A Journey Through an Emergent Design and its Path for Understanding

Abstract

This paper reflects on an emergent research design where the researcher's reflections on the paradigm, methodology, and methods played an important role in the emergence. One of the unique features of the study was that the researcher was working on a paradigm shift during the study. This meant that in order for this emergence to occur sensibly, the researcher continually had to reflect on the meaningfulness and consistency of the study. As a result of the design, a number of insights emerged; however, two insights were particularly important. One of those insights was about the importance of going beyond the research agenda in order to capture the essences of the participant as a way of understanding and respecting the data. The second was about the importance of developing one's own research voice or way of thinking that is not bound by tradition, but instead by the meaningfulness of the study.