Reflecting on 1st major research study

An exploratory study into the professional development needs of intelligence analysts in sub-Saharan Africa

This assignment was a steep learning curve with various learning moments which I would be able to apply in the further phases of my study, as well as in my personal life. It is not far-fetched to say that I suffered from severe cognitive dissonance, and even some academic depression for quite a few months, which was enhanced by a medical emergency that left me unable to get my mind refocused for about two months.

This already started at the study school when I realised that this section of the doctorate would throw quite a few curveballs at me. The first of these curveballs was when I realised that there is quite a logic jump between the outcome of Assignment 1 and my proposed thesis topic. I reflected and challenged my assumptions on the topic and had to critically examine my assumptions on how I saw my studies enfolding in the next few years. This process led me to delve deeper into the different aspects related to professional identity and professional development. This helped me to change the focus of my research so that it is unique but also valuable for the improvement of the professional practice.

The second major curveball was when I realised that I will have to let go of my disinclination towards quantitative methods as certain aspects in my research problem need to be quantified. I embraced this realisation, and decided that I would need to learn as much as I can about the use of quantitative research methods. I actually look forward to the quantitative analysis of my findings in the next phase!

The third curveball was when I had to go through the process of determining my own philosophical paradigm. I have to admit - I even struggle to pronounce epistemological, ontological and axiological and walked for quite a few days in the house practicing the words! It was really liberating to be able to place myself in the pragmatic paradigm with a second preference to interpretivism. I now understand how my values and life experience formed not only my personality, but also my academic paradigm.

The fourth curveball was when the targeted security agencies here in South Africa did not reply to my requests for assistance in conducting the survey among their analysts. I reflected on the impact of this on my research outcome, and learnt some valuable lessons for the next phase in my research. The main lesson here was that my research has no priority in the bigger scheme of things for those agencies and that I will have to improve my influencing and lobbying skills dramatically if I want to include some of their analysts in my next phase!

The last curveball was when I realized that I had to expand my initial sampling strategy as the ethics committee might have had serious concerns with my convenience sample. They could have stated that I’m abusing my access to an email list of people who knew me, and who are at least sympathetic to training, if not outright passionate about it. This issue created an opportunity for me to develop a four-pronged sampling strategy that not only provides sufficient validity to my sample, but also revealed new participants who are eager to participate in the next phases of my study.