And so…I am in the depths of focused coding, the point in the PhD after the madness of the methodology chapters when I predicated I may begin to lose my mind. Trying to focus code is a challenge at the best of time but when it concerns something an intangible as ‘silence’ it gets freaky. I am trying to ground myself in the data by asking solid questions…I am using a combo of cards, paper and NVivo. Fun times.

Ok so I submitted by draft methodology chapters which were on the main well received. However my DoS just dropped the question ‘critical realism?’ a few times and left it at that. I was a bit miffed as I spent years getting to grips with radical constructivism (RC) and felt moderately attached to the theory. I thought I can just make a stronger argument for RC. I asked for clarification but I was met with noble silence.

So just to be sure I started reading and comparing critical realism (CR) with RC. It was like the tractor beam of the Death Star, I was hooked and Glaserfeld was blasted like rebel scum. Actually I was able to retain a solid appreciation and references to his work before positioning CR as an evolution  in my thinking. Resubmitted for review by supervision team.