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Barber, G. (2002) What
effect does the introduction of a new model of learning into the Fire Brigade
have on the people involved? A reflection,
www.fitting-in.com/barber.htm.
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What is now proved was
once only imagin’d
(William Blake – Proverbs
of Hell)
George Barber BA (Hons), Tyne and Wear Fire Brigade.
Paper submitted to The Fire Service College Research Event
20th and 21st November 2002
What effect
does the introduction of a new model of learning into the Fire Brigade have
on the people involved? A reflection
|
Why choose to reflect?
The
original dissertation, submitted to the University of Durham, and
titled above, can be read as a stand-alone piece of work by anyone who cares to
do so but to replicate it in this domain would offer little personal advantage.
One could ask whether a research item is ever really completed and in this
instance perhaps it is far from complete. In reality there was more to debate
and research beyond the original scope and limitations that were self-imposed.
The boundaries and limitations within which the work was conceived and
conducted have now been removed or changed and this leaves a gap, in terms of
closure. Discussion and debate can inform the progress that can be made from
these origins, but personal reflections upon the original work form an
important aspect of that closure progress.
Having
written and submitted any piece of work, report or other article, it is a
natural progression to reflect upon it and consider those aspects that have
been missed or even deliberately excluded from it. Bias is one major aspect
that cannot be eliminated from the research but is the one element that is
often taken for granted. This reflection aims to identify where the real biases
lie in this research and to indicate the positive and negative influences that
may have acted on it.
An outline of the Study
The
original study took account of a dynamically changing Fire Service environment
into which a new training regime is being introduced and where, at the time of
writing, little specific research had been carried out into the impact that it
might have. The question was asked, whether this introduction has an effect on
the people influenced or affected by this imposition. A case study was
conducted with a small pilot study group and their support staff to inquire
into the effects that they, as individuals, might observe and describe. A range
of inquiry methods including interviews, Learning Styles Inventory (Honey and Mumford 1992) and questionnaires provide largely
qualitative data to inform the issue. The research was focused strongly upon
the ideal that each individual would have a perception of events and the
contribution that they could make being both unique and valuable to the ongoing
Fire Service Training discourse.
The
research focused, at a micro level, on a small group of volunteers who had been
called upon to assist with the continuing implementation of an NVQ standard
into the Fire Service. The ‘students’
were committed to working toward the original NVQ specification (Firefighting
Operations Level III). This process had become a necessity in terms of
maintaining acceptable assessor standards and to maintain ‘NVQ Centre Status’
within the Tyne and Wear Fire Brigade, albeit using a standard that was likely to
soon become obsolete.
The
original hypothesis centred on the notion that individual contribution to the
ongoing discourse in any given situation was a vital component. Conceptually,
each of us makes our own interpretation of events and of our exposures, an
ideal that is underwritten by Weiner (1992).
‘One of the main ways along
which humans construe their world is that of evaluation. Objects, people,
events, and even the self are thought of as good or bad – they are evaluated on
a scale ranging from positive and approved to negative and disapproved.’ (Weiner 1992 p301)
This
individuality extends into the perceptions held about policies, ideals and the
plethora of regimen to which we are subjected. We are all exposed to the
vagaries of life with its political whims and fancies, some we welcome others
we reject. As free speaking and acting individuals we are capable of embracing
that which we find to our benefit and rejecting, at least in principle,
anything that we find offends us. However, many of us, the pilot group
included, are obligated by the world of work and the regulatory constraints
that are deemed necessary for control within those worlds. In these
circumstances our capacity for rejection becomes somewhat limited and we are
required to adapt our attitudes and behaviours to those of a more complicit
nature.
Noticeable
changes are currently being made to the standards to which Fire Service
personnel are expected to perform and the degree of Health and Safety measures
that exist. Some of the factors influencing these changes include the people
who are involved, their values, their standards and their abilities. There are
the external influences of technological progress and the demands that these
have placed upon the services provided by the Fire Brigade. Importantly too
there are the outcomes of major investigations following serious incidents.
These factors have all affected degrees of change to the service. Some of the
changes have been natural progressions or extensions to the service whilst
others have had more a dramatic impact on its people and structures. Few
colleagues would deny the benefits of improvements that technology has provided
for the comfort of personnel or the rescue capacity that the service can
provide. Some may disagree with the onerously restrictive nature that Health
and Safety legislation imposes, even though the impositions are in their best
interests. Modernisation of the British Fire Service (HM Fire Service
Inspectorate 2001) brings with it new initiatives that are increasingly onerous
but decreasingly acceptable to the people, conditioned to gradual change, who
have to apply them. As Forrester (1999 p2) points out,
‘plans for change stand or fall on the people
involved’
therefore when organisations develop
deeply entrenched values this can lead to stagnation and resistance to change.
