International Journal of Qualitative Methods: ARCHIVE
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A Literature Review to Evaluate the Choice and Use of Visual Methods
No full textVisual methods are accepted tools for qualitative research and are increasingly used in a wide range of disciplines, such as sociology, psychology, geography, and health care. A literature review was undertaken with the aims of understanding why visual methods are chosen for use in research, reviewing any evidence regarding outcomes arising from those choices, and reflecting on the role of visual methods in these outcomes. Searches conducted from 2000-2010 across multiple bibliographic databases yielded 109 research papers that cited reasons for their choice of visual method. These were reviewed using a method tailored to the review’s purpose but also informed by a narrative synthesis approach. The reasons given were collated and analysed inductively, with two categories of reasons emerging: those principally related to enrichment of data collection or presentation and those concerning the relationship between participants and researchers. Support for these reasons is reviewed and the ethical implications regarding choice of method are discussed. This article concludes that support for the use of visual methods to enhance data richness is strong, but more research is needed to facilitate a better-informed choice of method. There is some support for using visual methods for purposes connected with relational aspects between researcher and participants, but the visual media’s contribution derives mainly from the ability of images to facilitate and enrich communication thus enhancing the data. The enrichment of data and an approach to participants that is affirming and empowering are intricately connected in the attainment of relationship-focused outcomes
Qualitative data gathering challenges in a politically unstable rural environment: A Zimbabwean experience.
No full textConducting field research can be both a challenging and very rewarding experience. The snags and surprises, the feelings of frustration, fear and anger that go with it should not stall the research process but instead, should be handled with flexibility and patience. The experiences not only enhance the researcher’s own reflexivity and creativity but also provide insights into the human conditions and actions as viewed from multiple perspectives. Gaining access to participants in rural, politically unstable environments demands authority and consent not only from the participants but also from other players with interests in the research sites and settings.
In this paper I discuss data gathering experiences and challenges I encountered during field work for my PhD in Zimbabwe in mid-2008. I highlight the logistical and psychological challenges encountered, how I overcame some of them and was stymied by others. Specifically the politically related challenges were to do with gaining access to schools and participants, limited communication, fuel provision and other logistical facilities. Issues of poor topography and interview space also emerged as other challenges
Autoethnography as a Genre of Qualitative Research: A Journey Inside Out
No full textIn this article, I argue that an autobiographical narrative approach is highly suited to educational research. I discuss how a researcher’s personal narrative, or autoethnography, can act as a source of privileged knowledge. I further argue that personal experience methods can be used on a variety of topics relevant to teaching and the field of education in order to expand knowledge. Autobiographical narrative is a research genre and a methodology. It offers opportunities to highlight identity construction as it covers various aspects of the narrator’s life. In an attempt to contribute to literature based on Muslim women’s educational experiences, I have disclosed a series of personal experiences. I have thereby demonstrated the value of autoethnography. When writing an autoethnography, the researcher can develop a deeper understanding of his or her own life. Moreover, reading an autoethnography, one is able to view how others live their lives, which can also contribute to a deeper understanding of life in general. Therefore, autoethnography—whether read or written—has a strong, educational merit
Planning for Spontaneity: The Challenges of Disaster Communication Fieldwork
No full textThis methodological article explores the intersection of qualitative fieldwork methods in crisis communication and disaster management. While crisis communication is a popular topic of research in the public relations genre, there is relatively no methodological work to serve as a precedent for a participant-observation study of communication during an unfolding disaster event. Likewise, disaster management literature that is based in qualitative fieldwork methods has not examined the communication practices of a disaster response organization. This article explores the various challenges in conducting fieldwork in real-time disaster communication and describes how the researcher overcame those challenges to conduct a participant-observation study of the American Red Cross’ communication efforts during the 2009 Red River Valley floods in Fargo, North Dakota, United States
Management of a Large Qualitative Data Set: Establishing Trustworthiness of the Data
