Qualitative Research Community Research Articles

Empowering Women Leadership Through Community Mobilization to Prevent Early Marriage

This qualitative research study explored the impact of early marriages on women in Malang Regency and examined strategies for preventing such marriages by empowering women. Utilizing data collected through Focus Group Discussions (FGD), the research investigated the complex web of social, economic, and generational consequences resulting from child marriages in rural areas. The study highlights the significant role played by Women’s Leadership Houses (RKP) in the Singosari and Karangploso regions, where community mobilization is employed to foster gender equality and empower women. RKP’s community engagement approach allows members to dissect the underlying factors driving early marriages and adolescent interactions within their communities. The research uncovered a diverse range of issues associated with early unions, each uniquely shaped by the local environment. RKP’s methodology places a strong emphasis on problem identification and potential recognition, encompassing human and natural resources while challenging prevailing social norms that perpetuate early marriages. In conclusion, this study underscores the importance of empowering women and promoting gender equality as key strategies in preventing early marriages. Through qualitative research methods and community engagement via FGDs, we can aspire to create a future where early marriages become a historical relic and women attain the agency and opportunities they rightfully deserve. Keywords: Early Marriage; Women Empowerment; Community Mobi-lization; Gender Equality

How do you solve a problem like COREQ? A critique of Tong et al.’s (2007) Consolidated Criteria for Reporting Qualitative Research

In this paper, we argue that COREQ – the consolidated criteria for reporting qualitative research (Tong et al., 2007) – is a problem, and a problem in need of a solution. COREQ is not just a problem because – as Buus and Perron (2020) argued – there are important questions about the credibility of the development of the checklist. COREQ is a problem because some in the (qualitative) research community treat it as generic and universally applicable, and maintain that the use of COREQ by authors and evaluators will result in better – more transparent and complete – reporting. But, as we will show, COREQ is far from generic, and its use can contribute to methodologically incongruent reporting. We develop our argument that the use of COREQ should be confined to the reporting and evaluation of what we term ‘small q’ qualitative research, by critically discussing the definition of qualitative research in COREQ, the conflation of reflexivity and bias, and the presumed universality of saturation, certain analytic practices and outputs, and participant validation. However, even demarcating a limited frame of ‘qualitative’ for the application of COREQ doesn't eliminate all the problems. We contend that COREQ needs extensive refinement to ensure it promotes more transparent and complete reporting, especially when used by less experienced researchers and evaluators. In the absence of such revision, we invite journal editors to consider whether the flaws in COREQ render it untrustworthy as a reporting quality tool. Going forward, we suggest research values, rather than consolidation or consensus, offer a sounder foundation for developing assessment tools for reporting quality.

Who can you trust these days?: Dealing with imposter participants during online recruitment and data collection

The use of digital technologies in qualitative research has been found to increase access and participation by minimizing geographical, scheduling, and financial barriers. However, discussions among the qualitative research community about the challenges of conducting research online and, specifically, what steps can be taken to mitigate “imposter participants” remain limited. Anchored in a critical disability studies perspective, in this field note paper, we discuss lessons learned in conducting online qualitative research and preserving data trustworthiness.

The white light vibrations of Norman K. Denzin

With Norman K. Denzin’s death on 6 August 2023, the global community of qualitative researchers lost a visionary scholar and vocal crusader in broad areas of critical and interpretivist theory, pedagogy, and practice. His pioneering work included contributions to symbolic interactionism, symbiotics, performance studies, autoethnography, and narrative performance to name a few. Founder of the International Congress of Qualitative Inquiry (ICQI) and several prominent journals devoted to critical scholarship, he also coauthored the influential Sage handbooks on qualitative research. His impact was titanic. This article examines his influence in one discrete area of journal editorship. However, it also draws broader conclusions about his enormous contributions including: his panache for bold action in the face of paralyzing situations, his efforts to create safe and respected academic spaces for other scholars, his leadership in challenging normative academic culture, his deep-seated belief in the transformational power of qualitative inquiry, and his ever-evident moral compass set on enacting inclusive, compassionate, and socially just communities. A tireless crusader for a more utopian society, his white light vibrations will continue to provide a source of energy for those looking to perform a better version of humanity.