Competence
Based Training (CBT) per se has generated of its fair share of debate and
criticism since it was first suggested to be appropriate for the Fire Service.
Locally, Watch Officers have provided a comprehensive insight into the dominant
discourse and rhetoric surrounding CBT in making their comments known whilst
attending Personal Development Training courses. The comments made reflected
both positive and negative views although a predominance of negativity was
perhaps grounded on the degree of uncertainty surrounding the implementation.
A
conclusion was drawn that if Watch Officers were making such comments, then they
were most likely reflecting more widely held views. To this end the ensuing
research focused itself upon the new user group to try and determine more
accurately the personal effects that they noticed. A research methodology set
out to qualitatively measure the effects or impact that the NVQ pilot was
having and, out of personal choice, deliberately took a non-quantitative
direction. The use of statistics to illuminate research meets with the
expectations of the scientific community but figures alone do not offer any
depth of meaning or understanding of the personal elements that pervade
everyday life.
Much
of the rhetoric that abounds in the workplace may be quite simply that.
However, on the other hand it may in fact be a reflection of the ‘unreachable
truth’ that Gödel (Lincoln
and Guba 2000) describes, or correspond with the
‘swampy lowlands’ that Schon (1987) defines. Taking
some cognisance of this source of base detail is a starting point but
ultimately it is the interpretation of this raw data that becomes important. Geertz (1975) offers his thoughts on interpretation:
‘The essential vocation of interpretive
anthropology is not to answer our deepest questions, but to make available to
us answers that others, guarding other sheep in other valleys, have given, and
thus to include them in the consultable record of what man has said.’
(Geertz 1975 p30)
Essentially,
listening to and taking notice of, what people have to say should become a
major part of our working practices. The question of the scale at which this is
carried out is important, as it would be difficult to conduct research at the
micro level on a grand scale. The logistics would be such that time and
resources could not be effectively employed using one researcher. The
significance of that being that in conducting the research it was acknowledged
that, as one individual, the interviewer, question setter and analyst is
essentially an integral part of the research itself. There is a degree of what Soros (1994) describes as ‘reflexivity’, that is the way in
which the researcher influences the research and moreover, the way in which the
research influences the researcher affecting the progress that the research
makes. Attempts to replicate this case study by another researcher would be possible
but the inputs and outcomes would always be different in terms of personality
and characteristics.
Bias
is, functionally, an integral part of every research activity. It is probably
impossible to eliminate all bias from a research topic but is important to
fully understand and acknowledge the effect that any bias has. As researchers
we are encouraged to identify these biases at the beginning of our research. A
trawl of any Internet related sites, journals or library resources will reveal
a range of commentators who all say just that.
In
setting out the research methodology we should be able to define the bias and
minimise it in terms of the way in which we set out to conduct ourselves. To
this end there are a number of questions that should be asked as a part of this
bias identification process.
·
How often do we acknowledge the
influences that are imposed by the institutions in which we are operating?
·
What conditions do employers or
sponsors impose?
·
Are there ethical values that
impact upon the research?
·
What are our own feelings,
opinions, views or values in respect of the subject?
·
Do all of the original
conditions remain valid or have changes become a necessary aspect of the
research process?
The
ways in which each of these questions permeated through the original research
are expanded and commented on and are finally summarised in figure 1
at the end of this paper. These ‘reflections’ are purely a personal expression
of a thought process and did not form part of the original submission.
The Institutions
Enrolling
on an educational course or term of academic study ensures that as students we
are required to conform to the rules and regulations that underpin the
establishment. The University or College will embody its own values and
principles that are, in themselves, infinitely variable depending upon the
historical, social, cultural and personal elements involved.
Historically,
many of our institutions have held their ground in respect of the standards
that they have set. More recently, at 'A' level at least, these standards have
been drawn into question and challenged from several sources. Nevertheless,
standards do exist and a student, fellow, tutor or researcher would be required
to conform to them and any associated research undertaken would take its place
within these boundaries.
