Today consisted entirely of compiling the data we’ve gathered thus far. The current count: 68 total participants (46 of which we can use for the final paper we would like to publish), around 8 hours of data collection, and roughly 30 different creations from our teams. Weirdly though, that seems like a far fewer amount than I would have expected, given how tired we are at the moment.
Something that’s become apparent through this whole experience, something that wasn’t obvious at all going into it, is just how exhausting simply paying attention can be. I wouldn’t have thought sitting in a chair all day, watching groups of students come in and play with a bunch of pipes and metal rods, and writing what they’re doing down in a notebook would take all of the energy I have, but I’ve come to realize that will-power is an exhaustible resource. On some level, I’m a little grateful that the last day of tests at the YMCA fell through: I could tell that my notes were becoming increasing sloppy, and I think my teammates would agree that we all needed a little bit of a break.
Even without the extra sessions, the iSPACES project is still managing to test our focus. In particular, transcribing the audio from the focus groups is a challenge; the mixture of Swahili and English, the poor recording environment, and the lack of quiet spaces for us to work on the transcripts together is what makes it difficult. But it also highlights the importance of having people you can depend on when tackling things like this. Working as a team, we can catch each others’ mistakes, push each other to keep going, and lighten the mood when things get tedious or frustrating. I’ve seen the value of teams emerge several times while watching the Kenyan students work with our connectors, but there are lessons about teamwork I still need to discover from my own group.
The Official iSPACES Blog 