“I’m Not a Musician, But…”: Negotiating the Research Process in Examining the Lives of Musicians

2014 ◽  
Vol 10 (3) ◽  
pp. 80-93
Author(s):  
Michael Ramirez
Keyword(s):  
Qualitative Research ◽  
Life Course ◽  
Identity Politics ◽  
Research Process ◽  
Presentation Of Self ◽  
Future Studies ◽  
Research Tradition ◽  
Different Populations

Identity politics have been of considerable interest to the qualitative research tradition as researchers have speculated on the extent to which identity and positionality matter in the field. In this autoethnography, I analyze private writings I composed while studying musicians’ life course trajectories in musical careers, paying particular attention to the methodological implications of my fieldwork decisions. I concentrate on: 1) issues of access, 2) identity politics, and 3) the ethics of relationships in the field. I analyze the extent to which I negotiated several (sometimes conflicting) ways I presented my identity in different settings and among different populations. My presentation of self-strategies – sometimes intentional, other times haphazard – allowed me successful entrée to the music world, though I remained an outsider within. I conclude with methodological implications highlighting the ways researchers’ identities may influence the research process and suggestions for qualitative researchers to consider in future studies.

scholarly journals YOU’LL SEE: YOUNGER RESEARCHERS INTERVIEWING OLDER PARTICIPANTS

2019 ◽  
Vol 3 (Supplement_1) ◽  
pp. S706-S707
Author(s):  
Sarah Jen ◽  
Yuanjin Zhou ◽  
Mijin Jeong
Keyword(s):  
Qualitative Research ◽  
Life Course ◽  
Life Experience ◽  
Later Life ◽  
Research Process ◽  
Age Difference ◽  
Younger Women ◽  
Age Related ◽  
The Life Course ◽  
The Impact

Abstract In qualitative research, similarities and differences between the participant and researcher influence the research process and dynamics. Specifically, the age difference between older participants and relatively younger qualitative researchers is a common, but under-examined dynamic requiring nuanced, reflexive analysis. Using a life course conceptual framing, this study explored age-related participant-researcher dynamics in interviews from two qualitative studies of older women’s sexual experiences in later life. Participants included 25 women whose ages ranged from 55 to 93 and both studies were completed by the same researcher, a relatively younger woman (age 23 and 28 at times of data collection). A thematic analysis revealed three primary themes: 1) taking care - participants took care of the researcher by offering advice, asking about the researcher’s life, and expressing hopes for a positive future, 2) expertise – varied expertise was demonstrated by the researcher (e.g. substantive and scholarly) and participants (e.g. life experience), and 3) researcher growth - the researcher’s interviewing tactics shifted between the two studies (e.g. use of validation rather than consolation in response to aging-related concerns), indicating a shift in perceptions of aging and later life. Findings indicate that older women participants and younger women researchers are bound together through the life course, by shared gendered experiences, the fact that one will eventually become the other, and the mutual sharing of expertise and caring. Gerontology researchers must actively reflect on the impact of their own identities and aging perceptions on the interviewing process in order to enhance rigor in qualitative research.

scholarly journals ‘If you Had Balls, You'd be One of Us!’ Doing Gendered Research: Methodological Reflections on Being a Female Academic Researcher in the Hyper-Masculine Subculture of ‘Football Hooliganism’

2012 ◽  
Vol 17 (4) ◽  
pp. 67-79 ◽  
Author(s):  
Emma Poulton
Keyword(s):  
Qualitative Research ◽  
Social Research ◽  
Research Process ◽  
Image Management ◽  
Presentation Of Self ◽  
Academic Researcher ◽  
Field Of Study ◽  
Research Practices ◽  
Emotional Labour ◽  
Female Researcher

This article reflects upon being a female academic researcher in the hyper-masculine subculture of ‘football hooliganism’. With this subculture being a male-dominated field of study, the article argues that gender blindness has prevailed in most studies conducted by male researchers, with a failure to consider the positioning, practices and performances of the gendered self in the gendered field. Nor has this been a consideration of the rare female researcher working on the phenomenon. This article breaks this gendered silence by drawing on my own fieldwork experiences with (‘retired’) football hooligans to identify the methodological challenges specifically (re)negotiated as a female academic throughout the gendered research process and offers some strategies and field tips to future researchers faced with gendered incongruence with their informers. The key concerns for me were: first, gaining access to a hyper-masculine subculture; second, entering and developing rapport within the subculture; and third, ‘doing gendered research’ in the hyper-masculine field. Central to negotiating these challenges was a very conscious and performative presentation of self, often for self-preservation, during the research process. In practice, this sometimes required demonstrating that I had the (metaphorical) ‘balls’ in terms of my (gendered) image management. The article argues for consideration of the performativity of social research with a need for wider disclosure of the complexities and ‘messiness’ of qualitative research practices and the emotional labour required.

