Paola Napolitano

The best analogy that best fits my process of data analysis is ‘stumbling in the dark’. To start with, I had no idea of what a research methodology is, when I had to pick the best one for my inquiry in Module 2. I found this website  How to Write a Research Methodology in Four Steps (scribbr.com) quite illuminating, as it explains in concise, useful, practical ways how to draft a research project and how to go through its different stages. I came up with thematic analysis as my chosen method, within narrative inquiry as methodology. Despite the clear explanations on how to retrieve themes, I must admit I started off with a very schematic mindset in doing so. Firstly, I excerpted few bits of the interviews. These were not easy to select. Especially, I was conscious of not adding my own meaning to them, but I tried to keep an objective approach when opting for the ones which would be relevant for my inquiry. Then, I reviewed the excerpts and organized them into an excel sprea...

One takeaway from the MAPP programme for me is cultivating reflective practices. It is a process of learning new self-questioning behaviors that make you open to new views. I still remember when Liz Lerman’s Critical methodology was introduced to me during an improvisation class at Independent Dance year ago. I found this process provoking, almost irritating, as I did want to have a right or wrong feedback. That was not the point. I was not used to carve out answers from my own reflections, hence the difficulty of a new learning framework. Comparing myself now and the beginning of this journey, I can clearly see the change I have made thanks to the ongoing self-reflective modalities MAPP proposes. Tutorials and feedback have been nourishing places for me to be in. I have gradually allowed my rational, pragmatic mind to enter into a constructive conversation with my tutor and the students community. Creating the space for a real dialogue exchange with my tutor first, then taki...