Autoethnography as self study

Abstract

I have used autoethnography as a form of self-study with the process derived from concepts and ideas of reflective practice. Researching autoethnographically is to write about social experience. To convey my experience I have revealed my thoughts and emotions, including my fears, resistances, aspirations and achievements. My research is a strategy to communicate and foreground possible multiple meanings of teaching and learning in physical education teacher education including outdoor education. At the heart of my teaching is learning through experience. I have engaged a variety of methods for systematic introspection that have led me to describe and analyse my thinking about teaching. I represent my work, including the voices of others, narratively, poetically and visually. The value of this research lies in its focus on praxis and contribution to the advancement of qualitative methods. In this paper I draw on my work and discuss the implications of autoethnography as self-study for educational research.