Graduate
Division of Educational Research
Faculty
of Education
University
of Calgary
“Navigating
the "Seven C's": Curiosity, Confirmation,
by
Ronald
J. Chenail
Submitted
to:
Dr.
Dianne Dodsworth
Professor
EDER 603.01
Submitted
by:
Dawn
Hayward
237521
June
25, 2001
I was particularly interested in the article, Navigating
the "Seven C's": Curiosity, Confirmation, Comparison, Changing,
Collaborating, Critiquing, and
This article argues the necessity for
researchers to establish a “research posture” which will help keep the study
on course and more able to further and promote future research. Chenail promotes the use of the “seven C’s” in order to
assure such research posture. As
per my final paper on the tenets of qualitative research, I will evaluate the
article, Navigating the "Seven C's": Curiosity, Confirmation,
Comparison, Changing, Collaborating, Critiquing, and Combinations, based on
those qualities.
Chenail is
particularly cognizant on the point of subjectivity in researching.
In the section, “Relationship with the Other and Oneself” he is
directly addressing how a researcher places himself in relation to his study
subjects and the need to maintain this relationship throughout the research.
The author delves deeper into the subjective nature of qualitative research when he discusses how a researcher addresses those members of his study. A researcher “tells” something about his relationships with others when he addresses them as “stakeholders”, “subjects” or “interviewees”. This is a very relevant and new topic in the quest for subjective research.
Self-discovery
Chenail is on a journey of
self-discovery throughout this research as this is the second article he has
written on the topic. He addresses
his previous research in attempt to explain to the reader how he has progressed
during his study.
The author uses his personal experiences with the “seven C’s” to provide the reader a frame of reference. This approach openly describes Chenail’s process of understanding the topic and how he has come to the conclusions and beliefs he has about the subject matter.
Access
to Research
Chenail does not describe how he
accessed the data to complete his research.
Throughout the article, the findings are more pertinent than the process.
Although the author does give general descriptions on his journey
throughout the topic, he does not formally address his research means.
Data
Collection and Data Analysis
Chenail does not reference his
techniques for data collection or analysis.
He does refer to previous articles where original studies were described.
Although this is an informative and helpful article, it would be helpful
if Chenail detailed how he came to his conclusions and the basis for his
beliefs.
Chenail writes in a manner that
is clear and informative. His
article grabs the novice researcher’s attention and allows them to learn and
grow regarding the topic. In my
experience, as a novice researcher, this type of self-reflective and descriptive
writing allows for more understanding than a typical clinical style of text.
The question and answer format
in the latter part of the article addresses concerns and issues for the novice
researcher. It is of particular
benefit to have such a format as a future resource.
Conclusion
Chenail’s article is a
reflective and informative piece on the importance of the seven C’s:
curiosity, confirmation, comparison, changing, collaborating, critiquing and
combinations. Although there is not
a formal detailing of his research methods, he does describe his experiences
with the topic and reflects to demonstrate how he reached his own understanding
of qualitative research.
It would be helpful if Chenail
went into detail regarding his own studies leading him to the conclusions and
ideas presented in this article. He
does hint at his research when mentioning previous writings on the topic.
One can assume that time was taken to detail his research data collection
and analysis. It is unfortunate
that these areas were not covered in such an interesting article.
The author’s writing style provides a simplistic means for novice
researchers to understand the importance of how researchers relate to those
involved in their study.
Source
Chenail, R. J. (2000, March). Navigating the "seven c's": Curiosity, confirmation, comparison, changing, collaborating, critiquing, and combinations. The Qualitative Report [On-line serial], 4(3/4). Available: http://www.nova.edu/ssss/QR/QR4-3/sevencs.htm