Novice Qualitative Researchers Research Articles

Adapting the World Café Method to an Online Format: Insights From Novice Qualitative Researchers

The original World Café (WC), by Brown and Isaac, is a widely used data collection method in qualitative research across various settings and is typically conducted in person. However, during the spring 2020 semester, the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic prompted us to adapt our planned WC research project from an in-person to an online format using Zoom. Two online cafés were hosted with branch campus students of a large Midwest university during October, one in the morning (n=11) and one in the evening (n=7). This methods paper offers a concise overview of the WC method as an innovative approach to qualitative data collection in a branch campus college setting. We outline the original research plan, detail the adjustments made for online cafes, and summarize the outcomes of these virtual sessions. As novice qualitative researchers working with branch campus college students, we draw vital lessons from our experience with the WC. These lessons emphasize the importance of selecting a method suitable for the target audience and researchers’ expertise level. Active participation in one or more WCs before conducting a study proves invaluable, and we highlight the facilitative role of a graphic recorder in ensuring optimal engagement and effective member-checking.

The Listening Guide: Illustrating an underused voice-centred methodology to foreground underrepresented research populations.

To highlight the value of utilizing the Listening Guide methodology for nursing research and provide an exemplar applying this methodology to explore a novel concept in an underrepresented group-inner strength in persons newly diagnosed with mild cognitive impairment along with their care partners. Methodology discussion paper. The exemplar study used the Listening Guide methods for data elicitation and analysis. Methods included adaptations for the study population and novice qualitative researchers. The Listening Guide methodology with adaptations enabled the research team to centre the voices of persons living with mild cognitive impairment, highlight an abstract phenomenon and attend to the influences of the sociopolitical context. Further, this methodology helped address common challenges emerging qualitative researchers encounter, including understanding methods of application, engaging reflexively and immersing in the data. The Listening Guide is a voice-centred qualitative methodology that is well suited to foreground the experiences of groups underrepresented in research and explore emerging phenomena. Nurses are central to striving for health equity. The Listening Guide methodology offers a valuable and accessible research tool to understand the experiences and needs of underrepresented groups and shape healthcare in response. The Listening Guide methodology can be broadly applied to research with persons with mild cognitive impairment, and other underrepresented groups, to explore other phenomena beyond inner strength and move the science forward in representing the perspectives of groups underrepresented by research. Persons living with cognitive impairment and their care partners participated in study conceptualization, interview guide development, methods development and dissemination plans.

The cognitive basis of thematic analysis

ABSTRACT Underlying thematic analysis are a few fundamental human cognitive processes, such as categorizing, prototyping and metaphorical mapping. By unpacking these basic processes of human cognition, this paper hopes to provide a cognitive basis for thematic analysis as a foundational method in data analysis for qualitative research. In particular, it hopes to address the gap between qualitative methodologists’ assumption of thematic analysis as a subjective, creative and flexible process and editors/reviewers’ expectation that thematic analysis shall be objective, reliable and rigorous. By consciously and purposefully applying these cognitive processes, thematic analysis can be subjective and yet disciplined, creative and yet rigorous, flexible and yet reliable. The ultimate goal of this paper is to demystify, delineate and further demarcate the thematic analysis process for young and novice qualitative researchers.

Introduction to Qualitative Data Analysis and Coding with QualCoder

<i>This article demonstrates the process of coding textual data, using QualCoder, a free and open-source software tool for supporting the qualitative data analysis process. The aim is to introduce novice qualitative researchers and undergraduate students of qualitative methods to the process of open coding in a clear and concise way. The systematic coding of the empirical data is a crucial first step in many popular qualitative methods like Thematic Analysis or Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis. The initial coding phase is a prerequisite for analyzing and making sense of the data. By using QualCoder, the researcher utilizes a dependable, efficient, and easily accessible tool to work with coding without losing transparency, rigor, and depth in the process. The article concludes by discussing the multiple benefits of using such a tool for the coding process, as well as limitations and potential risks, and thus highlighting the multi-purpose pairing between technology and qualitative research.</i>

Proposing the “MIRACLE” Narrative Framework for Providing Thick Description in Qualitative Research

Thick description of qualitative findings is critical to improving the transferability of qualitative research findings as it allows researchers to assess their applicability to other contexts and settings. However, what thick description entails and how it should be carried out is often missing or insufficiently described. While expert qualitative researchers may be familiar with the concept, the wide variety of meanings and interpretations of thick description in the literature may make it difficult for novice qualitative researchers to understand this concept when reporting qualitative findings. The purpose of this paper is to propose the “MIRACLE” narrative framework for providing thick description in qualitative research. We developed this framework based on a critical review of theoretical literature about thick description and writing in qualitative research, as well as our personal experiences conducting, writing, and publishing qualitative studies. The proposed framework can be valuable for improving the reporting quality and transferability of qualitative research findings.

