** Note: as a late entrant to the course,
this post is in lieu of the missing first week post**
I’ve cooked up an (essentially)
finished research proposal after a brief talk with Sara, and a few minutes of
mulling. As pleased as I am by the accomplishment, I have a nagging doubt that I’ve
missed something. It shouldn’t have been that easy. There seems to be a disconnect
between the idea of a grand vision for research and its implications for our
social existence, brought up several times by both Knight and Luker, and the
brass tacks of research mechanics (e.g. SSHRC requirements).
Sara helped me articulate my
interest in dealing with unknown unknowns during emergency situations. I simply made up a small scale study to access
that sort of information. Since it is by nature, primarily tacit knowledge (you
can’t document what you don’t know/can’t imagine) I decided interviews were the
best tool, and that Toronto Heavy Urban Search and Rescue (HUSAR, http://www.toronto.ca/wes/techservices/oem/husar/index.htm)
would be the best venue. I’ve also tied this into subsequent research avenues
(which are where my interest actually lies). This is a necessary pre-study to
consider the applications of information systems to support dealing with unknown
unknowns. Perhaps my main doubt is that I’m not making a causal claim in the
HUSAR study, and that seems to make it come up short.
Tentative Research Question: How do HUSAR first responders and incident
commanders respond to unforeseen developments/factors during a critical incident
with respect to information production and sharing?
Hi Luke,
ReplyDeleteWhat a fascinating question! I, for one, would be very interested in reading your study.
You said that you're not making a causal claim, which is problematic. Well, according to Luker, whose chapter 6 I just finished, you don't have to make a causal claim! Isn't it wonderful to be a salsa-dancing social scientist?
Light-heartedness aside, though, it seems to me that your first question, that is: how do they respond, sets up the stage perfectly for your next research project which deals directly with development of information systems (if I understood it correctly).
Just wondering, have you found any studies dealing with this topic? Or are you going to explore something totally new?