Val Thompson A taste of higher education: exploring a culinary arts degree through arts-based approaches. Thesis submitted in requirement for the degree of PhD The School of Education The University of Sheffield September 2009 Abstract Information about how students experience their first year in higher education is of particular importance to policy makers, institutional managers, and tutors seeking to implement the governmental agenda of widening participation. Experience however, is a complex notion. Bruner (1986) argues that it is impossible to completely know another’s experience. Moreover, he maintains that the articulation of experience is consciously, or unconsciously censored or repressed, and is dependent upon an individual’s access to narrative resources and adequate vocabulary. Re-presenting the articulated experiences of others adds a further layer to this complexity. In this study I take a bricoleur’s perspective to research, utilising a range of arts- based approaches and forms to attempt to meet the challenge of re-presenting the experiences of first year Culinary Arts Management students, focussing on the influences that have shaped their choice of vocational degree course, and the ways in which they negotiate their move into HE level study. Employing a range of approaches which are multi-sensory as well as arts-based, acknowledges and reflects the complexity of life lived and experience shaped by our sensory capacity, and the learning which we accomplish through sight, sound, touch, taste, and smell. What our senses also enable us to connect to, feel, and express, is emotion, imagination, and memory. Taking a multi-sensory approach to explore research questions therefore, exploits ways of understanding and meaning-making which we utilise in everyday life. Throughout the study the metaphor of a theatre production is used to provide coherence to the inevitable entanglement of research. Drawing on the notion of the play within the play, the reader/viewer/listener is implicated in the production, becoming part of a wider, fictional audience. Acknowledgements My sincere thanks go to: My tutor Pat Sikes for her support and encouragement, Malc Thompson, my husband, whose patience has been boundless, Jacquie Griffiths whose hawk-eyed proof-reading has been invaluable, Writer David Calcutt for many fascinating discussions, Members and performers of The Lichfield Poets, and Sue Fortune, Martin Trivasse and members of the Impact Youth Theatre Group for their voices, comments, and suggestions, Jan Vigar, Head of English, and six-form students at Norton Canes High School, and friends Sally and Dave Matthews whose script readings gave shape to later versions, Ben and Alex Thompson for their prodigious technical knowhow, Members of the FurtherHigher Project team for inviting me to be part of their work, Andy Roberts at ‘Citygate’ for his practical help and support, The Economic and Social Research Council for funding my scholarship, Finally, many, many thanks to all the people who agreed to be participants in this study. i Programme Notes Part 1 Production Notes p.1 1. Entrance Right p.2 2. The FurtherHigher Project / My Involvement p.6 3. Study Aspirations p.11 4. Eclectic Approach: Narrative p.14 Narrative Approaches to Research / Narrative Analysis p.16 Visual Approaches to Research p.19 Ethnography p.20 Performance p.22 Poetry and Poetic Re-presentation p.28 Writing as a method of enquiry p.31 Review 5. Key Texts: The Seven Basic Plots p.34 Communities of Practice and Beyond p.34 Running out p.35 6. Summary Notes Part 2 Scenography p.38 1. Set 1: Widening Participation in Higher Education 2. Set 2: Food, Chef Training and Work Environments, and the Celebrity Chef Part 3 Performance p.65 1. Programme 4: Radio Discussion p.70 Web-site Extract 1 from Research Report-Citygate College p.80 Extract 2 from Research Report-Dual Sector Institutions p.83 Photograph Gallery p.86 2. Programme 5: Radio Discussion p.89 Web-site Extract 3 from Research Report-The Culinary Arts Management Course p.97 Extract 4 from Research Report-Foundation Degrees p.103 Extract 5 from Research Report-Celebrity Chefs, Career Journeys, and Imagined Futures p.107 ii 3. Programme 6: Radio Discussion p.136 Web-site Extract 6 from Research Report-Timetable Talk: Monday p.145 Extract 7 from Research Report-A Performance Script: Between a Rock and a Hard Place p.171 Photo-Collages p.182 4. Programme 10: Radio Discussion p.186 Web-site: Extract 8 from Research Report-Charting Plots and Unmasking Themes p.194 Research Poems and Poetic Re-presentations p.210 Part 4 Noises Off p.217 Part 5 The Green Room p.244 Part 6 Dark p.270 