the choices. I know that each method has its strengths and weaknesses and is already rooted in various fields of study - sifting through them and understanding them is going to be a process for sure.

After completing a mind map on four different cultures of inquiry (see it here: Mind Map), I am already intrigued by hermeneutic inquiry for personal interest and evaluative and action research on a more professional level.

References:
Bent,V.M., & Shapiro, J. J. (1998). Mindful Inquiry in Social Research. Thousand Oaks, California: Sage.

Image retrieved from: http://www.joiningthedots.org.uk/5.html