Experience and everyday environment: a group reflective strategy

Abstract

The distinctiveness of this thesis lies in its use of Group and Researcher Reflection. It is a responsive and experiential study, which has two main aims: to explore the phenomenon, experience in the everyday environment, and to develop an appropriate method. The study centres round Group Reflection, which consists of a small group of local residents (in Ushaw Moor, Co Durham), who met regularly over a year, to reflect together. They met to explicate and explore their experience, particularly heightened experience, of their everyday environment, and together to recognise themes, and so reveal, develop and share their understanding. The group collected their themes under three general headings: nature, buildings and people. A report summarising this Group Reflection was produced with the group. The whole of the Group Reflection forms the basis for subsequent Researcher Reflection. This seeks alternative orderings and interpretation of the material explicated, themes and experiences, and considers their relationship to the wider literature on environmental experience. A number of alternative themes, or gatherings, are suggested: looking language, social concept, ordering regimes, person-environment engagement. Then, the concepts experience, place and dwelling are explored in the context of everyday environment, and a number of speculations are made about the possible changing nature of dwelling. The study is inspired by Phenomenology, and therefore seeks to allow the phenomenon to speak of itself: through those who have direct experience of it, and it hopes to take into account the essential entanglement of what is studied with those who study. Finally, it seeks to encourage readers to continue the reflective journey into their own exploration of experience in the everyday environment.