Abbreviations p.vii Audio Tracks p.iii Glossary of Terms p.vi List of Charts p.iv List of Diagrams p.iv List of Illustrations p.v List of Participants p.iii List of Plates p.v List of Tables p.v Props p.v References p.273 iii Participants CAM Students: Alice Geoff Gerrard Gordon Lizzie James Matt Pariese Paul Skittles CAM Staff: Carol Mary Michael Peter Citygate Staff: Graham Ron Vivienne Former Student: Barry Industry Representative: Phil Audio Tracks – Rehearsal readings 1. Entrance Right 2. Radio Programme 5 3. Paul’s Monologue 4. The Proselyte 5. Between a Rock and a Hard Place 6. Timetable talk: Tuesday 7. The Green Room iv Charts Chart 1. Stories: general shape p.196 Chart 2. Plot identification process p.197 Chart 3. Overcoming the Monster Plot Summary p.198 Chart 4. Rags to Riches Plot Summary p.199 Chart 5. The Quest Plot Summary p.201 Chart 6. Matching the stages of the Rebirth plot to Paul’s interview conversations p.202 Chart 7. Matching the stages of The Quest plot to Alice’s interview conversations p.205 Chart 8. Adaptation and Transformation: from interview recordings and transcription records to ‘found’ poem p.256 Diagrams Diagram 1. Key to references Collage 1 Panel 1 p.45 Diagram 2. Key to references Collage 1 Panel 2 p.48 Diagram 3. Key to references Collage 1 Panel 3 p.51 Diagram 4. Key to references Collage 1 Panel 4 p.54 Diagram 5. Key to references Collage 2 Panel 1 p.60 Diagram 6. Key to references Collage 2 panel 2 p.62 Diagram 7. Key to references Collage 2 Panel 3 p.64 Diagram 8. BA CAM Student participant educational and employment journeys into higher education p.119 Diagram 9. FdA CAM Student participant educational and employment journeys into higher education p.120 Diagram 10. Val: Which chef do you think has influenced you most? p.126 Diagram 11. Val: Which chef do you think has influenced you most? P.127 Diagram 12. BA CAM Imagined Futures p.131 Diagram 13. FdA CAM Imagined Futures p.132 Diagram 14. Example 1 from Latham (2004) p.258 Diagram 15. Example 2 from Latham (2004) p.258 Diagram 16. Example of Inspiration generated diagram p.261 v Illustrations Illustrations 1,2,3. Collage 1 Design Features p.41 Illustration 4. Collage 1 Panel 1 Selection of details p.46 Illustration 5. Collage 1 Panel 2 Selection of details p.49 Illustration 6. Collage 1 Panel 3 Selection of details p.52 Illustration 7. Collage 1 Panel 4 Selection of details p.55 Illustrations 8,9,10,11,12. Collage 2 Design Features p.57 Illustration 13. Collage Process 1 p.262 Illustration 14. Collage Process 2 p.262 Plates Plate 1. Collage 1 Widening Participation in Higher Education p.42 Plate 2. Collage 1 Panels p.43 Plate 3. Collage 1 Panel 1 p.44 Plate 4. Collage 1 Panel 2 p.47 Plate 5. Collage 1 Panel 3 p.50 Plate 6. Collage 1 Panel 4 p.53 Plate 7. Collage 2 Food, Chef Training and Work Environments and the Celebrity Chef p.58 Plate 8. Collage 2 Lower Panel p.59 Plate 9. Collage 2 Central Panel p.61 Plate 10. Collage 2 Upper Panel p.63 Plate 11. Timetable Talk p.182 Plate 12. Sixty-six p.183 Plate 13. Power and Restraint p.184 Tables Table 1. Radio Programme and web-site content summary p.67 Table 2. Transcript Transformation: Matt p.238 Props 1. FurtherHigher Project Aims and Objectives p.299 2. FurtherHigher project team members p.300 3. a/b Information for Research Participants p.301 4. Summary Notes Template p.303 vi Glossary of theatrical terms (Available from: http://www.theatrecrafts.com/glossary/results.php accessed 9th October 2008) Black box : A kind of flexible studio theatre where the audience and actors are in the same room, surrounded by black tabs (curtains). Dark : A venue that has been closed to the public. Some theatres go dark temporarily during production periods, when the next show is in preparation on stage. Green room : Room close to the stage for actors to meet and relax. Noises off : Stage direction to indicate a clatter/bang offstage to which the cast should react. Glossary of professional kitchen hierarchy (Available from: http://www.bbc.co.uk/food/tv_and_radio/masterchef/training_index1.shtml accessed 1 st June 2008) Aides : often trainees. This is usually the first port of call for those new to working in professional kitchens. Commis chef : the first rung of the ladder for newly trained chefs. The commis will usually work under a chef de partie, learning basics such as vegetable preparation. Chef de partie : responsible for running sections of the kitchen. The chef de partie will make sure the food goes out during service and will also cook. All the commis chefs will be expected to help the chef de partie during service. Sous chef : essentially the head chef's right-hand man.