Before my tutorial I had emailed David two questions :
- I’ve been asking in my interviews with male working class students about imposter syndrome and if they feel that they experience it. Mostly they have said no but then what they’ve said about the way they feel are symptoms of imposter syndrome. Research I’ve read says that this is something that women suffer from (I hate using the word suffer here but it fits for now) so I’ve found research that makes the case for keeping my question focused on female students but I’m confused.
- Do you have any tips for keeping the report within the word limit?
The answer to the first one was simple when David explained it in a different way. I am a woman. Men are even less likely to open up to me than they are to other men. Working class men are stereotypically proud, and opening up about their feelings of being not good enough is very unlikely. David gave the example of men drinking in the pub – they don’t talk about their feelings until they are a few pints deep, and then it’s like a floodgate opens and they won’t stop talking about how they feel. He suggested a change of approach might be needed if I want honest answers from the men I’ve spoken to, eg. a Likert scale follow up survey. This would allow me to compare the answers I was given in person versus the answers given without my presence. I like this idea and I will be writing a Likert scale survey this afternoon.
The second question had a very nuanced answer. I have to admit that I have been rambling in the rewrite of my report and the introduction and methodology sections keep growing!! It wasn’t until David explained why it’s called an evaluative report that the penny finally dropped. Value is in the name of the report and that’s exactly what I need to demonstrate in my report – why does my research have value? Everything I write should be illustrating why my research has value and if it doesn’t show that, then it won’t be included.
Action Points
- Start rewriting my report (again) with the aim of showing the value in my research ✔️
- Write Likert scale survey and send to my male interviewees ✔️
- Change my question to take ‘female’ out of it. The discussion about why male students are unlikely to open up to me has showed me just why they should be included in my research ✔️
- Think of questions I have for David for our last tutorial. I don’t want to waste his time by not asking questions and regretting it later