Finding your ethical research self: A guidebook for novice qualitative researchers

A review of 'Finding your ethical research self: A guidebook for novice qualitative researchers' by Martin Tolich and Emma Tumilty
 
 
 
 Routledge Taylor & Francis Group, 2021. ISBN: 978-0-367-17478-1, pp.208, Paperback, Hardback and ebook $71
 
 

Book Review: A Guidebook for Novice Qualitative Researchers

Book Review: A Guidebook for Novice Qualitative Researchers

The Emotional Wellbeing of Doctoral Students Conducting Qualitative Research with Vulnerable Populations

Qualitative studies have the potential to evoke emotional distress among participants, particularly where sensitive issues are explored. Consequently, novice qualitative researchers become well versed in strategies to minimise risk to participants. But what happens to the novice researcher when they are confronted with the emotional account of a participant? While research practices consistently serve to protect the wellbeing of participants, concern for researcher wellbeing is often overlooked. This study explored doctoral students’ experiences of undertaking qualitative research projects with vulnerable populations, and the ways in which this influenced their emotional wellbeing. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with six doctoral candidates attending a public Australian university. The analysis shed light on the ways in which doctoral students navigate their emotional wellbeing, pointing to a range of challenges and resources. This article discusses potential intervention points throughout doctoral candidature, while pondering deeper questions about the responsibilities of universities to support early career researchers.

Research and scholarly methods: Semi‐structured interviews

AbstractThe popularity and value of qualitative research has increasingly been recognized in health and pharmacy services research. Although there is certainly an appropriate place in qualitative research for other data collection methods, a primary benefit of the semi‐structured interview is that it permits interviews to be focused while still giving the investigator the autonomy to explore pertinent ideas that may come up in the course of the interview, which can further enhance understanding of the pharmacy service being assessed. The purpose of this narrative review is to summarize methodological considerations and procedures for conducting semi‐structured interviews in pharmacy services research. In this article, we propose the Seven Steps to Conducting, Analyzing, and Reporting Semi‐Structured Interview Data (7S CARS‐SID) for Pharmacy Services Research. While many of the proposed steps can be applied to various qualitative methods and types of research, this narrative review intentionally focuses discussion on semi‐structured interviews and pharmacy services research. These seven steps along with the cited resources and applicable examples provide novice qualitative researchers with a step‐by‐step introductory guide to conducting qualitative pharmacy services research using semi‐structured interview methods. Finally, the 7S CARS‐SID for Pharmacy Services Research is intended to be a tool for assisting readers, reviewers, and editors of the Journal of the American College of Clinical Pharmacy to better understand the methodology behind qualitative research papers using semi‐structured interview methods.

Producing ‘good enough’ automated transcripts securely: Extending Bokhove and Downey (2018) to address security concerns

Interviews are an established research method across multiple disciplines. Such interviews are typically transcribed orthographically in order to facilitate analysis. Many novice qualitative researchers’ experiences of manual transcription are that it is tedious and time-consuming, although it is generally accepted within much of the literature that quality of analysis is improved through researchers performing this task themselves. This is despite the potential for the exhausting nature of bulk transcription to conversely have a negative impact upon quality. Other researchers have explored the use of automated methods to ease the task of transcription, more recently using cloud-computing services, but such services present challenges to ensuring confidentiality and privacy of data. In the field of cyber-security, these are particularly concerning; however, any researcher dealing with confidential participant speech should also be uneasy with third-party access to such data. As a result, researchers, particularly early-career researchers and students, may find themselves with no option other than manual transcription. This article presents a secure and effective alternative, building on prior work published in this journal, to present a method that significantly reduced, by more than half, interview transcription time for the researcher yet maintained security of audio data. It presents a comparison between this method and a fully manual method, drawing on data from 10 interviews conducted as part of my doctoral research. The method presented requires an investment in specific equipment which currently only supports the English language.

