Conducting Qualitative Research in an International and Distributed Research Team: Challenges and Lessons Learned

Despite the proliferation of differing methods for synthesising qualitative research, Sandelowski and Barroso’s approach stands out because it is a stimulus to thinking and creativity. Yet, when applying the approach within our qualitative meta-summary and meta-synthesis project, we encountered some methodological challenges. Key aspects of the approach are outlined and juxtaposed with how we handled them in practical terms thereby entering into a methodological discussion based on the existing international research synthesis literature. For example, we encountered challenges pertaining to the researchers’ underlying epistemological assumptions, the composition of the research team, the construction of a feasible research question, the application of critical appraisal tools and the determination of an appropriate cut-off point for effect sizes to create a more parsimonious theory. From that reflective process, we draw out lessons learned for each aspect to provide neophyte researchers with valuable information that can increase the validity of future meta-syntheses projects.

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Qualitative Research on Interpersonal Violence: Guidance for Early Career Scholars

Journal of Interpersonal Violence ◽

10.1177/0886260519871532 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 34 (23-24) ◽

pp. 4794-4816 ◽

Cited By ~ 2

Author(s):

Jennifer L. Hardesty ◽

Megan L. Haselschwerdt ◽

Kimberly A. Crossman

Keyword(s):

Qualitative Research ◽

Interpersonal Violence ◽

Partner Violence ◽

Research Team ◽

Intimate Partner ◽

Marital Violence ◽

Lessons Learned ◽

Early Career ◽

The Core ◽

Critical Aspects

The purpose of this article is to offer early career violence scholars guidance on critical aspects of qualitative research, including methodological integrity and research procedures. Throughout this article, we center our discussion on issues of methodological fit, flexibility, safety, and ethics. We overview paradigmatic frameworks that guide methodological decisions and discuss reasons why researchers might choose to use qualitative methods. We then address decisions around recruitment, sampling, and saturation as well as predata collection preparations for conducting interview-based studies. Participant and research team safety and ethics are emphasized, as these issues should be at the core of all decisions in interpersonal violence research. Along with examples from the field of interpersonal violence, we provide references to relevant resources on paradigmatic frameworks, specific qualitative research approaches, and safety and ethics. Throughout, we draw from our lessons learned as qualitative researchers, teachers, and mentors who study intimate partner violence and young adult children exposed to marital violence.

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Online ethnography: a study of software developers and software development

Baltic Journal of Management ◽

10.1108/bjm-01-2014-0016 ◽

2015 ◽

Vol 10 (2) ◽

pp. 188-202 ◽

Cited By ~ 2

Author(s):

Jose Rodrigo Cordoba-Pachon ◽

Cecilia Loureiro-Koechlin

Keyword(s):

Qualitative Research ◽

Lessons Learned ◽

Human Interaction ◽

Research Subjects ◽

Software Developers ◽

Online Data ◽

Social Phenomena ◽

Content Type ◽

Online Ethnography ◽

Area Of Interest

Purpose – Qualitative research has made important contributions to social science by enabling researchers to engage with people and get an in-depth understanding of their views, beliefs and perceptions about social phenomena. With new and electronically mediated forms of human interaction (e.g. the online world), there are new opportunities for researchers to gather data and participate with or observe people in online groups. The purpose of this paper is to present features, challenges and possibilities for online ethnography as an innovative form of qualitative research. Design/methodology/approach – Ethnography is about telling a story about what happens in a particular setting or settings. In order to do this online, it is important to revisit, adopt and adapt some ideas about traditional (offline) ethnography. The paper distinguishes online ethnography from other types of research. It draws some generic features of online ethnography and identifies challenges for it. With these ideas in mind the paper presents and provides a reflection of an online ethnography of software developers. Findings – Online ethnography can provide valuable insights about social phenomena. The paper identifies generic features of this approach and a number of challenges related to its practice. These challenges have to do with to the choice of settings, use of online data for research, representation of people and generation of valuable and useful knowledge. The paper also highlights issues for future consideration in research and practice. Practical implications – The ethnography helped the researcher to identify and address a number of methodological challenges in practice and position herself in relation to relevant audiences she wanted to speak to. The paper also suggests different orientations to online ethnography. Lessons learned highlight potential contributions as well as further possibilities for qualitative research in the online world. Originality/value – Online ethnography offers possibilities to engage with a global audience of research subjects. For academics and practitioners the paper opens up possibilities to use online tools for research and it shows that the use of these tools can help overcome difficulties in access and interaction with people and to study a diversity of research topics, not only those that exist online. The paper offers guidance for researchers about where to start and how to proceed if they want to conduct online ethnography and generate useful and valuable knowledge in their area of interest.

