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Introduction
Chapter Eleven
A Critical Reflection on the Study
In this chapter, the aim is to offer a critical reflection on the study. This will involve a
consideration of the conduct of the study in relation to Stewart’s criteria (1998, p.17) for
judging ethnographic method, followed by a consideration of the stages of the study (the
design of the research, the analysis, and the discussion and conclusions). The chapter
ends with an overall critique of the whole project.
Preamble - the research is just what you do anyway
It can be argued that the methodology of this research, post-Foulkesian group-analytic
ethnography (or PFGAE), is actually no more than good practice in adult education.
Following this argument, teachers of courses such as this would expect as a matter of
routine to pay attention to the process of such a group. They would also expect to make
use of any data that came from that consideration in order to maximise the outputs from
the course, notably the integration by the participants of theory and practice in their
professional field. As part of the drive towards this integration, it would be assumed that
teachers would avail themselves of all reasonable opportunities to consider relevant
data. There are also overlaps between this field and others, such as the professional
supervision of trainers of people who work with people, where there are other
theorisations of experience and behaviour not necessarily related to this research
.(Ekstein & Wallerstein, 1972; Searles, 1955). This work may not be a whole field,
either being subsumed by practice in this area, or by another field all together. Set
against this, what distinguishes this work is the intent, as well as the opportunity that