Curated collections for educators: Nine key articles and article series for teaching qualitative research methods.

Qualitative research explains observations, focusing on how and why phenomena and experiences occur. Qualitative methods go beyond quantitative data and provide critical information inaccessible through quantitative methods. However, at all levels of medical education, there is insufficient exposure to qualitative research. As a result, residents and fellows complete training ill-equipped to appraise and conduct qualitative studies. As a first step to increasing education in qualitative methods, we sought to create a curated collection of papers for faculty to use in teaching qualitative research at the graduate medical education (GME) level. We conducted literature searches on the topic of teaching qualitative research to residents and fellows and queried virtual medical education and qualitative research communities for relevant articles. We searched the reference lists of all articles found through the literature searches and online queries for additional articles. We then conducted a three-round modified Delphi process to select papers most relevant to faculty teaching qualitative research. We found no articles describing qualitative research curricula at the GME level. We identified 74 articles on the topic of qualitative research methods. The modified Delphi process identified the top nine articles or article series most relevant for faculty teaching qualitative research. Several articles explain qualitative methods in the context of medical education, clinical care, or emergency care research. Two articles describe standards of high-quality qualitative studies, and one article discusses how to conduct the individual qualitative interview to collect data for a qualitative study. While we identified no articles reporting already existing qualitative research curricula for residents and fellows, we were able to create a collection of papers on qualitative research relevant to faculty seeking to teach qualitative methods. These papers describe key qualitative research concepts important in instructing trainees as they appraise and begin to develop their own qualitative studies.

Editorial: Continuing on an Inclusive Path to Scholarly Excellence with Renewed Vigor

Editorial: Continuing on an Inclusive Path to Scholarly Excellence with Renewed Vigor

Providing a training model for producing electronic content to prepare teachers to teach in the virtual space of schools

Background and Aim: Virtual education is one of the types of education that has shown its role in recent years, especially during the Corona period. Therefore, the aim of the current research was to provide a model of electronic content production training for preparing teachers to teach in the virtual environment of elementary schools in Bushehr province. Methods: The current research method was mixed (qualitative-quantitative) and practical in terms of execution method. The qualitative research community included university experts of Bushehr in the academic year of 2020-2021-, of which 40 people were selected based on the rule of theoretical saturation and with the purposeful sampling method. The statistical population of the quantitative part included 552 university professors in Bushehr city in the academic year of 2020-2021, and the sample size was determined based on Cochran's formula of 225 and selected by random sampling. The tools of the qualitative part of the interview and the quantitative part of the questionnaire were made by the researcher. The validity of the qualitative part of the tool was done with face validity, and the reliability was 0.82 with the agreement coefficient between the coders. Also, in the quantitative part of the research, formal validity and reliability were obtained with Cronbach's alpha of 0.85. Qualitative part analysis was done by coding method in MAXQDA3 software and quantitative part was done by partial least squares method in Pls smart3 software. Results: In the qualitative section, 5 components (content, evaluation, technical infrastructure, planning and learning environment) and 41 indicators were identified for the e-learning model. Based on the results of the quantitative part, the factor load, which is the correlation coefficient between the implicit variable (e-learning) and the obvious variables in a model, is related to planning (0.74), content compilation (0.63), evaluation (0.58), technical infrastructure (0.51) and learning environment (0.5), respectively. Also, according to the results of structural equation modeling, the planning component with a coefficient of 0.42, content compilation with a coefficient of 0.21, evaluation with a coefficient of 0.18, technical infrastructure and learning environment with a coefficient of 0.14 respectively had the greatest effect on e-learning. E-learning is the necessity of the educational system in the future. Conclusion: It can be concluded that the first step is to ask professors and experts to identify and solve the challenges of e-learning and plan for the implementation of this system in the education system according to the components of content, evaluation, technical infrastructure, planning and learning environment.

Perspectives on Humanizing and Liberatory Qualitative Research with Racially/Ethnically Minoritized Youth.

