Behind the Inquiring Mind: Exploring the transition from external to internal inquiry

This paper describes the transition of a research project from external inquiry, focusing on observable events, to internal inquiry, focusing on the development of my own reflective consciousness as a researcher. The paper is presented on two levels: the main text appears as it was first 'finished', but it is overlaid with additional interpretations in the light of subsequent readings, particularly in relation to postmodern thinking. The original paper explores the inconsistencies and contradictions in my research perspective in relation to a specific project, and compares my professional development through research with Elliott's model of the growth of reflexive consciousness and McNiff's dialectical model of the creation of educational knowledge. I describe the way in which the process of constructing and reconstructing meaning through writing constitutes a form of research, and reflect on my shifting understandings of reality, validity and the process of interpretation.