2019 Annual Conference

Adult Development

Roundtable (45 minutes)

Using collaborative human inquiry, this doctoral student embarked on a journey of uncertainty alongside diverse co-researchers to explore what we hoped would deepen human interconnectedness in our cross-racial relationships. Come see how our research unfolded over changing degrees of vulnerability and how this impacted our feelings of human interconnectedness.

This session is applicable to adult educators who wish to increase their understanding about action-oriented research done with people, rather than research done to, about, or for people. This session is also applicable to graduate students who are making decisions around their research methodology. And finally, this session is applicable to all adults alike who wish to expand their knowledge about how vulnerability might be experienced as an asset for breaking down racial and ethnic barriers, thus potentially deepening our feelings of human interconnectedness with diverse others.  

Learners in attendance will have four objectives aligned with the session content. They will understand how research participants experienced vulnerability individually and collectively. Learners will explore fourfold knowing (Heron, 1996) as an extended epistemological model for increased validity. Learners will also be able to make connections between vulnerability and human interconnectedness in the context of cross-racial relationships. Lastly, learners will have an opportunity to generate ideas for bridging the preliminary research findings with practical uses toward positive social change.

In this era of heightened misunderstandings and senseless violence between diverse racial and ethnic groups, it is clear that we are not living in a post-racial climate. It is important to address the fear and mistrust that underlie such misunderstanding and violence. Vulnerability can be a tool to do this. Research shows that vulnerability, rather than a weakness, can be an asset that helps humans learn how to connect with each other in meaningful ways. To be vulnerable, one must embrace uncertainty, take risks and reveal ourselves on an emotional level (Brown, 2012). Enacting vulnerability in a mutual setting may carry the potential to deepen feelings of human interconnectedness while breaking down barriers. Using collaborative human inquiry, this novice researcher attempted to bring together participants representing diverse races and ethnicities to explore our individual and collective experiences around vulnerability in the context of cross-racial relationships. Incorporating an extended epistemology based on a fourfold way of knowing (Heron, 1996), we co-constructed preliminary findings grounded in experiential, presentational, propositional and practical knowing. This session asks participants to celebrate in these findings as well as to brainstorm ideas for cementing this practical knowledge into future action to precipitate social change in our world.

The session will begin with an Anticipatory Guide where participants will be asked to respond to true/false statements to activate prior knowledge on the topics of vulnerability, human interconnectedness, and cross-racial relationships. I will provide definitions of each sub-topic, share literature review findings, provide a participant summary, describe collaborative inquiry along with Heron’s model (1996), and share our preliminary findings around how vulnerability unfolded. Participants will be asked to interpret findings in a collaborative discussion, discuss how their understanding has evolved during the session, and share ideas for future action by engaging in an online collaborative tool called Padlet.

If this session were to be chosen as a Shared Concurrent session, I do not have a preference for whom I would like to share the time.