Documenting Methodological Procedures in a Qualitative Pilot Study: Exploring the Journey of Women Reaching Leadership Positions in Academia

Abstract

Pilot studies are crucial for any research. While publishing the results of pilot studies in quantitative research is common, it is less common in qualitative research. This pilot study precedes the main research on the differences in perception between men and women deans on how they perceive the key success factors for women to be leaders in academia. In this pilot study, male and female deans were used as participants, consistent with the main research. Besides that, the aim was to contribute towards increased methodological knowledge as well as awareness of conducting pilot studies in qualitative research. Furthermore, in qualitative research, pilot studies are important to show the trustworthiness of the qualitative research. In determining trustworthiness, researcher triangulation is an important aspect of qualitative research to assess concerns on rigour such as reliability and credibility. The data was collected through in-depth semi-structured interviews via Google Meet, with one male and one female dean, as the main research focused on exploring perceptions towards the leadership journey of female leaders in academia. This study contributed to increasing the trustworthiness of the main study. The pilot study aided in advancing the main research and helped researchers update their coding and interview probing skills. There were some modifications made to the research instrument as the researchers found that the number of questions needed to be reduced in order to get in-depth responses from the participants within the stipulated time. Moreover, some modifications were made to the language of the interview to enhance clarity. The documentation of the experiences of the qualitative research methodology not only helped researchers of this study but also can be used as a guide for researchers who intend to pursue the qualitative studies.