The visible impacts of COVID-19 and racial injustice have resulted in renewed funding commitments and research within minoritized communities. However, this work is too often anchored in deficit and damage-centered research approaches and practices. In this brief, we call on the qualitative research community to reframe their perspectives and terminate harmful, pain-driven research. We underscore the importance of humanizing and liberatory approaches to research with youth who are racially/ethnically minoritized. Specifically, we contend that the emotional health and overall well-being of youth are impacted by the approaches employed by researchers and the experiences racially/ethnically minoritized youth have with research. Thus, we offer specific anti-oppressive strategies and recommendations for qualitative researchers to consider in their work with racial/ethnically minoritized youth and communities.

'Immunisation, I haven't had a problem, but once again the transport, making an appointment, the time that you waste and all of those things are an issue'-Understanding childhood under-immunisation in Mid North Coast New South Wales, Australia.

This study aimed to understand the reasons for childhood under-immunisation in Kempsey, New South Wales, among First Nations and non-First Nations families, and potential strategies to improve coverage. The World Health Organization's Tailoring Immunization Programmes guide was employed. Tailoring Immunization Programmes uses social science, qualitative research methods and community participation and is underpinned by the Capabilities Opportunities Motivations-Behaviors (COM-B) theoretical model of behaviour change. A cultural lens was applied throughout the study design. Using a thematic analysis, factors found to influence childhood under-immunisation were loosely mapped against COM-B framework. Face-to-face interviews and focus groups conducted in locations and at times convenient to participants were audio-recorded and transcribed verbatim. Fifty-six participants (25 First Nations and 13 non-First Nations mothers and grandmothers, and 18 health service providers) took part in the study (July-October 2019). Four themes were identified: (a) parents are supportive of immunisation and effective reminders would make it easier to prioritise it (b) services could be more accessible for families (c) addressing workforce shortages could improve access to immunisation services and (d) addressing entrenched racism in the community will help build cultural safety in health services. While parents in Kempsey were supportive of immunisation, resourceful and resilient, many struggled to overcome entrenched structural and cultural barriers to accessing services. This was particularly difficult for First Nations, socially disadvantaged and single mums. Public health services can provide more support to those mothers and grandmothers who need it most, to ensure they are able to access immunisation services without delay.

Conducting Thematic Analysis with Qualitative Data

This article discusses one approach to conducting thematic analysis using structured qualitative data collected from focus groups. Thematic analysis is one of the most used but often poorly defined approaches in the qualitative research community. The method is principally concerned with the identification of patterns which are then reported as researcher-generated themes. In this article, I use data obtained from the Qualitative Data Repository to demonstrate how secondary qualitative data can be analyzed to produce themes. I note the ways in which this process unfolds as well as how it differs from other techniques.

Narrative Analysis Research: A Tool for Extension Educators

Within the qualitative research community, narrative analysis research is a common method that is used to better understand a person's experiences or a collective experience. The use of narratives in Extension has been limited. Extension professionals primarily have used narratives as tools for conveying the value of Extension programs or, more recently, as one aspect of a broader program evaluation effort. This article focuses on benefits of narrative analysis research and its potential for practical application by those in Extension.

The Qualitative Transparency Deliberations: Insights and Implications

In recent years, a variety of efforts have been made in political science to enable, encourage, or require scholars to be more open and explicit about the bases of their empirical claims and, in turn, make those claims more readily evaluable by others. While qualitative scholars have long taken an interest in making their research open, reflexive, and systematic, the recent push for overarching transparency norms and requirements has provoked serious concern within qualitative research communities and raised fundamental questions about the meaning, value, costs, and intellectual relevance of transparency for qualitative inquiry. In this Perspectives Reflection, we crystallize the central findings of a three-year deliberative process—the Qualitative Transparency Deliberations (QTD)—involving hundreds of political scientists in a broad discussion of these issues. Following an overview of the process and the key insights that emerged, we present summaries of the QTD Working Groups’ final reports. Drawing on a series of public, online conversations that unfolded at www.qualtd.net, the reports unpack transparency’s promise, practicalities, risks, and limitations in relation to different qualitative methodologies, forms of evidence, and research contexts. Taken as a whole, these reports—the full versions of which can be found in the Supplementary Materials—offer practical guidance to scholars designing and implementing qualitative research, and to editors, reviewers, and funders seeking to develop criteria of evaluation that are appropriate—as understood by relevant research communities—to the forms of inquiry being assessed. We dedicate this Reflection to the memory of our coauthor and QTD working group leader Kendra Koivu.1

