#1063: On Quantifying Qualitative Data: Ethnographic Sensitivity and the Role of Surprise in Learning

New approaches in the learning sciences help to untangle the learning process by quantifying situated learning, for example, by quantifying the traditionally qualitative ethnographic data. This paper illuminates critical pitfalls that can arise if we over-rely on one side of the data. The role of the unexpected for understanding learning is illustrated from empirical projects that have quantified multimodal ethnographic data. Integrating data while keeping analyses open to surprises is discussed as a key aspect of understanding the naturally complex and messy learning process.