Stories from my PhD journey: rewriting my methodology chapter

Abstract

Purpose – This paper aims to describe a case study of how an unexpected event created an opportunity to reconsider and rewrite the methodology chapter in the author’s PhD thesis. Design/methodology/approach – The approach that the author used that assisted her to change her methodology involved a combination of reflective and reflexive reading, thinking and writing. It was a slow and thorough process through which the author considered widely the choices that she was making. Through an iterative process of writing, reading and talking, and then re-writing, the author was able to establish a position or standpoint from which she felt confident about the underpinnings of her study. Findings – The author came to understand herself ontologically in a new way. The author could see how she had moved significantly from a positivist view of static bodies of knowledge creation to a paradigm involving a more dynamic knowledge creation. Correspondingly, the author was able to revise and focus her methodology, and in the course of the process, she learnt and grew as a person and as a researcher. The author understood her values, assumptions and beliefs about the world much more clearly. The author also became much more aware of her own PhD journey, how she was developing personally and how her identity was evolving. Originality/value – This paper will be useful for those who are embarking on their PhD journey and attempting to critique and/or rethink their methodological approach in the qualitative or interpretivist paradigm.