In teaching qualitative data analysis, I’ve found that students are frequently surprised at the value of “memo writing.” This is perhaps because memo writing is frequently seen as an additional step in the process off data analysis that takes time out from the work of analyzing data. Yet, memo writing can serve an important role … Continue reading Memo writing as a way of being a researcher
Category: Conducting qualitative research
Tips for observing and taking field notes in qualitative studies
Kathryn Roulston Recently I was in a field setting observing a classroom. I thought about taking notes on my tablet or laptop, but I thought that might be distracting for those in the classroom. I went old school – I took a pad and hand wrote notes, and began by drawing an organizational map of … Continue reading Tips for observing and taking field notes in qualitative studies
Using digital tools thoughtfully in qualitative research
There is no question that digital tools have revolutionized our work as researchers in numerous ways. For example, rather than writing down as much as I can recall from an interview after the event as Hortense Powdermaker (1966) describes in her tales of anthropological fieldwork completed over 50 years ago, all I need do is … Continue reading Using digital tools thoughtfully in qualitative research
Research integrity and the qualitative researcher
Kathryn Roulston Trust is a crucial component of the enterprise of scientific research. That is because scholars trust others to conduct research ethically with human subjects, accurately report the methods that they used in research project, fairly review manuscripts for publication, and represent findings honestly. Nevertheless, researchers do not always behave in honest and trustworthy … Continue reading Research integrity and the qualitative researcher
What to do when research interviews go awry…
Research interviews do not always proceed as anticipated. For example, the anthropologist, Evans-Pritchard (1972 [1940], pp. 12-13) reports on the difficulties he encountered with the Nuer people, with whom he conducted an ethnography in the 1930s. He comments that the “Nuer are expert at sabotaging an inquiry”, and provides the opening of a conversation with … Continue reading What to do when research interviews go awry…
Make haste slowly…the value of pausing in doing qualitative research
“Make haste slowly” were words of advice given to me by the principal in the first school that I taught in many years ago. Terry, as he was known to teachers and staff, had many years of teaching and administration experience. His office appeared somewhat disorganized, with stacks of papers piled on his desk. Yet, … Continue reading Make haste slowly…the value of pausing in doing qualitative research
Qualitative Research for Social Justice
Some have argued that research for social justice compromises the scientific process. For example, Hammersley and Gomm, in their article, “Bias in social research” argue that research that aims to promote “some practical or political cause” is a threat to the scientific community. Others have argued that research is always and already part of the … Continue reading Qualitative Research for Social Justice
Examining the archives
This year I have been involved in a program that introduces faculty to archival collections at my institution, the University of Georgia (UGA). I have been learning about how archival collections are organized and catalogued, how to locate information that is useful for research purposes, and what to do next. I have a lot to … Continue reading Examining the archives
Tips on transcribing qualitative interviews and naturally-occurring interaction
After interviews have been conducted or events have been recorded, the task of transcription begins. For those who have not transcribed before, it is easy to under-estimate the amount of time needed to transcribe interviews and interaction. What does transcription entail? In my experience, it takes at least an hour to transcribe every 15 minutes … Continue reading Tips on transcribing qualitative interviews and naturally-occurring interaction
Tips on conducting qualitative interviews
The ubiquity of the “interview” in contemporary society can mask what Harold Garfinkel (1967) termed the “seen-but-unnoticed” work that goes into everyday activity. For researchers, an important routine activity is the conduct of a “good” interview. In qualitative research, interviewing is one of the most popular and widely-used methods to generate data. For novices to … Continue reading Tips on conducting qualitative interviews
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