Developing an ontological awareness

A few weeks ago I felt mildly confident that I knew what I was doing in terms of research and how I intend to carry my project out. However, in the time since, I have felt my mind expanding into new and unknown territory. It is equally exciting and terrifying! The main thing being that all of my research so far has been based on what other people have said. I have ensured that every time I make a claim, I back it up with something I have read – and only things I have read. This level of study gives me permission to go beyond this; to question the very nature of research itself and gain a critical and sceptic mind with regard to reviewing literature and drawing conclusions.

Who has the authority to say exactly what a research project should look like? Who knows what is correct and what is wrong? Is there a solid distinction between the two? Each research project is unique to the researcher; I am beginning to see that actually my project will be the story of my relationships with the children involved, and my own interpretation of their interactions with me and with the resources I provide. There is no wrong answer; I will look at my data and determine a particular way of thinking about it, while someone else could look at the same data and draw different conclusions; it depends on the perspective from which it is being observed.

So for this reason, I have to very carefully select the previous data that I draw on to set up my project. Weak studies will not give me good enough reason to proceed; I need a sound basis for following this lead, and my literature review will need to give that argument, that reasoning as to why my project is so important. Why do young children need supporting when they move house? Who determines that they are struggling through transitions? How is a struggle defined? Do struggles such as this promote resilience, and should I not even get involved but allow nature to take its course and help to strengthen the children? All of these questions are necessary to ask if I want to get down to the ontological awareness of the situation.