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You are never too old to be happy. What has life taught the elderly?

Praca Socjalna ◽

10.5604/01.3001.0015.1554 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 36 (3) ◽

pp. 177-198

Author(s):

Katarzyna Sygulska

Keyword(s):

Qualitative Research ◽

Young People ◽

Older People ◽

Life Experiences ◽

Family Health ◽

The Elderly ◽

Work Life ◽

Lessons Learned ◽

Research Interview ◽

Elder People

Elder people have knowledge and experience – they can share them with other people. Seniors can teach young people different things. Their stories can indicate what is important in life and what should be avoided. The article presents the results of qualitative research (interview) on the lessons learned from the life experiences of the older people. The analysis of own research is preceded by the theoretical introduction about wisdom of life. Respondents highlighted mostly the importance of family, health, self-care and relationships with other people (friendship, honesty and respect towards others). Life showed them how important are: faith in God, enjoying every moment, patience in pursuing a goal, independently deciding about own life, realising your dreams, and work. Life experiences showed them how to deal with problems and that a person learns all life. They learned rules such as: money does not bring happiness, you cannot trust everyone, live the present and the good comes back. The elderly said that a person should make efforts to be happy.

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REALISME DALAM KEPENTINGAN NASIONAL INDONESIA MELALUI FORUM KONFERENSI ASIA AFRIKA (KAA) DAN GERAKAN NON BLOK (GNB)

Jurnal Dinamika Global ◽

10.36859/jdg.v5i1.194 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 5 (01) ◽

pp. 123-139

Author(s):

Taufan Herdansyah Akbar ◽

Agus Subagyo ◽

Jusmalia Oktaviani

Keyword(s):

Qualitative Research ◽

World War Ii ◽

International Relations ◽

Research Team ◽

League Of Nations ◽

Military Power ◽

World War ◽

National Interests ◽

Rational Actor ◽

Classical Realism

Realism is an approach and paradigm that is in international relations, Realism began to be debated during World War II (World War II) because of the failure of the League of Nations (LBB). LBB is the brainchild of idealists who are considered to have failed to prevent war and create peace. Realism existed even before the paradigm debate which was later called classical realism with one of its characters being Niccolo Machiavelly. Niccolo Maciavelly's style of realism emphasizes that human nature is egositically and creates an anarchic world. In this study the research team wanted to prove that what Niccolo Machiavelly delivered was not merely increasing military power merely to create peace, but negotiation and diplomacy methods were also instruments of the State in achieving its national interests in realism like Indonesia. The national interests of Indonesia are everything for Indonesian politicians and the existence and power of Indonesia is the goal of Indonesia's interests to avoid war. Therefore Indonesia must have played its role in the Asian-African Conference and the Non-Aligned Movement at that time as an instrument of achieving national interests in Realism. This research will use qualitative research methods with a historical approach. The results of this study provide answers that Realism is not merely militaristic but also a role as a rational actor.

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The Power of Partnerships: Lessons Learned From the C.H.I.L.D., Inc./University of Rhode Island Research Team Partnership

NHSA Dialog ◽

10.1080/15240754.2002.9680274 ◽

2002 ◽

Vol 5 (2-3) ◽

pp. 213-223

Author(s):

Julianna C. Golas ◽

Diane M. Horm-Wingerd ◽

David A. Caruso ◽

Lynda Dickinson

Keyword(s):

Rhode Island ◽

Research Team ◽

Lessons Learned

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Online interventions for people hospitalized for deliberate self-harm and problematic alcohol use: Lessons learned from the iiAIM trial

Bulletin of the Menninger Clinic ◽

10.1521/bumc.2021.85.2.123 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 85 (2) ◽

pp. 123-142 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Jacob J. Crouse ◽

Kirsten C. Morley ◽

Nicholas Buckley ◽

Andrew Dawson ◽

Devanshi Seth ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Alcohol Use ◽

Research Team ◽

Alcohol Misuse ◽

Mental Health Problems ◽

Age Groups ◽

Lessons Learned ◽

Deliberate Self Harm ◽

Problematic Alcohol ◽

Self Harm ◽

Problematic Alcohol Use

Deliberate self-harm and suicide affect all age groups, sexes, and regions, and their prevention is a global health priority. Acute alcohol misuse and chronic alcohol misuse are strong, modifiable risk factors, and Internet interventions aiming to reduce alcohol misuse and comorbid mental health problems (e.g., depression) are a promising and effective treatment modality. The research team aimed to evaluate the feasibility and effectiveness of an Internet-based comorbidity intervention primarily aiming to reduce alcohol consumption, and secondarily to reduce readmission for deliberate self-harm and improve psychological outcomes among people hospitalized for deliberate self-harm who also engage in problematic alcohol use. However, due to several barriers to recruitment, the trial could not be completed and was discontinued. The authors present a “Lessons Learned” discussion and describe the Internet Intervention for Alcohol Improvement (iiAIM) trial, discuss the key barriers experienced by the research team, and recommend potential solutions that may help future trials in this area.