scholarly journals Do It for the Culture: The Case for Memes in Qualitative Research

2021 ◽  
Vol 20 ◽  
pp. 160940692110258
Author(s):  
Constance Iloh
Keyword(s):  
Qualitative Research ◽  
Data Collection ◽  
21St Century ◽  
Research Process ◽  
Qualitative Inquiry ◽  
Cultural Relevance ◽  
Prominent Feature ◽  
Rapport Building ◽  
Everyday Communication ◽  
Remote Data

Memes are a prominent feature of global life in the 21st century. The author asserts that memes are significant to current and future qualitative research. In particular, the text establishes memes as: (a) part of everyday communication, expression, and explanation, thus useful in qualitative research; (b) valuable cultural units and symbols; (c) forms of rapport building and cultivating relational research; (d) approaches that bolster and sustain remote data collection; (e) methods that infuse agency, humor, and creativity into the research process. The author then showcases distinctive ways memes can be effectively incorporated in qualitative research pursuits and publications. The article concludes with the necessity of data collection and representation approaches that advance the meaningfulness and cultural-relevance of qualitative inquiry.

scholarly journals Resilient Research in the Field: Insights and Lessons From Adapting Qualitative Research Projects During the COVID-19 Pandemic

2021 ◽  
Vol 20 ◽  
pp. 160940692110161
Author(s):  
Syahirah Abdul Rahman ◽  
Lauren Tuckerman ◽  
Tim Vorley ◽  
Cristian Gherhes
Keyword(s):  
Qualitative Research ◽  
Social Interaction ◽  
Research Methods ◽  
Research Process ◽  
Qualitative Research Methods ◽  
Research Projects ◽  
Social Distancing ◽  
Face To Face ◽  
Building Resilience ◽  
Digital Methods

The onset of the COVID-19 pandemic has seen the implementation of unprecedented social distancing measures, restricting social interaction and with it the possibility for conducting face-to-face qualitative research. This paper provides lessons from a series of qualitative research projects that were adapted during the COVID-19 pandemic to ensure their continuation and completion. By reflecting on our experiences and discussing the opportunities and challenges presented by crises to the use of a number of qualitative research methods, we provide a series of insights and lessons for proactively building resilience into the qualitative research process. We show that reflexivity, responsiveness, adaptability, and flexibility ensured continuity in the research projects and highlighted distinct advantages to using digital methods, providing lessons beyond the COVID-19 context. The paper concludes with reflections on research resilience and adaptation during crises.

scholarly journals Empowering students to innovate health services: Teaching transferability of health interventions

2020 ◽  
Vol 30 (Supplement_5) ◽  
Author(s):  
T Schloemer ◽  
P Schröder-Bäck
Keyword(s):  
Health Services ◽  
Implementation Research ◽  
Research Process ◽  
Practice Change ◽  
Practical Training ◽  
Master Program ◽  
Public Health Professionals ◽  
High Workload ◽  
Healthcare Professions ◽  
Different Populations

Abstract Background To improve the health of different populations, health systems need healthcare professionals who are able to innovate health services. In order to empower students from various healthcare professions to change health service practice in a sustainable way, a training was developed based on the PIET-T models of transferability (Schloemer & Schröder-Bäck, 2018). It was evaluated at three universities in Germany and the Netherlands. Objective The aims of the training were to enable students to: 1. Critically analyze existing evidence about successful and unsuccessful transfers of evidence-based interventions to specific “real-world” contexts (1 day), 2. Conduct an assessment of transferability with case studies using problem-based learning (1 day), 3. Practice implementation research in a healthcare organization (4 months, 4 hours/week). The training was evaluated through discussions, a written reflection and a questionnaire in order to understand students' learning experiences. Results Two bachelor programs for occupational, physical and speech therapists, and one master program for public health professionals took part from 09/2019 to 03/2020, including 66 students. Students valued the training as important, 73 % found it helpful for professional practice. They reflected various ideas how to use the PIET-T models for practice change. Although the implementation research process was perceived as high workload, students valued the experience of getting to know barriers and solutions in a practical setting. Conclusions The students of all programs value the practical relevance of teaching with profession-related specifications. Practical application of the PIET-T models opens up new approaches in teaching in order to educate knowledge on improvement of health services in different contexts. Key messages Empowering students to improve healthcare requires practical training. Training on transferability helps students develop skills for improvement of health services.

