Facet Methodology: The Case for an Inventive Research Orientation

Abstract

This article puts the case for a new and evolving research approach or orientation – ‘facet methodology’, developed in collaborative team based working at Realities at the Morgan Centre, a ‘Node’ of the UK National Centre for Research Methods. Research fields are seen as constructed through combinations and constellations of facets as we might see in a cut gemstone, where facets refract and intensify light, taking up the background, and creating flashes of depth and colour as well as patches of shadow. In facet methodology, the gemstone is the overall research question or problematic, and facets are conceived as different methodological-substantive planes and surfaces, which are designed to be capable of casting and refracting light in a variety of ways that help to define the overall object of concern by creating flashes of insight. Facets involve different lines of enquiry, and different ways of seeing. The approach aims to create a strategically illuminating set of facets in relation to specific research concerns and questions. The rigour of the approach comes ultimately from researcher skill, inventiveness, creativity, insight and imagination – in deciding how best to carve the facets so that they catch the light in the best possible way. The paper argues that facet methodology can make a contribution to debates about the ‘politics of method’, especially in relation to its emphasis on the significance of flashes of insight rather than the production of ‘maximum data’ of a descriptive kind.

Haunting and the knowing and showing of qualitative research

“…In part, this critique relates to the flourishing of artistic, performative and sensory methods (also see Rose, 2007;Pink, 2009;Mason and Davies, 2010;Mason, 2011), much of which developed in the wake of feminist, queer and indigenous scholarship (Edwards and Brannelly, 2017), and which may not be best reflected in conventional, text-focused academic articles. Influenced by Gordon's concerns to make absences and complex personhood visible, and critical of the effects of audit-culture on doing so, Smart urges sociologists to think of themselves as 'storytellers as well as sociologists ' (2010: 5).…”

Mixed Methods and Multimodal Research and Internet Technologies

“…Particularly, the complex, fragmented and embedded nature of the contemporary Internet means that it often feels inadequate to rely on a single source of data, and instead methods are combined and data from different sources examined in order to shed alternative sources of light on facets of a problem (Mason 2011) if not to triangulate on a singular answer. Different methods and modes intersect in the illumination of a phenomenon, but not necessarily in an additive sense in which each simply contributes "more" to understanding.…”

Young children shaping interprofessional practice in early years settings: Towards a conceptual framework for understanding experiences and participation

“…Interpretations of the episodes were contextualised by reference to the child's patterns of participation at home, their interests, ways of participating in family life, responses to discussions about their early years experiences, drawn from interviews with parents. The research design was thus akin to 'facet methodology', crafted to shine light from the facets on everyday practice of interprofessional working (Mason, 2011).…”