Educators are well versed in reflective practice when it comes to pedagogy but less so when it comes to documenting research (Moon, 1999). Kelly proposes that the journal can be ‘an anchor, sounding board, mirror and a comfort blanket’ (Kelly, 2023, p. 11), something which may be of value for doctoral researchers.
In my own journalling journey as a first year EdD researcher, the initial attempt saw me writing in narrative prose, but this felt constrained, and I craved something more creative. Both Moon (1999) and Kelly (2023) suggest that multimodal journalling offers opportunities for exploration and a deeper understanding of the issues; a space to play.
I therefore embarked on a more gratifying and liberating scrapbook journal, purchasing a black-paged scrapbook and a white pen – there was something satisfying about the old-style blackboard look that appealed to me as a former classroom teacher – and began journalling using a range of multimodal artefacts. In writing this way, I have found that justification for research journalling perhaps centres around the following four key aspects.
Attia and Edge (2017) assert that tracking our progress and interrogating our goals is key in developing as critical thinkers, particularly when research is emergent and likely to evolve. The journal has already been invaluable, allowing me to note down my experience of speaking at the BERA ECR symposium, alongside some post-presentation reflections and feedback. I’ve also found it useful to note down key ideas from assignments, attaching tweets or quotations which take these ideas further, thus learning from the journal itself and offering a way to record extra reading I might want to pursue.
