Donna Frost

Design and methods 113 4 Completing the lemniscate cycle: articulation of insights and new inquiry questions The inquiry process returned, then, to the step represented by the purple zone in the middle of the lemniscate (Figure 4 . 5 ), as explained earlier in the section ‘ i ) Articulation’. Within the practice loop of the lemniscate the new insights were sometimes articulated at the conclusion of the reflective dialogue (step iv ). It was, however, common for new insights, questions and ideas to emerge in the time between the practice experience and associated data generation, and coming to the next meeting. The lemniscate cycle was completed, during an inquiry meeting, by the articulation of new insights, areas of concern or a lack of clarity, and by identifying a new inquiry question to be taken back to practice for exploration and investigation. We experienced it as helpful throughout the RN inquiry and during the early stages of the NP inquiry, to also discuss and agree to the kinds of data generation that would be appropriate. During the later stages of the NP inquiry, group members had developed their own repertoire of methods and discussed their ideas for data generation with me or each other when needed, during a meeting or between meetings. The CCCI lemniscate cycle has been presented here as a step-by-step process, and although it was indeed systematic, it was not adhered to rigidly. The phases of creative response and dialogue were blended together in some ways, with parts of the dialogue or articulation of a message or question moving into new creative expressions, for example. During the latter phases of the NP inquiry, for instance, it was common for us to articulate both our new insights and the new inquiry question in a collectively generated poem. Furthermore, the processes of capturing experience, generating data, making meaning and critiquing the developing conclusions were often entwined together during the inquiry. Identifying those practice situations in which professional artistry may be present, for example, was only possible after uncovering part of our continually evolving understandings of professional artistry and when it was likely to be demonstrated within our practice. The collaborative process of making meaning and coming to new understandings is detailed in the following section. Data analysis, meaning making and knowledge creation The lemniscate cycle guided and supported our inquiry activities, not only in terms of capturing experience and generating data but also with respect to analysing the data and co-creation of meaning. As noted above, the various processes were often entwined or merged. For the sake of clarity, the two methods used within the