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The Extreme Environment of High Altitude Gas Ballooning

Proceedings of the Human Factors and Ergonomics Society Annual Meeting ◽

10.1177/1541931213601324 ◽

2016 ◽

Vol 60 (1) ◽

pp. 1409-1413

Author(s):

Nathan J. McNeese ◽

Nancy J. Cooke ◽

Steven Shope ◽

Ashley Knobloch

Keyword(s):

High Altitude ◽

Cognitive Abilities ◽

Research Team ◽

Multiple Stressors ◽

Extreme Environments ◽

Extreme Environment ◽

Lessons Learned ◽

Specific Work ◽

Team Cognition ◽

World Records

Extreme environments often profoundly impact one’s cognition and subsequently the ability to make accurate and correct decisions. Although we are beginning to understand how these environments impact individual and team cognition, more specific work conducted in real extreme environments is needed to further understand this relationship. In this paper, we present data collected in the extreme environment of gas ballooning. Recently, the Two Eagles gas ballooning project set two absolute world records: longest duration in a gas balloon and longest distance in a gas balloon. During this project, our research team was able to collect cognitive abilities data and data on the effects of multiple stressors in the environment. We present the overall project along with some insights from the data. We also highlight lessons learned from attempting to collect data in an extreme environment.

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The Act of Listening to the Art of Giving Voice: Creative Alternative Practices in Writing About Health in Dance

Dance Research Journal ◽

10.1017/s0149767700008536 ◽

2005 ◽

Vol 37 (2) ◽

pp. 11-24 ◽

Cited By ~ 8

Author(s):

Sylvie Fortin ◽

Catherine Cyr ◽

Martyne Tremblay

Keyword(s):

Qualitative Research ◽

Data Analysis ◽

Research Team ◽

Analysis Program ◽

Team Members ◽

Computer Based ◽

Alternative Practices ◽

Research Analysis

Our research team members spent an entire summer interviewing pre-professional contemporary dancers with the aim of understanding their conceptions of health in relationship to their creative projects. At the beginning of autumn we (co-workers Martyne, Catherine, and myself) came together in our comfortable office to begin our data analysis. We had previously planned to use a computer-based, qualitative research analysis program to wade through our sizeable volume of data. We were ready to look systematically for themes emerging from our nine hours of interviews. Unexpectedly, however, things turned out differently, and we found ourselves excitedly reliving the interviews we had had with the interviewees. Through the act of listening and formally recording, we had succeeded in giving rich voice to the participants and the touching stories we were sharing anew were as revealing as when we heard them firsthand. Directing the project, I was pleased to notice how the interviews had found echoes in our own experiences; and, in fact, our discussions were being influenced by and filtered through our own subjective perspectives.

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Structuring a Team-Based Approach to Coding Qualitative Data

International Journal of Qualitative Methods ◽

10.1177/1609406920968700 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 19 ◽

pp. 160940692096870

Author(s):

Lindsay Giesen ◽

Allison Roeser

Keyword(s):

Qualitative Research ◽

Data Analysis ◽

Reference Materials ◽

Qualitative Data ◽

Research Process ◽

Lessons Learned ◽

Analysis Software ◽

Management Structure ◽

Qualitative Data Analysis Software ◽

Supportive Management

Improvements to qualitative data analysis software (QDAS) have both facilitated and complicated the qualitative research process. This technology allows us to work with a greater volume of data than ever before, but the increased volume of data frequently requires a large team to process and code. This paper presents insights on how to successfully structure and manage a team of staff in coding qualitative data. We draw on our experience in team-based coding of 154 interview transcripts for a study of school meal programs. The team consisted of four coders, three senior reviewers, and a lead analyst and external qualitative methodologist who shepherded the coding process together. Lessons learned from this study include: 1) establish a strong and supportive management structure; 2) build skills gradually by breaking training and coding into “bite-sized” pieces; and 3) develop detailed reference materials to guide your coding team.

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