Examining the Design Requirements for TEM Experiential Training

Insights from the Learning Processes of Participating Graduate Students

Abstract

This study examines how graduate students who participated in experiential training come to understand the concepts of TEM and how they become able to apply these concepts from the perspective of participants. Through the analysis of reflection reports, questions, instructor feedback data, and TEM diagrams created by three participating graduate students, it was found that they experienced three processes during the experiential training period. Process I involved a deepening mutual understanding between the interviewee and interviewer. Process II addressed the resolution of students’ questions about applied skills through specific feedback from the instructors. Process III concerned the improvement of participants` attitude and motivation towards qualitative analysis through feedback from instructors that did not provide concrete answers. Furthermore, four key points in training design that prompted their reflexivity towards qualitative analysis were identified: task setting based on the participants' experiences, activity that allowed experiencing both the roles of interviewer and interviewee, explicit guidance by the instructors, and suggestions by instructors to explore the meaning of the data.