Autobiographical Inquiry: Investigating Our Practice

Module Instructor: Dr. Shauna Butterwick

This module introduces graduate students to autobiographical, auto-ethnographic and life writing approaches with the hope that these methodologies (which have been used in academic research for several decades) can be part of the menu of methodologies you will consider for your thesis or dissertation research. A key goal of the EdD program (and other programs, too) is to support you to explore and better understand and improve your educational practice (broadly conceived). Researchers using these methodologies have contributed in significant ways to creating knowledge relevant to their own educational practice. The stories they tell also contribute to others’ understandings as well – that is the power of stories.

After completing this module you will have been introduced to some key aspects of these methodologies: what’s involved, their contributions, some strategies and some ethical questions and how these kinds of approaches are evaluated. While some key authors and publications are referenced in this module, and additional references are provided, the field is large and growing rapidly with many new publications emerging every year. For a fuller and more in depth exploration of these methodologies, students are encouraged to do additional searches for other articles and books and to talk with students and faculty who have used these approaches.

How this module works:
This module has been designed for graduate students in the Faculty of Education at the University of British Columbia. However, students in other faculties, may also find this module useful. In this module, you will be asked to do the following:

• Read the segment material written by Dr. Butterwick
• Read the required materials before watching the video lectures
• Watch the video lectures
• Use the suggested assignments in full, or modify to create your own
• Consult the resources section when needed

IMPORTANT LOGIN INFORMATION: All modules are hosted on EdX Edge. Once you sign in with your CWL you will be directed to the module. If you this is your first time using the platform you will need to create a user login with EdX Edge. Subsequent logins to other modules will use the same user login information.