When Art Meets Research: A Review of John Williamson’s The Case of the Disappearing/Appearing Slow Learner: An Interpretive Mystery

Abstract

In this article I straddle the conventions of literary analysis and educational book reviews to evaluate “The case of the disappearing/appearing slow learner: An interpretive mystery,” a doctoral dissertation by John Williamson (2015). I examine the artistic and educational research components of the dissertation. I break convention with the traditional journal article, by applying a literary analytical lens to the dissertation written as a novel. I also apply the lens of an initiate to educational research. I present an overview of the study, followed by an analysis of the study’s epistemological and methodological commitments. I conclude that the dissertation is epistemologically and methodologically coherent, notwithstanding the shortcomings. Therefore, I frame my critique as what is missing in the dissertation.. Finally, I consider the learning I intend to take forward with me as a graduate student, and I offer brief recommendations regarding the value of reading dissertations, especially those that successfully break with traditional reporting.

Keywords

• Interpretive Work
• Hermeneutics
• Understanding