Experience of Conducting Sensitive Qualitative Research as a Cultural Outsider: Formulation of a Guide for Reflexivity

Studies conducted by outsider researchers, who do not share the participants’ culture, language or other traits, are often complex. The positionalities of participants are rarely considered in qualitative research literature but their influence defines how they engage with the researchers and their research. There is little within the literature specifically written for novice qualitative researchers working as an outsider. In this article, the experience of conducting research on breastfeeding in Nigeria with Hausa–Fulani Muslim women has been used to reflect upon the challenges of researching as an outsider. Drawing upon this work, a guide has been developed for researchers working with a group from a different cultural, ethnic or socioeconomic background to their own. The guide includes social identity mapping of both researcher and participants, a consideration of the sensitivity, vulnerability and cultural identity lenses through which the identity of the researcher, participants, and context intersect to influence the study, and reflexive questions. Considering these questions before conducting a study can help researchers to anticipate and proactively develop mitigation strategies to address common methodological and ethical dilemmas they may encounter.

Optimising the value of the critical appraisal skills programme (CASP) tool for quality appraisal in qualitative evidence synthesis

The value of qualitative evidence synthesis for informing healthcare policy and practice within evidence-based medicine is increasingly recognised. However, there is a lack of consensus regarding how to judge the methodological quality of qualitative studies being synthesised and debates around the extent to which such assessment is possible and appropriate. The Critical Appraisal Skills Programme (CASP) tool is the most commonly used tool for quality appraisal in health-related qualitative evidence syntheses, with endorsement from the Cochrane Qualitative and Implementation Methods Group. The tool is recommended for novice qualitative researchers, but there is little existing guidance on its application. This article considers issues related to the suitability and usability of the CASP tool for quality appraisal in qualitative evidence synthesis in order to support and improve future appraisal exercises framed by the tool. We reflect on our practical experience of using the tool in a systematic review and qualitative evidence synthesis. We discuss why it is worth considering a study’s underlying theoretical, ontological and epistemological framework and how this could be incorporated into the tool by way of a novel question. We consider how particular features of the tool may impact its interpretation, the appraisal results and the subsequent synthesis. We discuss how to use quality appraisal results to inform the next stages of evidence synthesis and present a novel approach to organising the synthesis, whereby studies deemed to be of higher quality contribute relatively more to the synthesis. We propose tool modifications, user guidance, and areas for future methodological research.

Using Illustrations to Make Decisions on the Most Appropriate Qualitative Research Methodology: The Industry 4.0 Scenario

Industry 4.0 is viewed as a complex scenario. This complex scenario could be interpreted using illustrations such as sketches or drawings. Ideally, sketches and drawings are useful in illustrating complexity and multiple abstracts from observed social reality. The use of illustrations allows novice qualitative researchers to explore observed social reality in depth with less linear insight. However, few scholars mention the use of illustrations at the research planning stage because most sketches and drawings have been used as tools during data collection merely to understand an interviewee’s perspective. Therefore, this article aims to demonstrate the use of illustrations as a tool to facilitate the research process from problem identification to the selection of the qualitative research methodology. Five specific purposes of illustration that significantly contribute to the body of knowledge for effective decision making and are useful tools in delivering information are demonstrated in this article. Based on the illustrations demonstrated in this article, the most appropriate qualitative research methodology is the case study. Overall, the proposed use of illustrations can assist a novice qualitative researcher in determining the appropriate epistemological and ontological stances, as well as their methodology and method, more effectively.

Quality in qualitative research: An overview

The issues surrounding the quality of qualitative research are many, and there are different perspectives to the same. This has led to the proliferation of terminologies, criteria and frameworks to judge the quality, which causes confusion for novice qualitative researchers. This article highlights the following: (1) three issues in the quality of qualitative research (rigour and validity versus trustworthiness, generic standards versus tradition specific standards, and the process evaluation versus post hoc evaluation); (2) Lincoln and Guba's qualitative framework and (3) quality enhancement strategies.

It Piques a Novice’s Curiosity and Engages the Experienced: A Review of Designing Qualitative Research (The SAGE Qualitative Research Kit)

This book is one of ten in The SAGE Qualitative Research Kit and addresses the fundamental design issues in qualitative research. It outlines a framework for the other books in the kit on a practical and methodological level. Flick discusses obstacles in realizing success, technical matters like ethics, achieving quality, generalization, and considerations regarding the researcher’s perspective in qualitative research designs. Several examples that support and motivate the text are derived from the author’s qualitative research projects and publications. The book is appropriate for novice qualitative researchers and sufficiently informative to engage but also refresh the perspectives of the experienced scholar.