Socially,
the catchment area for students enrolling into an
establishment sets a different range of standards. People bring to a course an
identity that is unique. They then adapt that identity to conform to the expectations
that the establishment has of them and to the expectations that they have of
it. Furthermore, the students are expected to normalise as a group, working
alongside each other and sharing a common experience. This normalised group
also has to develop an understanding of the relationship that each one of them
has with their tutor(s). This relationship is a vital element that strongly
influences the student's approach to research. The personality of the tutor
embraces a fully independent set of values, standards and biases that are
inevitably passed on to the absorbent learner. Some of these may be challenged
within the framework of the course or through an evolving relationship that
could transcend as many variations as are imaginable.
So,
whilst the establishment may sway the direction of the student and course
colleagues may determine some of the thought processes that we go through, the
most significant impact comes from the tutor. It is the tutor who will be the
initial marker for any submitted work and the relationship could determine
different levels of expectation held for one student compared with another.
From
this situation there are again an infinite number of variations as to the
preferred styles of research. Should we choose to adopt a qualitative or
quantitative stance? What will the professor/tutor/marker like the best? Will I
be penalised for going against the grain and defying the norms? Ultimately we
all agree an approach to our research but there will be a degree of compromise that
must surely be interpreted, along with the other establishment influences, as
bias. Some students are fortunate enough to be able to engage with the tutor
and are offered the freedom and scope to be 'different'. (Perhaps in this
instance I fell into this category). However we approach the research we must
all be able to justify our methodologies not only to the tutor but also to
ourselves.
The influence of employers and sponsors
In
terms of initiating research I was not guided into any particular route
regarding selection of subject matter. The Fire Brigade as my employer did not
impose itself into my decision making process. However, the work in which I was
and am engaged carried aspects of its own that needed
to be researched and recorded. This influence was therefore partly based upon
personal bias, in that it served my own interests to undertake the study, and
at the same time was imposed by the very nature of the work. Any development
activity benefits from researching and particularly if that work is clearly
incomplete then a degree of pressure is tacitly created and that quite simply
cries out to be relieved.
Even
though Tyne and Wear Fire Brigade part sponsored the study, there was never any
likelihood of financial gain, either to the organisation or myself, from
completion of the study. By contrast, in commercial fields, university course
colleagues were in the position of securing promotions and incremental
enhancements on completion of their own studies. Having chosen my research area
and an outline direction for it, Tyne and Wear Fire Brigade were actively encouraging in their approach
and openly supportive of my venture. People throughout the Brigade were ready
to engage in supporting my research and to freely participate in their
contributions.
The influence of ethical values
I
have a set of values and principles by which I live and which are unique to my
personality and character. All of the people who can be identified as
contributors to my research similarly have their own values. These people hail
from a wide range of backgrounds and have applied their uniqueness to my
research in different ways. Some of them I have had direct contact with and
have interviewed or have included questionnaire responses from, others at the
opposite end of the spectrum, have written articles or are authors to whom I
have referred in my literature search. Regardless of how I have encountered
them, they all have their own opinion (knowingly or unknowingly) about some
aspect of my work and research. How I choose to interpret or accept those
opinions depends strongly on my values and whether I see their contribution as
beneficial to the direction that I have taken.
Even
if I were to apply externally originated objective rules to this raw data,
those rules would have been designed by a person with a unique value set and
would potentially have been set out for a different purpose. That is to say the
rules of engagement that might have been imposed would not have been agreed or
written specifically for my research.
Both
the University of Durham and Tyne and Wear Fire Brigade each have their own explicit values, written
in their rules and regulations or within their Mission Statements and Strategic
Plans. There are expectations imposed upon me as both a student and employee in
terms of how I conduct myself and accept their codes of practice. I must
similarly abide by the Equality and Fairness considerations that are legally
due to all of my contributors. Common sense and common decency would suggest
that I should be doing this anyway. However that fact does not legislate for
variations in my own make-up or the way that I interpret and apply these rules.
The influence of our own feelings, opinions, views or values.
At
a level of inquiry that is closer to the personal aspects rather than to
strategic or macro levels, the intuitive reaction that many people have to
their first exposure to a subject remains inherent in their opinions and views.
A high degree of negativity toward the Competence Based Training (CBT) agenda
was explicit within the data sets (the Watch Officer comments) that the
research was originated from. Lengthy debates with these groups made some
progress toward full enlightenment of some individuals as to the benefits that
may be found within the programme, but for many others there was little change
to the first impressions made. A failing within the CBT agenda appeared derive
from a lack of consistency of information at the outset, which led to confusion
between the various parties involved. A structured marketing programme may have
limited some of the confusion and may have avoided negative press within the
future users.