scholarly journals A publicly available repository of ROH islands reveals signatures of selection in different livestock and pet species

2021 ◽  
Vol 53 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Wim Gorssen ◽  
Roel Meyermans ◽  
Steven Janssens ◽  
Nadine Buys
Keyword(s):  
Association Studies ◽  
Genome Wide Association Studies ◽  
Single Nucleotide ◽  
Future Studies ◽  
Snp Data ◽  
Animal Populations ◽  
Genome Wide ◽  
Starting Point ◽  
Different Populations ◽  
Signatures Of Selection

Abstract Background Runs of homozygosity (ROH) have become the state-of-the-art method for analysis of inbreeding in animal populations. Moreover, ROH are suited to detect signatures of selection via ROH islands and are used in other applications, such as genomic prediction and genome-wide association studies (GWAS). Currently, a vast amount of single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) data is available online, but most of these data have never been used for ROH analysis. Therefore, we performed a ROH analysis on large medium-density SNP datasets in eight animal species (cat, cattle, dog, goat, horse, pig, sheep and water buffalo; 442 different populations) and make these results publicly available. Results The results include an overview of ROH islands per population and a comparison of the incidence of these ROH islands among populations from the same species, which can assist researchers when studying other (livestock) populations or when looking for similar signatures of selection. We were able to confirm many known ROH islands, for example signatures of selection for the myostatin (MSTN) gene in sheep and horses. However, our results also included multiple other ROH islands, which are common to many populations and not identified to date (e.g. on chromosomes D4 and E2 in cats and on chromosome 6 in sheep). Conclusions We are confident that our repository of ROH islands is a valuable reference for future studies. The discovered ROH island regions represent a unique starting point for new studies or can be used as a reference for future studies. Furthermore, we encourage authors to add their population-specific ROH findings to our repository.

scholarly journals A Review of Qualitative Data Analysis Practices in Health Education and Health Behavior Research

2018 ◽  
Vol 46 (1) ◽  
pp. 32-39 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ilana G. Raskind ◽  
Rachel C. Shelton ◽  
Dawn L. Comeau ◽  
Hannah L. F. Cooper ◽  
Derek M. Griffith ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Qualitative Research ◽  
Data Analysis ◽  
Health Education ◽  
Qualitative Analysis ◽  
Analysis Data ◽  
Research Process ◽  
Common Coding ◽  
Education And Health ◽  
Analytic Process ◽  
Member Checks

Data analysis is one of the most important, yet least understood, stages of the qualitative research process. Through rigorous analysis, data can illuminate the complexity of human behavior, inform interventions, and give voice to people’s lived experiences. While significant progress has been made in advancing the rigor of qualitative analysis, the process often remains nebulous. To better understand how our field conducts and reports qualitative analysis, we reviewed qualitative articles published in Health Education & Behavior between 2000 and 2015. Two independent reviewers abstracted information in the following categories: data management software, coding approach, analytic approach, indicators of trustworthiness, and reflexivity. Of the 48 ( n = 48) articles identified, the majority ( n = 31) reported using qualitative software to manage data. Double-coding transcripts was the most common coding method ( n = 23); however, nearly one third of articles did not clearly describe the coding approach. Although the terminology used to describe the analytic process varied widely, we identified four overarching trajectories common to most articles ( n = 37). Trajectories differed in their use of inductive and deductive coding approaches, formal coding templates, and rounds or levels of coding. Trajectories culminated in the iterative review of coded data to identify emergent themes. Few articles explicitly discussed trustworthiness or reflexivity. Member checks ( n = 9), triangulation of methods ( n = 8), and peer debriefing ( n = 7) were the most common procedures. Variation in the type and depth of information provided poses challenges to assessing quality and enabling replication. Greater transparency and more intentional application of diverse analytic methods can advance the rigor and impact of qualitative research in our field.