The Value of a Qualitative Pilot Study in a Multi-Phase Mixed Methods Research

There is debate about the need for pilot studies in qualitative research and limited publications on its usefulness as a part of a mixed methods study which includes a qualitative phase. This qualitative pilot study was a part of a multiphase mixed methods research which investigated the nature of assessment in Jamaican secondary schools. The larger study aimed at developing a model for more effective implementation of formative assessment in the teaching of English at the secondary level. This article discusses the value of pilot studies in qualitative research in general and as a part of a multiphase mixed methods research. The qualitative pilot study was valuable in helping me to refine the research protocols, pre-empt possible challenges and increase my training and confidence in conducting qualitative research. Consequently, it added to the legitimation on the overall mixed methods research. Qualitative pilot studies are necessary especially for novice qualitative and mixed methods researchers.

Demystifying Qualitative Data Analysis for Novice Qualitative Researchers

Qualitative research is a rich and diverse discipline, yet novice qualitative researchers may struggle in discerning how to approach their qualitative data analysis among the plethora of possibilities. This paper presents a foundational model that facilitates a comprehensive yet manageable approach to qualitative data analysis, and it can be applied within an array of qualitative methodologies. Based on an exhaustive review of expert qualitative methodologists, along with our own experience of teaching qualitative research, this model synthesises commonly-used analytic strategies and methods that are likewise applicable to novice qualitative researchers. This foundational model consists of four iterative cycles: The Inspection Cycle, Coding Cycle, Categorisation Cycle, and Modelling Cycle, and memo-writing is inherent to the entire analysis process. Our goal is to offer a solid foundation from which novice qualitative researchers may begin familiarising themselves with the craft of qualitative research and continue discovering methods for making sense of qualitative data.

Inside and Outside Perspectives: A Review of Invisible Asians: Korean American Adoptees, Asian American Experiences and Racial Exceptionalism

The following is a review of the book Invisible Asians: Korean American Adoptees, Asian American Experiences and Racial Exceptionalism, written by Kim Park Nelson. In the book, the author used ethnography and collected oral histories, and critical race theory and a post-colonial approach were employed as theoretical frameworks. In particular, as not only an insider (an adoptee) but an outsider (a researcher), she maintained a well-balanced view in describing vivid lived experiences of Korean adoptees and diverse sociocultural environments that impacted them. This book would be a great guide for novice qualitative researchers who want to be ethnographers and study minorities in U.S. society.

“I Found a Fit”: Doctoral Student Narratives of Coming to a Theoretical Home in a Qualitative Research Class

A critical aspect of learning qualitative research methodology in a doctoral program is to develop deep knowledge of the theoretical frameworks informing one’s research. An in-depth reading of those theories is necessary for them to be used to inform and guide dissertation research. Based in narrative inquiry, this study examined the journeys of 18 novice qualitative researchers as they came to understand theory and develop a theoretical home to inform their doctoral research. Findings include 1) the emotional concerns, uncertainty, and confusion when asked to engage with theory and theoretical frameworks to inform their research for the first time; 2) supports and strategies used to engage deeply with theories; and 3) students’ use of metaphors to describe their relationships with theories over the course of their doctoral studies as they came to a “theoretical home”. Implications for doctoral training in qualitative research include the need to engage pedagogically with students around the complexities and messiness of the role of theory in research.

Grounded Theory: A Practical Overview of the Glaserian School

In many parts of the world, qualitative research is still new. This can be evidenced in the limited number of qualitative research theses, dissertations, and journal article publications in Asian higher education institutions and journals. In fact, many institutions hardly offer qualitative research courses in their graduate programs. However, qualitative research is steadily growing. More and more people in many different fields are embracing it. Looking at the historical foundation of qualitative research, it is important to recognize the first publication of a qualitative research design by Glaser and Strauss (1967) half a century ago. This book is generally accepted as the pioneering work in the field of qualitative research. This manuscript presents an overview of what the classical grounded theory by these two pillars of qualitative research is all about and examples of how to implement it effectively in carrying out a research study. This manuscript is intended to provide a practical understanding of grounded theory for novice qualitative researchers and a refresher for experienced ones.