Indigenizing Participation for Sustainable Community-Based Development Programmes in Ghana

The efficacy of indigenous knowledge and local participation has been argued to be some of the pathways to curbing the present indigenous community development impasse. Employing an in-depth qualitative research approach, 32 traditional and community development leaders as well as local government officials were interviewed to ascertain local the present community development paradigms and proposed future pathways. Drawing from local insights and a range of scholarly perspectives this paper assessed how meaningful indigenous knowledge systems and indigenous people can actively engage and sustain community-driven development programmes. Utilizing a process analysis, the paper, established that there is a disconnect between indigenous community knowledge systems, values, norms and other cultural realities and contemporary participatory community development approaches. It further illustrates, the absence of local participation in community development and proposed a framework for the integration of indigenous knowledge systems, institutions and other cultural realities in community-based development programmes to ensure development sustainability.

To Be or Not to Be, That Is the Question: A Journey Through Performance Autoethnography

Across significant moments in my training in performative autoethnography in the United States, I share through performative writing my ideas, experiences, and reflections between the different moments of qualitative research, among which I am in a process of transition that stresses my biography, over cultures and paradigms. In this process, a feminine voice emerges with force silenced by data and traditions. The process makes visible doubts and contradictions of my own, mixed with subjective reflections on the self-construction of the professional identity of becoming a researcher in the academy. The importance of “raising the voice” in a globalized neoliberal context, characterized by capitalism in scientific production and the power that has an impact on research and methods is revealed. This highway traveled serves to stimulate reflection and debate among the academic community of qualitative researchers. Everyday practices are not insensitive to the people who make up academic institutions and spaces, nor do such practices have no impact on the lives of the researchers. I also write to annoy and disturb, to mobilize and question these practices and the relationships between researchers and research, confronting their inter-and-intra spaces with the neoliberal times that we live in the academy. This allows awareness and position with coherence and ethics before qualitative research as responsible social commitment and moral act.

Intercoder Reliability in Qualitative Research: Debates and Practical Guidelines

Evaluating the intercoder reliability (ICR) of a coding frame is frequently recommended as good practice in qualitative analysis. ICR is a somewhat controversial topic in the qualitative research community, with some arguing that it is an inappropriate or unnecessary step within the goals of qualitative analysis. Yet ICR assessment can yield numerous benefits for qualitative studies, which include improving the systematicity, communicability, and transparency of the coding process; promoting reflexivity and dialogue within research teams; and helping convince diverse audiences of the trustworthiness of the analysis. Few guidelines exist to help researchers negotiate the assessment of ICR in qualitative analysis. The current article explains what ICR is, reviews common arguments for and against its incorporation in qualitative analysis and offers guidance on the practical elements of performing an ICR assessment.

Interpretative phenomenological analysis (IPA) as a coaching research methodology

ABSTRACT This paper suggests that interpretative phenomenological analysis (IPA) is a valuable research method for coaching research. The paper positions coaching as a social activity and highlights its subjective and contextual nature. It aims to establish clear guidance by drawing on both the author’s recent research experience and others’ scholarly work. The author encourages scholars with a similar interest (phenomenology, hermeneutics, ideography) to explore IPA as a potential methodology for coaching research. The clearly laid out guidance here on how to conduct an IPA study will be attractive to the wider qualitative research community. The paper contributes to coaching research by promoting IPA as a methodology that helps to develop subjective understanding within the field.

Transparency in Qualitative Research: An Overview of Key Findings and Implications of the Deliberations

In recent years, a variety of efforts have been made in political science to enable, encourage, or require scholars to be more open and explicit about the bases of their empirical claims and, in turn, make those claims more readily evaluable by others. While qualitative scholars have long taken an interest in making their research open, reflexive, and systematic, the recent push for overarching transparency norms and requirements has provoked serious concern within qualitative research communities and raised fundamental questions about the meaning, value, costs, and intellectual relevance of transparency for qualitative inquiry. This essay is the introduction to a symposium that crystallizes the central findings of a three-year deliberative process – the Qualitative Transparency Deliberations (QTD) – involving hundreds of political scientists in a broad discussion of these issues. The symposium’s centerpiece is a series of summaries of the QTD Working Group’s final reports. Drawing on a series of public, online conversations that unfolded at www.qualtd.net, the reports unpack transparency’s promise, practicalities, risks, and limitations in relation to different qualitative methodologies, forms of evidence, and research contexts. Taken as a whole, these reports offer practical guidance to scholars designing and implementing qualitative research, and to editors, reviewers, and funders seeking to develop criteria of evaluation that are appropriate – as understood by relevant research communities – to the forms of inquiry being assessed.