Essentially
a fairly high level of anger pervaded the comments and remained within the
organisation throughout the research. It would be reasonable to suggest that as
the researcher, I would be influenced significantly by the debates that had
preceded the research phases proper. It would also be reasonable to make a
similar association between Watch Officers and watch members, specifically
those people who were directly involved as participants in the research. The
informal debate that surrounds any initiative is often based on unsubstantiated
information and the true detail that would inform the discussions is often
absent. Without this detail many people begin to make suppositions and
assumptions that fit with their own preferences. This murmuring soon reaches,
and becomes an occluding part of, the dominant training and development
discourse.
Experiences
of family, friends or ourselves with NVQ's in other disciplines will undoubtedly harbour
embedded opinions and views that could either bolster or undermine the
introduction of a similar type of programme. The influences are not necessarily
negative, indeed those who have had the experience of achievement via the
Vocational Qualification route will be ambassadors to the cause. The personal
background of the research participants brings with it a variety of attitudes
to education that are based upon historical values,
personal experience at previous educational establishments, family attitudes,
social activities and peer group associations. To ignore such complications
that may be a significant issue within the research would be to seriously
underestimate the effect that they have.
Quite
how these very personal influences should be incorporated into any research
would depend upon the researcher and the subject matter. It is perhaps more
important that as variable values, they are allowed for and that tolerances are
built into whatever type of research is being undertaken.
The influence of Time
However
the various elements of the intended research are brought together and however
intense the power differentials are that exist between
these, there is one element that remains constant but that affects every
researcher. That is time. Time in itself was, predominantly, a negative
influence on my research.
We
are ruled by deadlines inflicted upon us by the originator of the research
rationale. The educational establishments impose completion dates, employers
need results to meet deadlines, research commissions have time limitations and,
as researchers, there are personal time limitations that our own lives impose.
The progress made by the different elements that directly impacted on my
research varied enormously. Each of the elements was running to an individual
time schedule and the connections between them did not fall into any definite
completion pattern. This served to maintain a level of doubt within the people
that I spoke to and questioned. The doubts expressed were over the credibility
of time-scales surrounding CBT and NVQs, given the
backing that they were receiving. These doubts were expressed despite the fact
that positive and progressive work was being carried out nationally.
Within
any development programme the passage of time can account for a significant
amount of changes to the content and context of the subject matter. Likewise,
over the same time-scale, the needs of an organisation can alter and the once
identifiable synergy between them can be lost. Compound this discord by
introducing more than two elements into the equation and that synergy becomes
even more elusive.
So
with time, all research elements undergo change and it may become appropriate
to re-assess the validity of each of the research elements. The subject of NVQ
relevance was, and still is, in question. My candidates, for example, were
guinea pigs within a programme that was quickly becoming outdated. The facility
still exists for them to complete but now within an almost obsolete framework.
The standards have moved on and these individuals are promptly left in a
dilemma. Should they proceed with the old standard or should they abort their
effort and await clarification?
Do these influences constitute bias?
Bias
is defined as a ‘mental tendency or inclination’ and as a ‘latent influence
that disturbs an analysis’ (Collins English Dictionary). The influences that I
have discussed are borne of personal preferences, be they individual or
institutional, and in some cases of unknown quantities, the ‘latent elements’.
So yes, the influences that I have encountered are all forms of bias and are
all variables. We are, as researchers, encouraged to minimise or even eliminate
bias whenever possible or at least to acknowledge where it exists within our
studies. At the outset of my research I
was able to recognise some of the more obvious sources of bias. However until
the full revelation of the comments that I was searching for had been made, it
would not have been possible to be a party to the intricacies of the
relationships and attendant power struggles that pervade any organisation. It
would therefore be almost impossible to fully account for bias. Hopefully, by
having engaged in a number of alternative research methods the impact of this
bias was minimised and remained within tolerable limits.
The
influences of which I am aware and that I know have affected the research are
depicted in figure 1 following. Within this depiction, the reader can
contemplate any combination or permutation of elements and any degree of
interaction between them. If, as researchers, we were to attempt to transfer
these connections into the construction of a comprehensive model enabling free
communication and linking of all of the elements shown, then that single model
would no doubt be much too cumbersome to operate within. Furthermore, the
likelihood of two people constructing the same model formula would be slim to
say the least.
Bias
is an intrinsic element of our lives but it is an element that we must not
overlook in our endeavours in applying traditional or less conventional
research techniques.
Figure 1
The Influences Summarised
References
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and FOSTER, P. (Eds.) Case
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