Tapping and assessing the concept of educational regret: methodological techniques for opening up biographical reflection

Pamela Aronson and Matthew Fleming

Contemporary Social Science, 2019, vol. 14, issue 3-4, 394-406

Abstract: Regret, a negative assessment of an action committed or a path not taken, is a common biographical experience. However, it is a difficult concept to study in social science research. Participants are likely to enact protective barriers to avoid confronting personal responsibility for ‘bad’ decisions. Drawing on examples from an in-depth interview study of postsecondary educational experiences, we examine a technique and set of questions that can move beyond these biographical research roadblocks. We argue that a highly structured and comprehensive, yet flexible interview guide is ideal for exploring this concept. This article also outlines two questions that can elicit biographical regret, particularly educational regret. The first question asks respondents what they would change about their college experience. The second question asks respondents what advice they would provide to new college students. Together, these methodological techniques are effective at overcoming potential research roadblocks because they allow for an agentic, positive reframing of the experience of regret.

Date: 2019
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DOI: 10.1080/21582041.2018.1448938

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