Reframing My Research Approach
At my first *proper* tutorial with Andrew, it became clear that I was approaching my action research project from a wrong lens. I had jumped straight into thinking about solutions, specifically the glossary app, without fully understanding the problem. I had assumed the app was the answer before I had properly interrogated what the question actually is.
One thing Andrew pointed out, which immediately resonated and made me realise something true about my own approach, was that I seemed to be working from a place of certainty rather than curiosity. In other words: I was acting as though I already knew what students struggled with and what they needed, even though I had not formally asked them. This was an important moment of self-awareness. It made me recognise how easy it is, as a practitioner, to rely on instinct, repetition, and experience – especially when I spend so much time teaching in the studio and seeing students’ reactions in real time.
But Andrew’s comment made me realise that my understanding is still partial. I see what students do in workshops, but not necessarily what they feel, what they assume, or what they fear they don’t know. I see the visible challenges, not the invisible ones.
This insight is pushing me to ask a more profound question:
“What don’t I know?”
This question completely reframes my approach. Instead of starting with a proposed solution, I now need to put my focus on the students themselves. What they experience. What they understand. What they struggle with. What they wish they had. And just as importantly: what I might be misinterpreting or overlooking.
I already know from teaching the MA Fashion Photography that students arrive with widely different levels of photographic knowledge. They come from different cultural, educational, and linguistic backgrounds. Yes, I have observed a language barrier (especially between native and second-language English speakers) and I do recognise that this may only be one layer of the issue. Some students may not know technical terminology simply because they have never been exposed to studio practice before. Others may feel embarrassed to ask questions. Some may use different terminology from their home countries. Some may feel overwhelmed by fast-paced workshop environments.
But (and this is the key point) I do not know this for certain until I ask them.
- How can I engage students who know a lot alongside those who know very little?
- How can I understand what students already know before assuming what they don’t?
- How can I meaningfully uncover the silent, hidden, or unspoken gaps in confidence?
- How can I create space for students to tell me what they need, instead of me deciding it for them?
I had been thinking too far ahead, my solution-focused mindset skipped over the most crucial step: understanding the problem from multiple perspectives. Once I truly understand this, the right form of intervention—digital or not—will become clearer.
This encourages me to take a step back, sit in the uncertainty, and begin again from a position of curiosity. This shift opens up space for a more honest, inclusive, and reflective enquiry – one that starts with students’ realities rather than my projections.
I cannot support students effectively unless I first understand them, and unless I also critically reflect on what I don’t yet know about their learning needs.
Reframing the project this way is fundamentally reshaping my direction. The research now begins with enquiry, listening, and discovery and not with a predetermined outcome.
The true purpose of action research: to learn before acting!