No full textHealth services research is multifaceted and impacted by the multiple contexts and stakeholders involved. Hence, large data sets are necessary to fully understand the complex phenomena (e.g., scope of nursing practice) being studied. The management of these large data sets can lead to numerous challenges in establishing trustworthiness of the study. This article reports on strategies utilized in data collection and analysis of a large qualitative study to establish trustworthiness. Specific strategies undertaken by the research team included training of interviewers and coders, variation in participant recruitment, consistency in data collection, completion of data cleaning, development of a conceptual framework for analysis, consistency in coding through regular communication and meetings between coders and key research team members, use of N6TM software to organize data, and creation of a comprehensive audit trail with internal and external audits. Finally, we make eight recommendations that will help ensure rigour for studies with large qualitative data sets: organization of the study by a single person; thorough documentation of the data collection and analysis process; attention to timelines; the use of an iterative process for data collection and analysis; internal and external audits; regular communication among the research team; adequate resources for timely completion; and time for reflection and diversion. Following these steps will enable researchers to complete a rigorous, qualitative research study when faced with large data sets to answer complex health services research questions
Narrating Developmental Disability: Researchers, Advocates, and the Creation of an Interview Space in the Context of University-Community Partnerships
No full textThis paper examines the narration of developmental disability through interviews between participants, researchers and members of community organizations serving the disabled population, in the context of university-community collaborations. These kinds of collaborations are extremely important for researching vulnerable or hard-to-reach populations, which often face lower levels of physical, mental and social well-being as a consequence of shame, stigma or discrimination. Community collaboration can thus be invaluable for reaching members of marginalized populations, who may be difficult to locate or otherwise avoid contact with outsiders, because it provides members of a research team with local knowledge of a population, a means of accessing possible participants, and legitimation for the project. I suggest, however, that although the researcher’s externality may initially invite skepticism toward the investigation from participants, it can also benefit them by providing a forum for catharsis. Based on a pilot study I conducted with a community advocacy organization for the disabled, I note that some participants expressed an appreciation for being able to discuss certain emotions and experiences during interviews with an outsider who was not involved as a caseworker. I conclude that the presence of a trusted community advocate and a researcher at an interview affects a participant’s narrative by providing a safe space for participants to voice their stories to outsiders
Diagrams and Relational Maps: The Use of Graphic Elicitation Techniques with Interviewing for Data Collection, Analysis, and Display
No full textGraphic elicitation techniques, which ask research participants to provide visual data representing personal understandings of concepts, experiences, beliefs, or behaviors, can be especially useful in helping participants to express complex or abstract ideas or opinions. The benefits and drawbacks of using graphic elicitation techniques for data collection, data analysis, and data display in qualitative research studies are analyzed using examples from a research study that employed data matrices and relational maps in conjunction with semi-structured interviews. Results from this analysis demonstrate that the use of these combined techniques for data collection facilitates triangulation and helps to establish internal consistency of data, thereby increasing the trustworthiness of the interpretation of that data and lending support to validity and reliability claims. Findings support the notion that graphic elicitation techniques can be highly useful in qualitative research studies at the data collection, the data analysis, and the data reporting stages. For example, this study found that graphic elicitation techniques are especially useful for eliciting data related to emotions and emotional experiences
Using Qualitative Methods to Explore Non-Disclosure: The Example of Self-Injury
No full textAttempts to investigate non-disclosure are hampered by the very aspect being examined, namely an unwillingness to disclose non-disclosure. Although qualitative interviews may be considered to be an appropriate method for in-depth exploration of personal experiences, a lack of anonymity and the desire to conform to what is perceived to be socially acceptable limit its application in sensitive research. The current study, using a qualitative approach, addresses non-disclosure in the context of non-suicidal self-injury. Twenty-five young adults from diverse cultural backgrounds were interviewed in depth about their perceptions of self-injury, without the researchers asking directly whether the participants had ever self-harmed. Two techniques were used to enhance discussion within the qualitative interview: participants were invited to (a) discuss three hypothetical scenarios and (b) explore alternative interpretations of statistical data on patterns of self-harm. Key themes emerged regarding disclosure, gender issues, and culturally shaped concerns about the consequences of disclosure. The contributions of each element of the interview to understanding participants’ perceptions are highlighted and alternative methodological approaches for examining disclosure are discussed