Youngcook Jun

Youngcook Jun is a professor of computer education at the Sunchon National University, South Korea. Since 1996 he has been teaching computer education related courses at the university levels. He is a leading scholar in the fields of qualitative research in Korea. He now serves as the President of Asian Association for Qualitative Inquiry (AQIA) with the following research areas: Qualitative research methodology, in-depth interviewing, essentialist portraiture, qualitative research writing. He has published about 5 books and more than 100 research papers in various academic disciplines so far. In addition, he also has pursued connecting scientific inquiries with various artistic approaches such as dancing and visual arts since 2013. Specifically, he has been engaged in creating art forms related with eco-environmental conservation such as hooded crane dancing, puppetry performance, põem recitation performance etc. He had various opportunities to perform dancing in Korea and abroad (France, China, Japan, Mongolia, Vietnam etc).

Keynote Talk: Gentle Introduction to Essentialist Portraiture

Essentialist portraiture is similar to other qualitative research methods in that it seeks clues about a research participant's current appearance by deeply examining their past and present lives. However, it is differentiated from other methodologies in that it deeply explores the complex and subtle aspects inherent in life, consciousness, and experience that are deeply embedded in human existence. Klaus Witz and his colleagues proposed "essentialist portraiture," which, based on the definitions of Lawrence-Lightfoot and Davis, places greater emphasis on realization and insight into the human inner self and the realization of the person's overall image. Essential Portraiture is based on Cooley's (1956) principle of "sympathetic introspection" and focuses on gaining a deep understanding of the research participant's inner self, including their philosophy, values, internal motivations or attitudes, and perspectives. Rather than explaining this understanding using academic terminology or classification frameworks, it aims to describe the individual in a way that allows for a holistic understanding of their essence as a person as a whole. Specifically, the researcher intends to introduce a case where a genuine understanding of the research participant is made possible through in-depth interviews. Since the in-depth interview serves as a channel enabling insight into the participant, the dialogue between the researcher and the participant must proceed naturally,deeply, and continuously. Through these interviews, the researcher can subjectively perceive and interpret the participant's past life experiences, and in this process, reveal the natural and essential meaning of the participant's experiences, feelings, and thoughts. The results of this interpretation then enter a realm of empathy with the reader through portrait writing. I hope to introduce a couple of portrait writings or potrait paintings in this direction.