This is what Harry Wolcott (1994, p. 17) asserts in his book on qualitative data analysis. What are strategies that one might use to tell the story of one’s research? Whatever approach one selects to use in a qualitative study, the end product will typically be a written report on the research study. This might … Continue reading “Qualitative researchers need to be storytellers”
An introduction to Creative Analytic Practices and Arts Based Inquiry
“Creative analytic practices” (CAP) is a term coined by the sociologist, Laurel Richardson (1999, p. 660), who writes: In the wake of poststructuralist, feminist, critical race literary and queer theory, ethnographic work now appears in multiple venues in a variety of forms. The ethnographic genre has been blurred, enlarged, and altered to include autoethnography, poetry, … Continue reading An introduction to Creative Analytic Practices and Arts Based Inquiry
Approaches to examine storytelling
Researchers who use narrative inquiry focus on telling the stories of the participants of their studies. There are so many different approaches to narrative inquiry though — how might one begin? What is meant by the term “narrative”? That depends on the perspective to narrative that one takes. Some argue that narrative data can include … Continue reading Approaches to examine storytelling
10 Suggestions for Summer-time things to do in qualitative inquiry
For those in the northern hemisphere it is summer time, and some qualitative researchers have extra time to do things that are difficult to squeeze into a regular semester. Here are suggestions for 10 fun things to do... Visit an archives to look at the documentation left by other researchers I recently spent some time … Continue reading 10 Suggestions for Summer-time things to do in qualitative inquiry
Tips on considering “subjectivity” in qualitative research
Many newcomers to qualitative studies struggle with the idea of how one’s self, and “subject positions” or “subjectivities” might be represented in qualitative inquiry. For those more attuned to positivist approaches to research in which the researcher is depicted as “neutral” and “objective,” discussing one’s own interests and relationships to a topic and participants of … Continue reading Tips on considering “subjectivity” in qualitative research
Influential qualitative researchers: Harry F. Wolcott
Educational anthropologist Harry Wolcott (1929-2012) has written numerous books on how to do qualitative research. His early study investigated the work of a principal in The man in the principal’s office: An ethnography (Wolcott, 1973). Unlike many of his contemporaries, Wolcott argued for the merit of an n of 1 (Wolcott, 1995). One of his … Continue reading Influential qualitative researchers: Harry F. Wolcott
The International Congress of Qualitative Inquiry, 2017
This past weekend I attended the 13th meeting of the International Congress of Qualitative Inquiry at the University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign. This conference is attended by scholars from all over the world and offers a feast of different approaches to qualitative researchers. Over 1500 delegates from more than 75 nations registered for the conference. This … Continue reading The International Congress of Qualitative Inquiry, 2017
Tips for formulating interview questions
Asking questions of interviewees in ways that help them tell their stories is something of an art. It goes without saying that it is good practice to be well-prepared for interviews. This includes thinking about the physical setting for an interview and the technology one will need to record an interview. And there are so … Continue reading Tips for formulating interview questions
Assessing “quality” in qualitative research
There is a very large body of literature devoted to thinking about how the “quality” of qualitative research should be assessed. From writing several decades ago in which the concepts of “validity” and “reliability” were redefined and applied to qualitative research (e.g., Goetz & LeCompte, 1983; LeCompte & Goetz, 1992), methodologists have argued for the … Continue reading Assessing “quality” in qualitative research
Variations in doing ethnographic research
Qualitative researchers have innovated with ethnographic methods in numerous ways. In this blogpost, Kathy Roulston and Kathleen deMarrais discuss some examples of variations on traditional ethnographies. Traditional ethnographies call for researchers to spend extensive periods of time in a field setting getting to know people and learning about others’ experiences and cultures. Participation is crucial … Continue reading Variations in doing ethnographic research
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