MAPPING THE METHODOLOGY
3.2 Mapping the writing of an ANT report
According to Latour (2005), an ANT report is a description of the translations and transformations brought about by the actors in the networks traced. This means the report
these descriptions that “the social is performed” (Latour, 2005). Latour (2005, p. 133) suggests that we keep track of all our moves, even those that involve the writing of this report, because “everything is data, even those that deal with the production of the report”. This is not for epistemic reasons, but because everything is considered to be data (Latour, 2005). He suggests that four notebooks be maintained for the following purposes:
♦ to serve as a log of the enquiry in terms of due dates, time frames, appointments, etc.;
♦ to record data findings;
♦ to record data analysis while still doing field work; and
♦ to map the social from the network traced (Latour, 2005, p. 133).
In this study these records were maintained electronically. A file was opened for the enquirer with three subfiles attached to the main file. The first attached file was entitled
‘Dates’. The Dates file served as an electronic diary for my appointments with my supervisor, date of Faculty Higher Degree presentation (defence of my PhD proposal to a panel of experts in the field from the Faculty of Education at the University of KwaZulu- Natal (UKZN), due dates in respect of ethical clearance and data collection at the DoE and schools node, dates for site visits, dates for time frames of the study, dates for PhD students’ cohort meetings, and due dates for abstracts of papers.
The second attached file was entitled ‘Correspondence’. This contained all correspondence sent and received in respect of the study, namely emails sent to scholars in this field (Mouton12, Benswick13and Mensha14
12 Mouton: is a professor at the University of Western Cape in South Africa. I requested information from him on school-industry links in South Africa
13 Benswick: is the head of the VET programme in Australia. I requested information from him on the VET programme conducted at Glossop High.
14 Mensha: is a professor from Ghana who initiated the STAG programme in Ghana and contextualised the school science curriculum with the help of industrialists.
), data sent to actors for member checks and their correspondence. The third attached file was entitled ‘Mapping the Social’ and
contained two subfiles: one pertaining to data collection and the other to data analysis. A manual journal came into being at the schools node during the delivery of questionnaires.
This was originally not part of my research design strategy. It came into existence incidentally after delivery of the first questionnaire, since I was overwhelmed with information about the “occurrences” in the Phoenix North region. These three electronic files and the journal from the schools node were maintained, since everything in an ANT study is considered as data.
The schematic representation below illustrates what the files maintained looked like.
Schematic representation of the files opened
File 3A: Table for data constitution
Node Practice followed
Conspicuous actors followed
Instruments used to collect data
1. DoE Mediation of policy
Subject advisors Observation of mediation of policy
2. Schools Implementation of policy
Life Sciences teachers Questionnaire, observation of lesson, post-observation focus group interview, journal entries
3.
Industry
Mediation of workplace learning
Education officer, mentors, NTEW
Observation of mediation of workplace, semi-structured interview, conversations File 1:
Dates
File 2:
Correspondence
File 3:
Mapping the social
File 3B:
Data analysis plan File 3A Data collection
plan
Data were analysed to answer the two research questions posed by this study: How is policy constructed and translated in practice as it circulates across the DoE, schools and industry nodes? Is there an interface in terms of policy construction and SKAV development across the nodes - and if so, what is the nature of the interface? Analysis entailed assemblage at a nodal level and (re)assemblage at a cross-nodal level.
File 3B: Table for data analysis
Assemblage (DoE, schools, industry node) (Re)assemblage (cross-nodal level)
Data collected at each node were transcribed Assembled networks were placed side by side The data were read several times to identify key
terms and actors enrolled into the network
The networks were examined for points of convergences in respect of policy construction and SKAV constitution to see if there was an interface Patterns of meanings were established Since an interface existed, I noted all f(actors) that
altered the optical density of each node from the nodal networks
Patterns of meanings that were similar were grouped together
The alliance network formed at each node was inspected to explore if they remained stable, evolved or restructured themselves, and if they traverse and infiltrate the other nodes
Reread patterns of meanings to ensure similar patterns were weaved together
I noted how the alliance networks were responsible for the refraction at the point of interface in order to describe the nature of the interface
Categories formed for construction of policy Associations formed in each construction of policy were noted for convergences or divergences
The impact of the associations were noted
Response of the conspicuous actor to the networked actor was noted to establish how practice gets performed
During practice the activity engaged in is identified to identify the LO
Note keywords used in activity to establish the SKAV constituted in practice
These files will be closed upon completion of this study. In order to map the social I needed to trail the practices engaged at each node, which are brought to the fore in the section below.