The use of an educational video to increase suicide awareness and enrollment in parenting interventions among Filipinos.

Filipino American adolescents are at higher risk for suicidal ideation and attempts compared to other ethnic subgroups. Results of prior studies suggest the need to engage Filipino parents in the use of culturally tailored, best-practice child rearing strategies. The Incredible Years® is an evidence-based preventive parenting intervention for the school-age years that can reduce children's high risk behaviors. Qualitative research methods and community advisory board meetings were primarily used during the formative research phases in producing a theory-based, culturally-tailored video to increase awareness about adolescent suicide and promote enrollment in the Incredible Years® among Filipino American parents. A 14-minute video was created to increase knowledge about adolescent risky behaviors among Filipino American youth (i.e., suicidal behavior, drug use) and to motivate Filipino parents using constructs from the Health Belief Model and Theory of Planned Behavior. The video presented parent and grandparent testimonials with whom a target audience can identify and health and mental health providers who discussed behavioral health disparities. The content and format of the video included culturally-tailored cues and modeling to influence Filipinos decision to enroll in a parenting intervention. Perceived susceptibility to future adolescent risky behaviors, perceived benefits and barriers to participate in parenting interventions, and knowledge of behavioral health disparities can be effectively targeted in a video format in order to promote enrollment of Filipino parents in evidence-based parenting interventions.

Enlivening a Community of Authentic Scholarship

Background: Critical and engaged qualitative scholarship depends on high-quality graduate training. The need to reexamine graduate student mentorship has become particularly pressing, given the high level of mental health distress experienced by students. It is unclear whether mentorship emerging within the student–advisor relationship is sufficient to ensure comprehensive mentorship. Innovative, experiential pedagogical approaches that integrate emotional and intellectual aspects are limited but may play a vital role in mentorship. There is a critical need to develop and study creative mentorship initiatives for emerging qualitative scholars. Methods: This study used interpretive description methodology and a community of practice theoretical framework to describe a faculty-mentored experience for graduate nursing students at the 2016 Qualitative Health Research Conference (FM-QHR) hosted by the International Institute for Qualitative Methodology. Participants completed written journals elucidating their experiences throughout FM-QHR. The textual data were analyzed using a constant comparative group analysis process, leading to the development of salient and interconnected themes. Results: Six graduate students and four faculty mentors submitted journals. Three interrelated themes articulate how this FM-QHR initiative enlivened a community of authentic scholarship: Questioning the Academic Self: Unvoiced Experiences of Angst, Uncertainty, and Fear; Cocreating Authentic Community through Shared Vulnerability; and Generative and Emergent Empowerment. Conclusion: These findings provide compelling insights into the importance of assisting students to navigate the emotional experiences that are a part of qualitative graduate training. Relational, mentorship initiatives hold potential to not only alleviate emotional distress but also support student empowerment, socialization, and entrance into a community of international qualitative researchers.

Researching the bridge called our backs: the invisibility of ‘us’ in qualitative communities

The article and the following discussion were prompted after the authors’ participation in a recent qualitative research conference. In the article, a Black woman and Latina scholar share their experiences and reflections as scholar researchers. As a point of entry, they discuss how even qualitative research communities can be marginalizing spaces for scholars of color. Using theoretical perspectives of feminists of color, the authors provide snapshots into their personal dialogue around issues of research, theory, and practice. By examining their own personal and professional shared stories of coming to their scholarly identities, qualitative researchers will be able to better understand how women scholars of color grapple with and embrace a multiple consciousness to navigate academia and research communities. Based on these intellectual struggles and forms of resistance, the authors put forth suggestions for qualitative research theory and practice. The article has implications for qualitative research, higher education, and feminist theory.