Positionality and Ethics in the Qualitative Research of Migrants’ Homes

2014 ◽  
Vol 19 (1) ◽  
pp. 111-120 ◽  
Author(s):  
Anna Pechurina
Keyword(s):  
Qualitative Research ◽  
Power Distribution ◽  
Ethical Decision Making ◽  
Research Process ◽  
Ethical Decisions ◽  
Ethnographic Studies ◽  
Social Positioning ◽  
Rich Data ◽  
The Uk

This article discusses ethical decisions in the qualitative research of homes, with particular focus on a situation, in which a researcher studies his/her own migrant community. While exploring more common topics, such as negotiating access and receiving permission to photograph within participants’ homes, this article will also highlight issues that occur specifically within community-based ethnographic studies among Russian migrants. Using examples from the study of Russian immigrants’ homes in the UK, this article raises important questions of social positioning and power distribution within studied community. It will demonstrate the complexities of ethical decision making at different stages of the research process, which reflects the constantly changing relationship(s) between the cultural and social backgrounds and identities of researchers and participants. The insider and outsider role of the researcher is relative and the constant need to balance it, while simultaneously creating difficult ethical dilemmas, often reveals rich data and moves the whole research process forward.

scholarly journals Accounting for the messiness of the research process: the fieldpath approach

2018 ◽  
Vol 13 (4) ◽  
pp. 315-332 ◽  
Author(s):  
Perttu Salovaara
Keyword(s):  
Qualitative Research ◽  
Design Methodology ◽  
Research Process ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Environmental Consequences ◽  
Human Ethics ◽  
Conceptual Paper ◽  
The Common ◽  
Practical Implications

Purpose It has recently become more acknowledged that there is a quality of “messiness” to the qualitative research process. The purpose of this paper is to introduce the fieldpath approach—a hermeneutically inspired framework—to account for the non-linearity, uncertainty and ambiguity of the research process. Design/methodology/approach This conceptual paper reviews how the scope of hermeneutics has been partly misunderstood. The paper discusses how the scope of hermeneutics has lately been expanded by works such as Günter Figal’s (2010) Objectivity: The Hermeneutical and Philosophy. Findings The fieldpath approach proposes that a heightened relation to materiality enables the messiness of the process to be preserved, while at the same time offering a way to find one’s footing in the midst of ontologically incomplete phenomena that are still—in a processual fashion—forming and becoming. Research limitations/implications This is a conceptual paper. In addition to the research mentioned here, more studies would be needed to legitimise, test and refine the approach. Practical implications Objectivity provides an additional criterion for researchers to lean on when facing the non-linearity and unexpected turns inherent in the qualitative research process. Social implications The stress on materiality involves an ethical dimension. Post-human ethics are concerned with the future environmental consequences and sustainability of the material world. The way that matter matters in our methodologies is of primary importance. Originality/value First, the paper emphasises that hermeneutics, contrary to the common perception, does offer criteria for evaluating between interpretations. Second, it introduces the notion of hermeneutic objectivity, which stresses the importance of materiality for interpretations. Third, it introduces the fieldpath approach, which, based on the previous criterion of hermeneutic objectivity, allows for the messiness of the research process, while also preserving a tight grip on the hermeneutic imperative of “understanding in a new way”.

scholarly journals THE QUALITY OF QUALITATIVE RESEARCH: FROM EVALUATION TO ATTAINMENT

2015 ◽  
Vol 24 (3) ◽  
pp. 883-890 ◽  
Author(s):  
Carmen de la Cuesta Benjumea
Keyword(s):  
Qualitative Research ◽  
Research Process ◽  
Qualitative Studies ◽  
Research Quality ◽  
Reflexive Attention ◽  
The Third ◽  
Qualitative Knowledge ◽  
Situated Practice

ABSTRACTThe objective of this paper is to emphasize the importance of quality in the research process instead of its valuation afterwards, an issue the literature has given extensive attention to. In addition, it is a reflection on the debate about the quality of qualitative research and presents the assessment of quality as a situated practice. Reflexivity is presented not as a criterion to assess the research quality but as an instrument to achieve it. There are three characteristics of qualitative research that researchers need to pay reflexive attention to. The first is that qualitative studies deal with human experiences; the second that these experiences are subjective; and the third that qualitative knowledge is ideographic and constructed during the study. Beyond these characteristics, issues are signaled that are constantly repeated in the studies and that unknowingly are a threat to their quality are addressed in this paper.

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