Page 11 - SREENARAYANAGURU OPEN UNIVERSITY

same spectacle, they do not see the same phenomenon. The
mother sees butterflies flying away, while the son perceives
flowers flying into the sky. As the mother corrects the son,
seeds of doubt are cast in the child’s mind, cast over his
certainty of the observed spectacle—that of flowers flying
away from the plant. His knowledge is now put to question,
Inquiry sparks and the mind begins to be tilled, preparing it to receive new
curiosity thoughts and new knowledge. Questions could now emerge

in the fertile space of the displaced certainty of belief. The
curiosity aroused in the child following the wonder of the
beautiful sight that he now realises is not fully understood
by him will now allow him to ask more questions on several
related things too that he would want to know. His inquiries
begin at this point of curiosity.

The apparent simplicity of the poem is deceptive. The
poem is highly suggestive of profound ideas about the
mystery that veils the world and its manifold phenomena.
An innocent question (and that is the value and strength of
questions) posed by a child leaves the mother clueless as to
Reading beyond how to explain the mystery surrounding existence. In the
the lines final analysis, the poem is not just a child's innocent curiosity
and his wrong perceptions, but the profound mystery that
surrounds all worldly phenomena. A researcher's job is to
read and work beyond, beneath, far and wide for meanings
and truths and be insatiate with straightforward answers to
questions.

Very similar is the case of a researcher. If there is surety
about knowledge and unpreparedness to open up the mind
to be corrected, there will be no inquiry, as no questions will
be asked, or the wrong questions will be asked. Once there
is humility about knowledge and curiosity to ask questions,
the journey into research would have a good start. Inquiry is
spurred on by this curiosity. It does not begin from a clean
slate but begins with what one knows or has experienced,
Curiosity drives observed or heard about the problem or broad theme. Of
inquiry these, some problems or subject matter alone hold interest
to a researcher sufficient enough to motivate the pursuit of
the questions triggered by curiosity. As Ballenger (2018:
xvi) rightly remarked, “We do research because we believe
there is something to discover that we don’t already know.”
He also points out that the motive for inquiry is discovery.
Inquiry-based learning is central to higher education. The
kind of thinking that learning demands, in turn, asks for the
exercise of curiosity by learners.

SGOU - SLM - Foundational Skills for Research and Writing 5